Five Levels of Car Repair Experice

Five Levels of Car Repair Experience

lowest level : BABY. . . . Characteristics : Using the jack that came with the car is totally beyond you, or at least very challenging to figure out. You haven't changed spark plugs, for example, more than once or twice in your life. You wouldn't be able to adjust valve clearances. A clutch job would take you a week. You've never, and could not, do a cylinder head job. Extreme beginner.

next level : TEENAGER . . .. characteristics : you're comfortable replacing tune-up parts on a car. You're replaced filters and parts like spark plugs, plug wires, other ignition parts, starters, alternators, etc. a few times. Might have replaced brake pads once or twice. Know something, but not actually that much. Relatively still a beginner.

next, TEENAGER PLUS . . .. . you're above just being able to replace tune-up parts, can do lots of things like diagnose and work on cooling systems, say, or get yourself through a clutch job, but you know there's an awful lot you don't know yet. Medium experienced, but nowhere near knowing lots and lots about car repair.

fourth level : ADULT . .. . . you basically know how to work on cars. You've done major jobs like cylinder head jobs, can do most basic electrical system repairs and troubleshooting. Basically able to diagnose and repair most systems on your own car except for specialized or exotic repairs, like automatic transmission rebuild or front end alignment. You're comfortable with modern diagnostic procedures - an ECU doesn't scare you too much. You know when to replace one, for example. Near journeyman. Might work on other people's cars sometimes. Could possibly work in a car repair shop.

Fifth Level : ENGINEER - GEEK . . . ... characteristics : you talk about the modulus of elasticity of a given material at so many degrees Celsius. You know how to design and build your own electronic circuits, or similar levels of esoterica, for example. You see an engine conversion as a matter of 'stress-form analysis", or whatever it is I'm trying to say. You're deeply into the electronics on a tdi, and don't consider it especially challenging or difficult. I can't even understand what you're talking about. As for car repair itself, it's either very easy for you, or you have someone else do it. You usually have a college degree at least.