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August 27, 2015
There are some careers where you sit in front of a computer screen without doing much other than typing or talking on a telephone. Those types of jobs are not for everyone. Some individuals are happier when they have a chance to get their hands dirty while repairing or maintaining automobiles.
A career as an auto mechanic can tick all of the boxes for what you want to do with your life if you like being hands-on and using cool tools. There a lot of different devices used for repairing vehicles, some are more common than others. Here’s how you can go about learning to use some of these tools.
What Are Some Common Tools Used to Repair Vehicles?
Some of the most common tools used to repair vehicles can be found in your home used for regular home maintenance. They include things like screwdrivers, hammers, pliers, wrenches, and socket sets. Other standard tools that can be used to repair vehicles include a jack, jack stands, funnel, multimeters, fuses, torque wrenches, breaker bars, socket adaptors, clamps, and more. Many of these tools are affordable for someone interested in a career in automotive repair.
What Are Some of the More Advanced Ones?
There are of course more advanced, and often, more specialized tools that are used in automotive repair shops that you’ll need to familiarize yourself with for your future career. These include things like laser thermometers, scanners, and computers that can be used on automobiles to run diagnostics on problems that need to be repaired.
Specialized testers, like an ignition spark tester or a cylinder compression tester, are additional advanced tools you could work with in the future. Heat guns, angle grinders, video scopes, rethreading tools, impact sockets, calipers, and rotary tools are also more advanced tools that are used for automotive repairs.
Why Is It Important to Have Formal Education on How to Use Both?
Formal education can go a long way towards helping you to use both common and advanced tools. You’ve probably had an occasion or two to use some of the standard tools when doing things around your home or working on your personal vehicle, but there’s always something that an expert can teach you. There are tricks and tips that your teachers can impart on you that they’ve learned over their time as a mechanic. Sometimes, a better way of using tools becomes more apparent the longer you use them. Learning from someone more experienced can often give you a jump-start on noticing this better methodology.
Also, this training will mean that you’ll already have the knowledge you need on your first day at your new place of employment. Extensive on-the-job training won’t be necessary, and this effort can help you later on. Rather than worrying about learning the basics and more advanced repairs after employment, you can focus on learning about your new employer and their processes.
How Does Formal Education Give You Access to Tools You Might Not Be Able to Use Before Starting at a Shop?
Also, attending a formal education for a career in auto repair means that you’ll have a chance to be hands-on with both the common and the more advanced tools used in a repair shop. Many of the more advanced tools are too expensive for a hobbyist mechanic to afford, so schooling can give you an opportunity to get your hands on them.
Good quality mechanic schools that provide training on how best to use automotive tools are willing to invest in their students by having not only the standard tools but also innovative technology that’s being used in the field. You’ll be granted the opportunity to take advantage of this investment during your time at the school.
Are you Ready to Take the First Step Towards a New Career?
Are you considering a future in automotive repair? Advanced Technology Institute is here to help. Contact our professional staff today to discuss our Associate of Occupational Science Degree in Automotive Technology with Service Management where you can get hands-on training with the automotive tools used in real repair shops.
