MY BACKGROUND AND HISTORY
I feel it’s always nice to know why someone is doing what they are in life. In my opinion, people have gifts, or callings. We all know someone who loves to sing but when we hear them sing, we realize it’s really not their calling, being a mechanic is no different.
Some are called to this, have a gift or knack for mechanical problems, or a mental aptitude for understanding how to disassemble and reassemble something in order to fix it. I also find it usually follows family lineage.
In my situation, my brother and I always had access to my dad’s tools. He is a Master Tractor Trailer Mechanic by trade, and is still in the trade all these years later. My nephew Christoper James “CJ” Waterman (also has the same gift and calling). He’s good with his hands when he applies himself.
My older brother and I were always taking vehicles apart before there was a “Google” to learn it. We were pulling motors at ages 15-16. Our fastest time back then if I recall correctly was three hours to remove a motor from a Caprice Classic, and install it in a Monte Carlo. It was just something bred into us. From clutches, spark plugs, oil changes, coil packs, rebuilding engines or transmissions. We were taught to do it ourselves.
I graduated from High School with honors from the 11th grade. When I took the military ASVAB (Army Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). I scored a 99% for Mechanical Ability. The U.S. Army wanted me to be a mechanic for them, however, I knew that doing so would kill the passion I have for doing this type of work, and ended up enlisting in the Infantry instead.
Recently I applied to the National Aviation Academy here close to Concord, MA. Upon taking the entrance exam I placed 94%, missing only two questions. Both questions were pretty dumb to miss in my opinion. I punched a number into my calculator wrong and without thinking recorded the answer. It was a mere addition question…..LOL.
For Exotics the story is pretty simple. My first Maserati was a 2002 Spyder. Within about a year I ended up personally replacing the F1 clutch, and actuator. The car had about 20,000 miles on it. I also find because I have been called to this, I almost never get out of the mechanical situations easy.
Moreover, I’m usually never satisfied with the diagnosis or mechanical dedication of the people working on my equipment/vehicles. Originally, I was towing the above mentioned Maserati to a high end shop to put it on a scanner. It was diagnosed as having potentiometer problems which as I learned wasn’t the case.
I still remember the look on the Ferrari Tech’s and Shop Manager’s face, bringing that car in when I was finished doing the work myself. They both were looking at me like they knew they were going to call a tow company to bring the car to the junk yard. The Ferrari Tech after running the parameters I asked for specifically stated he had never had a customer ever do the work I did to an F1 car in his career and it be successful.
What people don’t realize in these situations is I grew up not only working on cars, but reverse engineering everything mechanically that needed to be fixed I came across. It would be akin to a surgeon having his young son in the OR for most of his life till he leaves home. The kid will know more on a daily basis than most leaving medical school. It doesn’t mean I or anyone else has all of the answers on any given day. It means we possess the craft to find them.
Since the time of the Spyder, many years ago, I’ve personally owned a couple of different Exotics, most notably a 2004 Lamborghini Stage 3, Underground Racing Gallardo pushing 837hp to the AWD system, on high octane pump gas. (Shown below)
I purchased my own scan tool, and began working on these cars myself from those earlier years and now do consulting around the world for these cars as well.
I specialize in Maserati Gran T’s, Gran Sports, Quattroportes, Ferraris, and Lambos (E gear system is basically identical to F1 system). Some of my favorites are when people throw Kevlar clutches in Boosted (Turbo/Twin Turbo) application Exotics and can not dial them in correctly.
Most will probably know my name from Maseratilife.com where I used to be a Moderator, giving free technical support, and advice to anyone when I could help.
ASE CERTIFICATION (AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE) AND IT’S IMPORTANCE IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
I think this about me section wouldn’t be complete without speaking about a very important topic in this industry, ASE Certification. ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certification is a professional credential for automotive technicians, demonstrating their competence and technical abilities, and is administered by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. It’s probably one of the most underpaid jobs for the technical ability that you have to know in order to Master some of the intricacies of certain vehicles. Growing up learning vehicles is one thing, being tested on that knowledge to not only prove you learned it well, and/or Mastered it is another thing entirely.
Over the years I’ve heard many excuses about either not taking the tests or second to this, them not being relevant at all. Very rarely have I met someone who holds many of the ASE certs currently, and say the tests didn’t actually test their knowledge and know-how on the subject matter. For instance, the stats for taking ASE certification tests are only about 66% pass rate. Depending what test you take that percentage drops significantly. Many do not pass the test first time around. It would be equivalent to an attorney going to law school and stating the bar really wasn’t necessary, and didn’t test their knowledge in the subject matter.
What’s required before taking any of these examinations? First, and foremost you need the relevant hands-on experienced training that a company or business certifies to, that they have trained you for. Normally, you need 2-3 years to begin to take them. Additionally, you might be thinking there is only 1 or 2 tests? That would be incorrect. There are approximately 8 to become Master Certified. There are industry standard tests for every subsection of your automobile. What that means is this, I have to pass tests in ASE A1 Engine Repair (this is only specifically on, diagnosing, repairing, and identifying engine specific conditions) (60 questions); A2 Automatic Transmission/Tran-saxle (50 questions); A3 Manual Drive Train & Axles (50 questions); A4 Steering and Suspension (50 questions); A5 Brakes (55 questions); A6 Electrical and Electrical systems (60 questions) ; A7 Heating/A/C HVAC (60 questions); A8 Engine Performance (60 questions). Moreover, these test are proctored, they are taken in the same places medical professionals are required to take their tests as well as many others. You can not take them on-line or a shady place, you will not cheat on these exams. To be quite blunt, they pat you down, make you take everything out of your pockets, take your shoes off, and quite honestly make you feel you are definitely in a high security environment. I was even told to remove my eye-glasses as they checked to make sure it had no recording device inside of them. Absolutely nothing was brought into the testing environment that wasn’t necessary. They hand you a piece of paper and a pencil and take it from you when you leave.
