The Automotive Technician program depends on customer work to educate students in automotive service and repair. Currently, the program is looking for vehicles that:

• Don’t start.
• Have a rough idle.
• Have poor acceleration.
• Display a “check engine” or other warning light.
• Have other engine problems.

If this describes your vehicle, consider bringing it in for students to service during the following times, Monday-Friday:

• 7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (Dave Heinzen’s class).
• 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Marty Prew’s class).

The automotive instructors are reminding students and employees that their cars may be unavailable for several days as other vehicles are scheduled for repair.
While the department has a bank of cars available for demonstration purposes, the real goal is to work on an existing and everyday vehicle for real-world experience.
The experience of working on operational cars benefits the students and the instructors.
“Students like working on real problem cars. It is an incredible driver at making us as instructors stay abreast of current technology,” said automotive instructor Dave Heizen. “Us instructors are learning every day as we work on cars with interesting problems that we have never seen before.”
Heizen added that occasionally, a local automotive shop will struggle to discover a vehicle’s underlying issue, eventually bringing the car into the college’s automotive department, where the program students determine the vehicle’s problem.
Email [email protected] to set up your appointment based on the times above. Be sure to include the following information:

• Best phone number to reach you.
• Vehicle’s year, make and model.
• Brief description of the issue.

While the labor involved in diagnosing and repairing your vehicle is a free service, those using the service will be responsible for the cost of any parts. Vehicle owners will be notified with an estimate before proceeding.