solutionsforeverything

ASE: Certifying the Automotive Professional ASE: Certifying the Automotive Professional Finding a competent auto technician need not be a matter of chance. Much of the guesswork has been eliminated, thanks to 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 nearly 400,000 currently certified professionals, the ASE program is national in scope and has industry-wide acceptance and recognition. ASE-certified professionals 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. Prior to taking ASE certification tests, many technicians attend training classes or study on their own in order to...

National Standards Help Consumers Locate Qualified Automotive Technicians Car owners know they should keep their vehicles in good operating condition, but often they do not know where to turn for dependable service or what to look for in a repair shop. Some choose a repair shop based solely on its convenient location or an advertised special. Not the best move, according to officials with the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, also known as ASE. “Look for the ASE sign,” says Tony Molla, vice president of communications at ASE. “It indicates the repair shop employs one or more ASE-certified technicians.” Molla emphasizes that finding a competent auto technician need not be a matter of chance. Much of the guesswork has been eliminated, thanks to a national program conducted by ASE: “Qualified technicians are the backbone of any repair establishment,” he adds. ASE tests and certifies automotive professionals in all major technical areas of repair an...

Don't Overlook Automotive Technology as a High-Tech Career Path Parents and students should take a second look at automotive repair, a high-tech career that is always in demand and can’t be outsourced overseas. Parents, if becoming an automotive technician is not high on your list of career choices for your child, perhaps it’s time to look again. Officials with the nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) — the independent group that tests and certifies the competence of auto technicians nationally — note that automotive service and repair has changed dramatically in just the span of a generation. High-tech systems unheard of 30 years ago are now standard equipment on much of the nation’s fleet of vehicles: stability and traction control systems, adaptive cruise control and variable valve timing, just to name a few. And more changes are on the way: hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles are commonplace; hydrogen fuel cell and other alte...

New Automotive Refrigerants For Your Vehicle What the future holds for automotive refrigerants is uncertain, but changes are happening and more changes are coming. R-134a refrigerant contineus to be used in many late model vehicles, but many new cars are now being equipped with A/C systems that use R-1234yf refrigerant. Other refrigerants may also be coming as R-134 is gradually phased out in the years ahead. The Europeans want to phase out R-134a in all new vehicles by 2017. The European rules require any new refrigerants must have a global warming potential of less than 150. The U.S. EPA also wants car makers to switch to a different refrigerant to lower the overall carbon emissions of the vehicle fleet. Carbon credits will be given to auto makers who make the switch to a refrigerant that has a lower Global Warming Potential (GWP). Though R-134a poses no danger to the ozone layer if it escapes into the atmosphere, it is a "greenhouse gas" with a fairly high ...