Why is all of this important in an ever expanding field, especially for Exotics? Personally, I wouldn’t go to a Doctor or an Attorney who didn’t pass the relevant examinations to be what they were, and even then I’m careful who I would pick. There is a minimum level of expertise required to work on some of the sophisticated vehicles we do. It’s not just plugging a $20k scan tool into a vehicle and it telling you what to do. It’s the exact opposite in fact. You not only need to know how to use the computer, but what all the different computer modules in a vehicle do, how they communicate, what they are stating and how to interpret that data in real time.
Still have your doubts about the veracity of these examinations? Let’s see how you do if you are a mechanic or mechanically inclined as much as you might think you are. Keep in mind these tests are not testing your ability to memorize quick facts you can Google on-line. These tests are designed to test, real-world scenarios that you need to have practical knowledge and experience for. These tests are designed to purposely trip you up, and test whether you know what you are talking about using Technician A and Technician B answers and whether one or both are correct, or whether one or both are wrong. These questions are just a couple from certain ASE subsections that are like the test you would see. I cannot reveal actual ASE test questions as that would violate my terms to taking and passing my certs. Let’s see how you do on just these. Please remember, these tests are multiple choice, but multiple choice questions on steroids.
A1 Engine Repair:
“Technician A says the closed coil end of a valve spring should go against the cylinder head. Technician B says all valve springs use shims to control free spring height. Who is right?”
The four answers you have again are: A only; B only, Both are correct, or neither is correct.
A technician is using a laptop computer and manufacturer software to test the ECT (Electronic Controlled Throttle) circuit that has a stored DTC P1121 (Electric Throttle Control Actuator). Which of the following customer concerns could be caused by a defective ECT return spring malfunction?
The answers are: a) rough idle b)low power c)high idle d)detonation
A4 Steering and Suspension:
Two technicians are discussing vehicle ride height. Technician A says when the vehicle ride height is too low the vehicle could pull to that side. Technician B says ride height does not affect front camber. Who is right?
Same four answers as above: A only, B only, Both are correct, or neither is correct
Which of the following electronically controlled suspension sensors is tested by unbolting it with the ignition on, engine off (KOEO) and reviewing scan tool data for correct operation?
A: VSS (vehicle speed sensor) B: WSS (wheel speed sensor) C: G-sensor D: Yaw rate sensor
A5 Brakes:
A vehicle with 4-wheel disc brakes has a brake squeal. Technician A says a defective proportioning valve could be the cause. Technician B says disc brake squeal is often caused by movement of the disc brake pad during braking. Who is right?
A only, B only, both are correct, or neither is correct?
On a car with single piston floating caliper disc brakes, the disc brake pad between the caliper piston and the rotor is badly worn. The other brake pad is slightly worn. Technician A says excessive rotor run out could be the cause. Technician B says insufficient clearance between the pads and caliper slider could be the cause. Who is right?
A only, B only, both are correct, neither is correct?
A7 Heating/Air conditioning
During an air conditioning performance test, the technician notices that the compressor outlet is hot. Technician A says this is a normal condition. Technician B says the air conditioning system is overcharged. Who is right?
A only, B only, both are correct, neither is correct?
A concern of intermittent AC cooling is being diagnosed. The gauge set shows intermittently high and low side pressure gauge readings and the high side intermittently drops to 100 psi. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
A) Stuck Expansion Valve B)Over-charged A/C system C)Compressor internal leak D)Damaged Compressor reed valve
A8 Engine Performance
A NO START condition is being diagnosed on a vehicle with electronic fuel injection (EFI) and distributorless ignition. Technician A says you should only use a DMM (Digital Multimeter) to check voltage values on PCM (Powertrain Control Module). Technician B says you should use a tool to check for spark at one of the spark plugs. Who is right?
A only, B only, both are correct, both are incorrect?
Two technicians are discussing emission diagnosis. Technician A says an ignition misfire will increase CO and HC emissions and set a DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Code). Technician B says a misfire caused by a lean condition will increase HC and CO emissions without a DTC set. Who is right?
A only, B only, both are correct, both are incorrect?
Well, what do you think? How did you do? I selected two questions from various study guides and to be absolutely honest these questions were not even close to the hardest ones you will experience, I also didn’t include every subsection of automobiles. Moreover, these questions though relevant won’t help you when it comes to the sophistication of the F1 and E gear systems you will find in older Ferrari and Lamborghini vehicles. It’s necessary as it gives you the required foundational requirements you’ll need to step into the exotic and ultra-exotic spheres these cars encompass.
To close this section out I want to end with this, I’m not only ASE Certified, I’ve also been sworn in two different times by the Massachusetts Court system as an Expert witness, giving testimony about these cars for Pre-purchase Inspections, mechanical problems, diagnosis, and pitfalls.
(Photo above is outside of a Salem Court house in Massachusetts, where I was sworn in as an Expert Witness, testifying on behalf of a Client on the condition of an Exotic that was purchased.)