I, 22m. I am currently a automotive technician student at a colege. My school there is two classes: the former one being automotive theory and the later is the practical theory aka a workshop. I can doing well in the theory class if i am being serious. However in the workshop class, i am pretty clueless, i donot know a damn thing about automotive . So most of the time, i am doing nothing, when the teacher giving us a lecture, my mind most of the time just spacing off, and my friends help me out a lot of time. The only reason i am continue doing this because i just want a diploma. With the diploma i am able to get a job.

Which lead to my worst fear, i am afraid that if i get a job, and i cannot do shit maybe i have to sent back to school.

I think i have to make one of the two choices: it is either trying to finish the class and get the diploma and get a job even if i knew nothing about the automotive or transfer to another trades that require me to work alone, so I can being more responsible toward my work. But the time to go to school will be longer. Or prior going to the classroom, I need to know things first before going to the workshop. What should I do guy?

P/s: i am not being retarded or unable to learn, but I don’t know anything about automotive so this is the reason I kind of fail in this class

Hey how much did you guys spend? I just want a ball park of what I will need thanks!

Can someone help me locate where the vvt solenoid is on Chrysler 200 2.4l?

I work for the school system as a county employee. I fortunately don't have to deal with some of the pitfalls of dealership work. However there are some parts of this job that aren't terrific. The training is lacking almost entirely.

The extent of my experience is just oil changes on diesel school busses. I work exclusively on school busses but prior to this job I never even considered an automotive career as a possibility and as a result I know almost nothing about diagnosing and repairing vehicles. Or how they go together and all the technical terms and shop lingo for parts. I don't even know about half the tools in our toolbox to be honest.

I really do love what I'm doing here. In the time I've spent here so far it's made me antsy to want to learn so much more. My bus lot is literally only me and the lead mechanic. He knows a shitload about mechanics, but he doesn't know how to teach at all. not a complaint, i love workin with the guy. He's just a difficult person to follow along with. Plus work is typically extremely slow because he does a fantastic job at maintenance. I want to use my downtime to study and learn as much as I can.

Any recommendations on reading material, like a breakdown of tools in an average toolbox, engine builds, diagnostics, etc. Would be super appreciated.

Apologies for the long post

My son [Dual US/PH citizen] is currently a student in HS automotive program in the Philippines. He will graduate in 2026 and then we have the option of returning to the United States and him entering an automotive training school there, or he can go to a Toyota Motor Company affiliated school here in the Philippines. The school here is supported by Toyota, has a state of the art garage, and also works with a local Toyota dealer in Metro Manila for hands on experience. It offers a 2 yr program that specializes in Toyota repair. The cost of the 2 yr program will be roughly $2000 in total ($1000/year) so no student loans would be needed.

If we go back to the US for school, we are open to relocation since we currently don't maintain a home there. I'm retired and receiving SS monthly. He most likely will be eligible for low-income grants/scholarships since we've been living on around $30k/year in the PH. the biggest benefit I see to US schooling would be working on different makes, plus he can work a side job while there to help pay tuition and get experience. Also he will work in the US as technicians here earn only about P700/$15 per day.

What are your thoughts?

I started off a few years ago with vocational school training, 7 month program that led to a Volvo apprenticeship program that led to a job with Volvo for about 2 years on and off (quit twice, won’t ever work for that dealership again). I had brief periods of time with a Mazda and Nissan dealer, but something about dealerships have turned me away completely. But even the one indie I tried fired me for “taking too long” with some of my diags, which ended up with me doing independent work for a company as a mobile tech, rather successfully I might add despite how rough this year has been.

This upcoming year I will be taking my ASE certs one by one and will start buying A/C equipment this spring….but where do I go from here? How do I continue to stay relevant in this ever expanding and rapidly changing career field? I still strongly believe EVs will take years to truly take off(although I do have a hybrid cert from Volvo), but I don’t know where to go from here. I’m thinking I should take some online courses so I can start adding auto locksmithing to my repertoire or maybe even take a diesel program.

Hi Guy, i want to learn how to do automotive spray painting, sanding and polishing detail lesson in Melbourne. Can someone recommend any workshop offering a short course?.

I googled it but only found some lessons but they are in sydney only.

Many thanks

I just passed my ASE G1 today and I’m wondering what would y’all recommend to take next. My strong suit is definitely on the electrical side of things but I was also looking at brakes or engine next. What do y’all recommend?

My husband and I recently opened a shop. While he's an amazing mechanic, I'm not so seasoned. I know enough to diagnose and get myself out of a jam. I've never worked in a shop before, so managing the office side of things is a difficult challenge. Can anyone please help me so I can be an asset to this business!

Hi all, some help please. My UK ford Cmax 2014 eco boost has sprung a leak from the hose that goes from the coolant tank to the turbo. The leak has then corroded the metal water pipe from the turbo as per pic.

Do you think I can replace the rubber hose, use some leak tape and sealant to repair the metal pipe, or do I need to replace the turbo.

I am a BS IT student and I absolutely love tech. I always have. But there’s something I love even more and that’s cars. I was fortunate enough to have a computer since childhood, so I was able to work with them hardware and software wise, learn a lot and be very good at it. There’s not much to do in computers hardware wise but I really enjoy it more than the software and programming. I am a gamer too and I love building gaming computers.

Similarly, the idea of working with cars really excites and I want to pursue it. I love cars, more than computers. Unfortunately I have never had the chance to own one or work with one but I wanna be able to do it.

I am going to do masters after my bachelors, I am pretty set on specializing in a field in IT (DevOps/cloud), but I was wondering if there’s something like automotive technician degree (not interested in automotive engineering) or course that I can do?

