Vacation!

My vacation has come to an end! Back to work tomorrow for me :(.  It was exciting though, Extreme Home Makeover was in Hamburg, PA which is only 15 min. from my house so that was cool.  We also went to Knoebels Grove which was fun my daughter loves it there.  Best amusement park in my opinion.  So tomorrow I have to work on cars again, boy I sure didn't miss the drama of that place. Also I found a pretty cool scanner on amazon for a great price! It has freeze frame data and can connect to OBD I, II and CAN. Its not a snap on scan tool but it sure is cheaper and can do the necessary things for a great price. Check it out

AllData DIY

A great product that I have used since my days at Vo-tech is AllData. It has all the infomation you need to be able to repair your vehicle yourself.  The version we had at tech had all makes and models and was VERY expensive, but that was because we worked on lots of different vehicles.  Alot of garages and dealerships have it as well and it is a life saver when you get something that your not quite familiar with. All you do is go over to the computer and type in the year make and model and it has everything you need to know with step by step instructions.  Now they came out with AllDataDIY for the at home mechanic.  I used it for a year after I graduated because I didn't have access to it at Vo-tech anymore.  It is well worth the money because it pays for its self even if you only have to use it once.  Think of the bill the garage would've given you... AllDataDIY is definatly WAY cheaper and you get to learn some things in the process! Enjoy :)

School Experience

The best thing I could have done was go to Vo-tech in high school. They taught me so much not just about cars, but also about how to handle the real world.  One thing they do that I think is really awesome, is they start with the very basics.  The first thing I did when I started tech was learn how to wash a car!  It sounds so simple like almost pointless that they would be wasting their time, but it proved to be worth it.  Another thing that they do is when you are on different tasks throughout school they call them "competencies", and you have a core task list that you have to complete before you can start on more in-depth things like engine rebuilding and Viper certification.  So lets say I am working on competency 7-1 which is something like identifying the different parts of an engine.  They give you 20 hours to complete this task so when you get to tech in the morning you would get changed and then get out your packet for 7-1 and on the front page you actually punch a clock in on that task.  Then at the end of the day you would punch off of that job and you would have 2 and a half hours on that job.  Now if you get that task done in 10 hours you still get 20 hours credit, but if you take 30 hours to get it done you only get credit for 20.  So it is just like if you would work at a flat rate repair shop or dealership, you get 4 hours to do a remove and replace a transmission and you get it done in 1 hour you just got paid for 4, but if you took 6 hours you only got paid for 4.  I really liked that they incorporate the way it works in the real world to you education.  And if we had to clean the shop or something we would punch on our time documentation sheet and have the teacher sign it so we would get credit.  If you are in junior high or highschool and they offer automotive technology at a votech near you I would jump on it.  These schools like UTI and ATC are a joke you learn more at a votech while your still in school and its free than you do at these places and they charge you like 35,000 dollars! RIP OFF! If you have any other questions about my schooling or anything else feel free to comment. I will also be posting pictures of my 89 Camaro soon. I'll post about that later :)

Hello Everyone!

Hi, my name is Ashley and I decided to make a blog about the not so glamourous life of a female auto mechanic.  My goal is to give other women who may be deciding to get into this field of work a kind of inside look at how it is.  I will try and update this blog everyday, but if work is boring the post will be too, so no sense boring you :).  Well, anyway, I am 22 years old, and I've been in the auto industry for about 2 1/2 years now.  I am ASE certified in brakes, steering and suspension, and electrical.  I am going for more of my certifications in November.  I live in Pennsylvania so I also have PA state inspection and emissions licenses.  I went to school for 3 years at Berks Career and Technology Center in Leesport, PA while I was in high school.  So there is my background information and tomorrow I will start posting about my experiences in the field.  And also I will use this blog for car questions. If you have any questions about repairs or diagnosing a problem, post a comment and I will do my best to get you the right answer.  I know alot about cars but I don't know everything but if I don't know it, I will find someone who does.