Help Wanted:Find a Good Team of Mechanics NOW!

Mamas, do let your babies grow up to be mechanics. In part because of the old "grease monkey" image, and the fact that so many parents want their children to have more glamorous careers, there's an increasing shortage of mechanics. This is despite the fact that those skilled in computer diagnostics can earn up to $75,000 a year and, wish cars becoming increasingly more technologically challenging, top flight "auto technicians" pull down six figures, according to the Department of Labor.

-Knight-Ridder/Tribune

There is an acute shortage of qualified auto technicians and the problem will only get worse in the next five to ten years. It takes at least 7 years to turn a capable raw recruit into a skilled professional automotive technician. This growth requires commitment, the proper equipment, and ongoing training to reach and maintain a high level of professionalism. A critical shortage of top-level automotive technicians is already affecting the consumer with higher repair costs, lengthier down times and the greater risk of poor service results.

How well trained are the mechanics at the shop you choose? Automotive technicians require engineering-level education and must maintain rigorous formal training to stay up to date. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence or "ASE" as it is more commonly known, was founded in 1972 as an independent, non-profit organization with a single mission: To improve the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians.

ASE also communicates its message to consumers, the media and various other publics to promote informed decision making when seeking automotive repairs. Top tier technicians continue training to earn a designation as "ASE Certified Master Technician." Shops with more than 75% of their technicians certified in all areas of work may be eligible for the award of "ASE Blue Seal of Excellence Facility". This applies to independent shops as well as dealers. Our highly competitive labor market has led the best technicians to work at the best
equipped, best managed facilities.

With the real-world shortage of technicians, let alone the best, hiring only ASE certified master technicians is not the business plan of most repair facilities. The best equipment and brightest factory-trained technicians are not all at dealers. Independent repair facilities can perform the services and scheduled maintenance required to keep a new car's warranty in effect. Independent shops can get the same manufacturers Technical Service Bulletins as dealers and they buy the same and in many cases better diagnostic equipment. Independent shops may also have similar or better databases for service/repair information or to track a car's service history. Some of the best independent shops are large enough to service your needs, yet small enough to still provide exceptional service.

Historically, mechanics have received a pretty bad rap. In advertising, the movies and literature they are portrayed as low functioning slobs. Pretty attractive! As public perception changes and technician wages continue to climb, becoming an automotive technician will seam more appealing, and with this, an increase in the number of new technicians coming to the work force. Without this influx of new technical people, shop owners and their customers will see the result. Cars will cost more and more to fix and it will take longer and longer to fix them each year, until ultimately we will live in a world of hi-tech cars that no one can afford to fix.