Thread: Automotive mechanic classes?

Unfortunately nothing beats owning a vehicle and learning by doing....
Purchased a $300 car for one of my boys and over the next couple of years he stripped & rebuilt it. Multiple trips to wreckers, time on the internet & forums, he even read some books !
Now a qualified mechanic but recently got out of the trade because of the low salary

Not aware of any courses and most of the TAFE's are struggling to put bums on seats.
You book on a course and a few weeks before it starts they contact you because it's not running due to lack of bookings. It's all about the $$$'s

One of my customers recently purchased the Engineering Dept from a local TAFE. Lathes, grinders, anvils, vices, spot welders, MIG welders etc. etc.
No students & no teachers for the last 3 years so they shut the Engineering Department !!

Best of luck,


Colin

I know a guy who does that kind of thing,

Drop me a message.

Originally Posted by Blknight.aus

I know a guy who does that kind of thing,

Drop me a message.

You're already here ..... I can't think of anything easier than an old land rover to learn on. They are a big mechano set Forums such as this will supply you with all the help you will ever need. Learn by doing. There's not much I can't fix on car if I I need to, and I've never done a course in anything. My father had about seven Renault 4's in bits whne I was a kid (as in stripped bare). So when I was about 12 year old I put one together. I sort of managed to get a body onto the chassis, got the seats in ... got a dash in, got the driveline in (those dome shapes that are in the back of the bonnet..... do you know if a young teenager hooks the spark plugs up, 1, 2, 3, 4 .... and cranks it .... You get amazing backfires that scare half the neighborhood... certainly loud enough to make you slam your head into the back of the bonnet ..... but no running motor )

Then when I was about 16years old .... I pulled the engine, gearbox, front suspension etc.... out of my fathers Citroen DS... so the suspension mounting tubes could be welded up. Amazingly it even ran and drove after I re-assembled it too....

The best way to learn is by your mistakes, so in theory I must be the most learned person in all of recorded history

Have you tried local mens sheds etc ?

seeya
Shane L.

Originally Posted by DoubleChevron

You're already here ..... I can't think of anything easier than an old land rover to learn on. They are a big mechano set Forums such as this will supply you with all the help you will ever need. Learn by doing. There's not much I can't fix on car if I I need to, and I've never done a course in anything. My father had about seven Renault 4's in bits whne I was a kid (as in stripped bare). So when I was about 12 year old I put one together. I sort of managed to get a body onto the chassis, got the seats in ... got a dash in, got the driveline in (those dome shapes that are in the back of the bonnet..... do you know if a young teenager hooks the spark plugs up, 1, 2, 3, 4 .... and cranks it .... You get amazing backfires that scare half the neighborhood... certainly loud enough to make you slam your head into the back of the bonnet ..... but no running motor )

Then when I was about 16years old .... I pulled the engine, gearbox, front suspension etc.... out of my fathers Citroen DS... so the suspension mounting tubes could be welded up. Amazingly it even ran and drove after I re-assembled it too....

The best way to learn is by your mistakes, so in theory I must be the most learned person in all of recorded history

Have you tried local mens sheds etc ?

seeya
Shane L.

And the lesson here is to learn, practice and make mistakes on someone else's car.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

And the lesson here is to learn, practice and make mistakes on someone else's car.

1. Stop.giving away trade secrets
2. Why donyou think mechanics always have the worst cars. Not Gunnar touch itntill were sure we know what we're doing.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

And the lesson here is to learn, practice and make mistakes on someone else's car.

More like, work on whatever is there .... whatever you can tinker with. Generally 12 -> 16year olds don't have cars to work on/tinker with. I guess these days its only really farm kids that have access to old cars to tinker with. Whatever you can tinker with though .... go for it! Getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn.

seeya
Shane L.

I'm going to differ with much of the above, having learnt a trade and then learnt a profession; 'tinkering' is not going to be much help unless you have a lifetime to spend on trial, error and learning by your mistakes and is not going to be much help to someone wanting to learn to maintain their own vehicle successfully. Apprentice mechanics don't spend 4 years just 'tinkering' with customers' cars, they attend trade school where they learn the theory involved in how the things actually work, gaining the accumulated knowledge of generations. A formalised course where you can be taught the rudiments would be a great starting point. Sorry I don't know of any!

Edit: this is the main text that has been used in apprentice trade school since I was there in 1979, this is a later edition, no idea what edition they may be up to now.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/204460366646

Originally Posted by POD

I'm going to differ with much of the above, having learnt a trade and then learnt a profession; 'tinkering' is not going to be much help unless you have a lifetime to spend on trial, error and learning by your mistakes and is not going to be much help to someone wanting to learn to maintain their own vehicle successfully. Apprentice mechanics don't spend 4 years just 'tinkering' with customers' cars, they attend trade school where they learn the theory involved in how the things actually work, gaining the accumulated knowledge of generations. A formalised course where you can be taught the rudiments would be a great starting point. Sorry I don't know of any!

Edit: this is the main text that has been used in apprentice trade school since I was there in 1979, this is a later edition, no idea what edition they may be up to now.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/204460366646

Um .... OK. I haven't been upkeeping cars and doing absolutely everything required to them since I was 16years old. I've often worked on other peoples cars for them too (usually classic Citroens). Its not rocket science, but I do understand what your saying. I've rebuilt gearboxes, rebuilt motors, rebuilt suspension systems, painted cars, repaired accident damage .... Nothing impossible if you just get out there and try

I've never paid anyone to work on my cars. But that's just me. Some of the quality of work professional mechanics have done on the cars I've had has been just horendous .... even downright dangerous. Some (to much less of an extent) has been brilliant, and I copy it. The main thing an experienced mechanic can do, is do things fasts as they have "been there and doen that" many times It might take me a week to do what they can do in a day (especially with the specialised equipment they need these days)

seeya,
Shane L.