how to go from army wheeled vehicle mechanic to civilian auto mechanic?

EdmondChar · February 1, 2012

I am Edmond, I am new to this site. Currently I am a 91b in the Army aspiring to open up my own auto repair shop in my hometown. A wealthy town outside of Boston where very few work on their own vehicles. There is only one other auto repair shop in my town. My idea is to have a small repair shop as the people in my town love to support small business. I will have very competitive prices, preform quality work, and provide customers with a free rental.

To become ASE certified I need 2 years experience. Does it matter to the ASE that my experiance is with diesel trucks and not with gas engines? How much additional schooling is necessary to become certified auto master mechanic (A1-A8)? thank you! Any advice would help as I am in the beginning stages of planning.

Edited February 1, 2012 by EdmondChar

Gonzo · February 1, 2012

I'm not sure but I think your military mechanical will work for your 2 years needed for ASE.

To pass the ASE tests you'll need to know a lot more than the basic stuff. You'll also have to learn to take the tests and be familiar with their method of asking the questions. Some of them (at leat 40%) are somewhat tricky.

There's a lot of places to get test help and study guides. I will tell you this though... every site that offers you example questions, test prep. and background knowledge have no clue what questions will be on the actual tests. Those questions are used and then are never used again. They are sometimes reworded but never exactly as they were in the previous tests.

Study, study, study... it's worth the effort. Gonzo

I am Edmond, I am new to this site. Currently I am a 91b in the Army aspiring to open up my own auto repair shop in my hometown. A wealthy town outside of Boston where very few work on their own vehicles. There is only one other auto repair shop in my town. My idea is to have a small repair shop as the people in my town love to support small business. I will have very competitive prices, preform quality work, and provide customers with a free rental.

To become ASE certified I need 2 years experience. Does it matter to the ASE that my experiance is with diesel trucks and not with gas engines? How much additional schooling is necessary to become certified auto master mechanic (A1-A8)? thank you! Any advice would help as I am in the beginning stages of planning.

Joe Marconi · February 3, 2012

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FROGFINDER · February 5, 2012

Thanks for your service. Focus on your strengths and build on them. Watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves. Seek advice in prayer and elder advisors.

EdmondChar · February 5, 2012

Welcome to the site, Edmond. In addition to being proficient in automotive, you will also need to be proficient in business. Even though you may opt to remain small, your business skills you help keep you alive. Many great techs, myself included, suffered financially because we built our businesses around our mechanical expertise. While I feel that it helped me early on, to sustain a business long term will require business skills. This site has a lot of great info from many, many shop owners around the country. In addition, find out what training companies in your area offer any business management courses.

Good luck, thank you for your service to our country and don't be a stranger on AutoShopOwner, We are all here to help and support you in you new venture!

Thanks! this site was exactly what I was looking for. Great information.