Another idea I had was that I can continue my career in IT and pursue this car thing as a hobby. Buy a car and learn to work with it, etc., and so on grow and buy another car.

I really want to work with cars. I really enjoy doing manual labor.

Right so I’ve got experience in mechanics but I’ve never went college I grew up in my dads business as a mechanic from young, I had my IMI level 3 course today and completely failed as they wanted me to use tools I’ve never used, anyone here able to help me with the practical work? I need this qualification to do my MOT tester course in a few months.

I'm starting a new job next week and have no experience in the automotive industry. The pay is $24.01 in Australian dollars which is the minimum wage and I'm questioning whether it's worth it or not. Any advice on what's it like to work as a tyre technician would be great. Thanks.

I was checking my battery when I found it at 17.2Vdc. I thought my alternator had failed and overcharged my battery. So, I took out my battery and decided to check voltage unhooked from vehicle. It was 12.58 which says to me that it is a good battery. So, I reinstalled it and it immediately climbed slowly to 16.5-17Vdc. This is all with the vehicle off. It will start the vehicle so I know it can handle a load. I tested for parasitic voltages and I have about 10mA which is good. I tested my multimeter and it is good. Any ideas?

My steering wheel is slightly off center and I’ve never had any luck with an alignment shop fixing this issue. I know it only involves a minor adjustment on the tie rods and I’m looking to do this myself. My understanding is that as long as I do the same to both sides only opposite, I would not affect total toe and therefore would not need an alignment. I’ve found a place that will let me use a lift however it does not support the tires. I know that alignments need to have the weight of the car on the suspension in order for it to be accurate, but since I am not actually aligning the front end, am I okay making the adjustment with the tires off the ground? I can’t see any reason why I couldn’t but I just wanted to check since this is new territory for me. Any advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone!

I'm an automotive enthusiast in my 20s, and I really want to learn how to work on cars! I'm a mechanical engineer so I can easily read drawings and P&IDs, but have to keep a 9-5 job. I would appreciate any guidance from you guys regarding weekend classes I could attend, and gain skills equivalent to a novice auto mechanic!

I don't know if it matters, but I'm not a US citizen, so I cannot work for a repair shop as an apprentice as I'm not allowed to have more than one source of active income. I can definitely volunteer somewhere if that's an option.

I live in the Harris County (Texas) area if that helps.

Currently rebuilding an is200 and I have recently replaced it with a fibreglass bonnet , I took the car out for a test drive as it’s having an abs error and was trying to code it when a bit of wind came under the bonnet while at maybe 15km/ph and the bonnet flipped in towards the roof as the fiber glass bonnet doesn’t have a latch , the hinges have slide out of the guiders and bent towards the windscreen , tried pulling them straight but they are a hefty chunk of metal , was wondering if anyone has fixed this problem before and if so how , or would I be better off stripping everything and replacing the hinges

I got this car that was hit in the passenger rear while stationary. Idk if its toed in or out but I don't think the rear can be aligned. So what would I need to do to fix this without having to replace the whole rear end cause its a single bracket

Hey guys currently doing research what school would benefit me the most for a career for auto tech

Hi folks. Any good courses, bootcamps or even YouTube series you recommend? I've been lightly working on cars for 20 years, now I'm getting to the more pointy end of modifications and my main blind spot is 12v wiring. I know the basics but struggle when my mods need custom work, or chasing down gremlins. For example, BMW seat swaps into Toyotas. I'm trying to skip canbus system and power the seats directly and hooking up the seat heaters safely. It's a total pain right now because I feel like a caveman working on a spaceship. Would love any tips or ideas on learning this stuff so I can save myself the headaches and make these projects way less time consuming and painful. Thank you so much!

We've inherited a truck, (in title) I am a beginner mechanic with knowledge in  vehicle electrical systems and  some programming so I can do multiple basics. My questions are, what systems should I inspect for condition? What general maintenances or service should I perform as soon as possible to prevent further damage? How might I do some of these things? The truck is 260000 miles, the original owner, grandpa, took good care of the truck and was an experienced tradesman/mechanic , another family member inherited it after my grandpa, drove it maybe 6 thousand miles, and then family members started noticing it wasn't being serviced at all so far as putting gas in the tank and replacing lights.  here's where I step in with my new knowledge,

 They had an oil change,  we topped off the coolant, and now we're checking for parasitic draw because the battery had died twice. 

 
I don't think I hear knocking, unless its light. I can compression test I suppose.

I do see oil leaking around the head and dripping to the bottom of the block

Superficial rust on the frame ( southern states)

Rusty coolant

Certain corroded wires 

Decaying rubber 

Poor alignment, very wobbly steering

Stiff and very reactive brakes. ( light push makes a tough jerk, and pedal is stiff)dark power steering fluid 

I'm really looking for niche advice that beginners are likely to miss, things obvious to experienced mechanics but not to anyone else.

For example short and long term fuel trim, I have no idea what those mean, but I know parameters like those can give you information on the health of your systems, however I don't know what parameters I should be evaluating. Which parameters should I monitor to know the health of my engine and how I can repair the truck? 
I don't know if its a good idea to change my transmission oil, or if that's even a good idea (people say don't if your gears are already damaged )

 
I'm real lost with how to give my truck the proper care it needs and anything will help.

This truck is too beautiful and nostalgic to let die. Thank you. 

If a picture of the engine bay or any areas would help I can do that, I am just awake at night right now and wont go bother for the keys. 

I want to redo my trucks entire electrical system.

Is it possible to replace the OEM fuse box with an overbuilt aftermarket one or even better can I replace it with a circuit breaker ?