Why is it Fox Body?
- Thread starter Bree
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- Mar 7, 2002
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91TwighlightGT
Dirt-Old 20+Year Member
Stupid question probably but do you learn as you go, or do you have to take yearly classes to be certified.
Pete, which one of us are you asking? I want to make sure you only get expert advice.
Mustang Matt and his abilities. Technology is moving so fast....How does he keep up. Or any of you mechanics
You only are making 22.5 an hour? Or its BECAUSE its an ins job? If the prior, you need to find yourself a new BMW dealership. We've got tenured techs making over 35hr.
- Mar 7, 2002
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- Mar 7, 2002
- 9,432
- 5,380
- 224
Yes and yes.
I'm a rarity in the field in that I didn't go to a technical college or vocational school, most in the field at this point did. I've learned most of it as I went, but there are classes and tests for certification. My ASE certifications didn't have classes, I studied on my own for the five I have. The manufacturer certifications I have required various types of training. I don't have any BMW certifications yet thanks to COVID, as they cancelled every training class last year after I started with them in February. They just started classes again, and I'm scheduled to start taking them soon.
- Mar 7, 2002
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You almost don't. Powertrain tech is evolving so rapidly that mild hybrids are now common, full hybrids aren't an oddity, and electric cars are available from nearly every OEM. The electronics side of things keeps infiltrating more and more systems, with even non-adjustable suspension systems having sensors on some cars now. There are now fiber optic networks in cars, and CAN-BUS and LIN-BUS circuits allowing multiple signals to be sent over the same wire, and every damned thing has its own module, even in an economy car.
I’m caught up and agree.
I first thought you meant certified looney, not ASE mechanic certification. It sounds like working on some new cars with evil designs will cause mental instability or substance abuse problems.
- Mar 2, 2015
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I learned on my own...mostly. I hold 10 ASe certs. I'm a Master Technician, Advanced Engine Performance Tech, Undercar Specialist ( glorified exhaust man ), and a certified Service Writer.
These cars have become super ridiculous with the amount of crap they stuff in them. I'm working on getting my Master Hybrid certification now.
I've worked on a bunch of BMW V8s and I can tell you they are a true PITA. Oh...and valve seals go bad all the time causing them to smoke like freight trains.
I'm tired of the automotive repair industry. They keep paying less and less hours for increasingly difficult repairs. You have to refresh the computer after an alignment...or headlight replacement...radar sensors go out of calibration...blind spot detectors...apple car play and android auto, blue link....OMG !!! Adaptive cruise control....lane detection and correction....all this stuff is unbelievably complicated and hell to fix. We can't even access any 18 and up Dodge. We can't even clear the check engine light.
I'm getting this last cert and trying to get into teaching. I'm done.
It's a fox body because it's body is foxy...they couldn't call it a box so fox it was.
These cars have become super ridiculous with the amount of crap they stuff in them. I'm working on getting my Master Hybrid certification now.
I've worked on a bunch of BMW V8s and I can tell you they are a true PITA. Oh...and valve seals go bad all the time causing them to smoke like freight trains.
I'm tired of the automotive repair industry. They keep paying less and less hours for increasingly difficult repairs. You have to refresh the computer after an alignment...or headlight replacement...radar sensors go out of calibration...blind spot detectors...apple car play and android auto, blue link....OMG !!! Adaptive cruise control....lane detection and correction....all this stuff is unbelievably complicated and hell to fix. We can't even access any 18 and up Dodge. We can't even clear the check engine light.
I'm getting this last cert and trying to get into teaching. I'm done.
It's a fox body because it's body is foxy...they couldn't call it a box so fox it was.
- Mar 7, 2002
- 9,432
- 5,380
- 224
- Mar 7, 2002
- 9,432
- 5,380
- 224
You could access the 18+ FCA cars if Carmax wasn't too cheap to pay $50 a year to SnapOn for the access on the Solus Edge and too cheap to put wifi in the shop so it would work. I paid the $50 for my personal Solus the last year I was there and had it linked to my phone for a data connection, guaranteeing me Chrysler diag work almost daily.
That's part of why I left Carmax though, a company so inflexible and sophomoric as to send every Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Fiat with a check engine light to the dealership for a minimum of $150 a visit rather than paying for a one-time setup fee to some IT contractor to set up each shop with wifi for the Solus and pay the extra $50 a year is asinine. Especially when they were cutting labor left and right.
BMW diag is a whole new challenge for me. It was difficult with an aftermarket scan tool, it's both easier and more difficult with the OEM tool, easier because the BS 6-digit codes BMW uses are broken down succinctly. Harder because the sheer volume of information on the screen can be positively overwhelming. I can even tell if a customer was trying to adjust their seat and start the car at the same time because it stores a fault for that.
Take a look at this code read, there's literally a code that's generated purely because of another code!
What caused that? A rodent chewed the wiring to the forward knock sensor. No, I'm not kidding.
HemiRick
I'd be looking at jacking under the house
I'll never own a car/truck new than my 89 Mustang or 95 Toyota 4x4 the only computers in them run the engine. Cars should still be that way.....I'll fix the newer stuff to make a living and save ppl money, but never own one. I have a 2012 Civic in here now and it appears to have a spark plug plug size no one makes an adapter for to check the compression. Had to use one of those universal rubber tipped things. It got a tank of water/gas and appears to have a bad injector as a result.
- Mar 7, 2002
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O'Reilly's sells an adapter kit that includes the newer smaller plugs and fits most compression testers.
- Mar 2, 2015
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You could access the 18+ FCA cars if Carmax wasn't too cheap to pay $50 a year to SnapOn for the access on the Solus Edge and too cheap to put wifi in the shop so it would work. I paid the $50 for my personal Solus the last year I was there and had it linked to my phone for a data connection, guaranteeing me Chrysler diag work almost daily.
That's part of why I left Carmax though, a company so inflexible and sophomoric as to send every Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, and Fiat with a check engine light to the dealership for a minimum of $150 a visit rather than paying for a one-time setup fee to some IT contractor to set up each shop with wifi for the Solus and pay the extra $50 a year is asinine. Especially when they were cutting labor left and right.
BMW diag is a whole new challenge for me. It was difficult with an aftermarket scan tool, it's both easier and more difficult with the OEM tool, easier because the BS 6-digit codes BMW uses are broken down succinctly. Harder because the sheer volume of information on the screen can be positively overwhelming. I can even tell if a customer was trying to adjust their seat and start the car at the same time because it stores a fault for that.
Take a look at this code read, there's literally a code that's generated purely because of another code!
What caused that? A rodent chewed the wiring to the forward knock sensor. No, I'm not kidding.
Where I work is a challenge only because it has made me feel dumber and dumber everyday for the last 5 years I've worked there. The type of store I'm at is a retail store. They provide everything including tools. They don't allow us to bring in anything of our own. We work Monday through Friday 8 to 5 and are paid by the hour. Their shop isn't set up to make them money. They could care less about actually being efficient. It's almost like its supposed to be a loss in the shop. I'm a MA5 and do mostly internal and VA emissions. We are only there to get cars out to get sold and support sales. Just to fix whatever comes in withing their 90 day warranty. Most cars we sell are less than 5 years old and are covered under manufacturers warranty so we look at them and ship them to the dealer. Every once and a while we get a $18,000 bill for a single car from BMW.
I can't believe that thing set a code for someone trying to close the hatch while the car was moving.
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