Have you had engine problems with your car recently? Have you had any other issues with your vehicle? Did you know there is a class that will bring your car in to take a look at it as a part of their class? The class is the Automotive Driveability class.
“We’re not a Quick Lube,” said Dave Heinzen, the class instructor. “We are so much more than that.”
The Automotive Driveability students do not just learn to change your oil or your wheels.
This is just a basic skill to them. To make it simple, these guys are to cars what hospital interns are to human patients. They are car-doctors in the making, future neurosurgeons of automotive systems. This is because nowadays – unlike what most people think of the average repairman – mechanics are not just well versed in replacing deadbolts, removing screws and soldering metal plates.
“It’s like if I go to the doctor and tell him I have dizzy spells,” Heinzen said, “The doctor is probably going to tell me that I might have an internal ear problem. But he is also going to do further tests to see if there isn’t anything else behind those dizzy spells.”
Even though the Automotive Driveability class gives students the opportunity to get hands-on experience right at school, the students are in need of work. They need more students, staff and people in general to bring in vehicles that are experiencing problems.
These problems could involve the Check Engine light coming on, poor acceleration, rough idle, it is hard to start or other engine issues.
If there is worry about this being a run-of-the-mill cheap service type of work, there shouldn’t be. The students are expected to have a skillset that encompasses many areas, including electronics. Therefore, they need to master different technologies (car manufacturers do not use the same electronic systems), diagnosis and test tools (PCs or hand-held remotes), on top of knowing combustion engineering basics. Also, not only do they understand the information provided by their electronic diagnosis devices, but they also question and challenge them in order to fix what actually needs fixing.
The Automotive Driveability class attracts people from all around the country. One of these students is Matthew Sharich, who is in his second year here and is from Arizona.
“When I arrived in Madison, I had already taken a year in a similar program in Arizona. After talking to some people and seeing the department, I decided not to transfer the credits I had earned before and start from the beginning at Madison College.”
Sharich also said it did not take him long before choosing Madison College over the Glendale Heights campus of the Universal Technical Institute, a school that specializes in Automotive Technology because of what Madison College has to offer.
Mark Wolf, who is in his third year at Madison College also had the Universal Technical Institute in mind. However, he too did not go that route. Wolf is a former freight-broker. He said you cannot be a great automotive technician if you have not been confronted to older car models in need of saving.
“At UTI, they don’t work on old cars, like we do. It’s all brand new.”
If interested in getting your car checked out, send your name; the year, make and model of your vehicle and the issue to Heinzen at [email protected].