ASE: What's in It for Car Owners ASE Certification Program Helps Take the
Guesswork Out of Finding a Good Technician Finding a competent auto technician
need not be a matter of chance. Much of the guesswork has been eliminated,
thanks to the national program conducted by the non-profit National Institute
for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). ASE tests and certifies automotive
professionals in all major technical areas of repair and service. With more than
300,000 currently certified professionals, the ASE program is national in scope
and has industry-wide acceptance and recognition. ASE-certified technicians and
parts specialists can be found at every type of repair facility, from
dealerships, service stations, and franchises to parts stores, independent
garages, and even municipal fleets. Certification Benefits Motorists ASE
certifies the technical competence of individual technicians, not repair
facilities. Before taking ASE certification tests, many technicians attend
training classes or study on their own in order to brush up on their knowledge.
By passing difficult, national tests, ASE certified technicians prove their
technical competence to themselves, to their employers, and to their customers.
What's more, because the ASE program is primarily voluntary, ASE certification
becomes a self-selecting credential that weeds out the incompetent. And while
ASE does not certify repair shops or police individual business practices, it
stands to reason that those shop owners and managers who support their service
employees' efforts to become technically certified will be as concerned about
the other aspects of their business as well. How Certification Works About
150,000 technicians take ASE tests each year at over 400 locations around the
country. Technicians who pass at least one exam and fulfill the work experience
requirement become ASE certified. Those who pass a battery of exams (and fulfill
the experience requirement) earn Master Technician status. The tests, developed
by industry experts with oversight from ASE's own in-house professional
technicians, are administered by Prometric, one of the most well-known testing
organizations in the world. There are specialty exams covering all major areas
of repair. There are eight tests for auto technicians alone: Engine Repair,
Engine Performance, Electrical/Electronic Systems, Brakes, Heating and Air
Conditioning, Suspension and Steering, Manual Drive Train and Axles, and
Automatic Transmissions. (There are also exams for collision repair/paint
technicians, damage estimators, parts specialists, and others.) ASE
certification is not for life. ASE requires technicians to re-test every five
years to keep up with technology and to remain certified. All ASE credentials
have expiration dates. Finding ASE-Certified Technicians Repair establishments
with at least one ASE technician are permitted to display the ASE sign. Each ASE
professional is issued personalized credentials listing his or her exact area(s)
of certification and an appropriate shoulder insignia. Technicians are also
issued certificates that employers often post in the customer-service area. And
employers often display the blue and white ASE sign as well maxidiag
elite md802. Businesses with a high level of commitment to the ASE program
(75 percent of service personnel certified) are entitled to a special "Blue Seal
of Excellence" recognition from ASE. These elite facilities are among the best
in the national. More than 1,500 businesses participate in this growing program.
Choosing the Right Technician As with other professionals-physicians come to
mind--automotive technicians often specialize autel
maxidas ds708 update. So it's wise to ask the shop owner or service manager
for a technician who is certified in the appropriate area, say, brakes, engine
repair, or air conditioning. The National Institute for Automotive Service
Excellence (ASE) was founded in 1972 as a non-profit, independent organization
dedicated to improving the quality of automotive service and repair through the
voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians. ASE-certified
technicians wear blue and white ASE shoulder insignia and carry credentials
listing their exact area(s) of certification. Their employers often display the
blue and white ASE sign.
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