Whether you took a mechanical engineering degree or learned through apprenticeship, people will gauge you by your skills as an automotive mechanic. Some of these skills will be taught in school, but for the most part, you will learn on the job. Here are the five things you need to know as an automotive mechanic.
Know Everything About Tires
While it might seem like a basic thing, this is one of the first things you will learn when you go to school. You will need to learn how to change a tire and the right amount of air to fill in the tire. You will also need to learn about air tool consumption. The good thing about this skill is, you can learn it in the comfort of your home. You do not need to sit in a class and learn about tires unless you plan on making your own.
The one thing you need to know as an automotive mechanic is engine repair. The reason for this is, many people will come to you with faulty engines in their cars. It will be up to you to look at the engine and diagnose the problem. The only way to learn this skill is to study as much as possible. Take your time and go through the various car engines online. Look at how they function and how you can tell a healthy one from a faulty one. You can also look at the engines you might have taken apart from old cars at the garage and try to put them back together. In doing so, you learn how to deal with engines and restore them.
Diagnosis Skills
Working in a garage means seeing so many cars with different issues daily. The only way to ensure that you can fix the issue is to know how to figure out the problem in the first place. Many times, the mistakes made on cars at the garage are because whoever was dealing with it did not know what the problem was in the first place. Since the car owner will bring the car when they are worked up about it, you need to figure out the problem quickly and get it fixed. That way, the owner will not wait too long, which can be frustrating. The thing with this skill is, the best way to learn it is on the job. No one will teach you how to pinpoint the actual problem in the car unless you work with enough cars.
While most automotive mechanics would do things by hand in the past, technology has changed how things are done. There are many easy yet complex diagnostic tools, and many car owners prefer using shops that have these services. To ensure you stay ahead of the game and still attract clients, you will have to learn how to operate these tools. It might take a while for you to figure out the issues, but you are better placed to handle client issues once you know what to look out for. You can get training for using the diagnostic tools or simply learn on the job. Whatever you choose to do, the bottom line is to ensure you keep learning every day.
Know About Electrical Systems
The whole car is a bunch of systems that generate energy to make the car move. If one of these areas has an issue, the whole car will have a problem. The only way you can solve such a problem is to ensure you know about the electrical system in the car and how they relate to each other. That way, you give the correct diagnosis and develop the proper solutions to deal with whatever issues the car might be having. Without knowledge of these systems, there is a high chance that you might mess up the car when working on the repairs. That beats the whole point of getting the car repaired.
The automotive repair business will be around for a long time. If you want to make it in the industry, ensure adaptability. Learn as much as you can, especially when you are on the job. It will set you apart from the other mechanics and have more people prefer coming to you when their cars have an issue.
