The UNTOLD TRUTH of testing mechanics…

41 thoughts on “The UNTOLD TRUTH of testing mechanics…”

1. based

2. The ACTUAL untold truth about ASE is that it’s worthless. Many many ASE techs are just good at taking tests and can’t actually use any tools or successfully diag or repair a vehicle. ASE doesn’t deserve nearly the respect it gets.

3. It is no indication that you know your craft.

4. ASE is bullshit and a scam. I passed them. Nothing to be proud of at all. Memorize the answers , take the test .

5. You can have tons of knowledge and experience and still have no clue sometimes because the manufacturers won't share vital diagnostic information. I've even seen, on rare occasion, where the manufacturer wouldn't share information with the dealership techs.

6. Ive been a master tech almost 20 years. I went in and ripped off my tests without studying 4 at a time and passed 1st time no problem. That being said…. I put zero stock in ase tests. They were easy for me and im a moron. Ive worked with techs way better then me that failed every test they tried. I have also worked with guys that were master techs and didnt know how to operate basic hand tools… I only became ASE master and GM master so I could demand more money… period.

7. I took 3 in 1 day without any studying passed them all, 15 years experience however mostly heavy duty and was needing ASE for my EMS mechanical inspections.

   Passed the AC because I had to buy r134 without even looking.

   ASE means something when you’re 20. You better pass if you have been touching crap for 10 years.

8. Guy himself proves ASE certs are a joke. Has diesel certs without ever working on them. I had two diesel certs yet had never even touched a big truck. ASE certs are the auto/truck world equivalent of a college degree, meaning they only care about what you can memorize in a book.

9. I passed them all (a1-a8, l1) without ever studying.  Now  27 years later I'm letting them expire and don't care.  It's a voluntary certification.  it's harder to become a barber or cosmetologist , than to become an auto mechanic technician.  Auto mechanics are termed unskilled labor.  if it requires a state – federal certification it's considered skilled.

10. Like a kid with Legos or erector set. You have the ones naturally good at building things because they see it in the minds eye, capable of taking things apart of their head and put it back together. Or a tech that reads the directions and doesn't know what to do when they run into a problem that's not in the manual. Old school shade tree mechanics get stuff done. Techs complain

11. For ASE, all you need to do is understand their lingo of asking their questions. It's not what's the right answer, its whats the most right answer.

12. I still think that both mechanic a and b are full of shit! At the height of my career I had a master tech in automotive, med/heavy truck, transit bus and L2 with two expired school bus certs in diesel engine and brakes. All of the special tests are the same except for a few specific questions like bus interlock or truck air shift questions. Once you figure out how they ask the questions the easier it is to answer them. Good luck out there, engineers hate smart mechanics!

13. As a toyota tech, you need both ASE and toyota certs to have access on certain jobs, so you're limited on what to do even though you have ability to do it but toyota will not let pay for labor if the car is under warranty and dealing with hybrid cars, tundra recalls, or something if the technician is not certified. Atleast my dealership will not promote/move you up to position without ASE because its one of the prerequisites + tenure if you're new to the dealership.

14. Ive used your videos!! Much respect for helping us gain knowledge 🙏🤘🤜🤛. Ase testing is so difficult to identify where we need work, so hitting it repetiviely has become my best method. Thanks again

15. Is this part A.I..? A.S.E. not pronounced "asee"…..

16. ASE doesn’t prove anything except you studied for a test and have some knowledge. How many people have gotten great test grades in geometry in high school but if someone asks you 5 years later to solve a problem using the Pythagorean theorem, can you? Just like the ASE test. A lot of the stuff you don’t even use in day to day life as a mechanic. I’m saying this because I was ASE master certified and it only mattered for the most part at the dealership and select high end independent shops that just want to say they have master certified techs

17. If you fail the same test 4 times dont you eventually get the same questions again? How is that proving knowledge?

18. Kinda cool seeing you on here. I watched a few of your videos on my path to master last year. Good stuff!

19. untold ? try visiting aircraft mechanic schools where it's all completely published …answers too

20. What about the people that are great test takers? But cant put a drain plug on the correct torque.
    Or the people who suck at tests that need to read the question 14 times to understand it. But can knock out a differential ring and pinion in 3 hours from start to finish.

21. I went to trade school, graduated top of my class, got my ase master, L1, California smog license. Anyone who says its not important is a fool. Its a LOT easier to get a job, a LOT easier to get a higgher pay rate, it prioritizes ones resume over others and all around feels great to pass these tests. L1 is definitely the hardest A series test, because its about diagnostics which most people struggle with. If youre considering doing it, DO IT.

22. Some of the ASE tests the questions are too ambiguous. Being very technical with how questions are worded, I found that if I pretended that I was a bit more illiterate, I would get the correct answers, but if I read the question with my typical analyst mindset, I would get the incorrect answer. Also, if you read over all the questions before answering any of them, you will find a couple that answer some of the other questions for you because they word some of the questions in the form of an answer, like Jeopardy. And some of the questions are literally the same, just worded differently. Some of the tests, I believe, actually require some competency of basic automotive knowledge, but a lot of them can probably be passed if you are good at taking tests, specifically like the example I mentioned of reading all the questions first.

    My overall opinion of ASE tests is that they are just a way for some organization to suck a few bucks out of a large group of people and then give them this sheet of paper that they will believe to justify them to charge more money to the customer because they are competent enough to pass tests that barely scrape the surface of all the intricacies of being a competent automotive technician.

    I've seen some horrible "ASE master technicians" that are complete hacks, and I've seen amazing techs that are actually capable of diagnosing complex issues with no ASE certifications. An ASE certification, or lack thereof, doesn't distinguish a bad tech from a good tech, or vice versa. If that's the case, then what is the point of having certifications? That's my .02

23. I feel that these tests need to be revamped. Theres no need to have questions that dont get counted. The other thing there is so many people focused on the automotive side. How about any of the other test series offered, for example, the h series test. There is nothing to support people who take that one.

24. I never got my ASE certifications. But years ago I worked at a shop and studied for them. the shop wouldn't compensate me or give me a raise for taking them. I couldn't afford it back then. But the studying for those tests helped me they do have value. I own my own shop now I'm doing fine without ASE''s. But for someone in the future applying to work here it will only be a plus to have them.

25. On the other side is body/ collision/ paint, and I wish there were more real classes/ certs available. ICAR is the big one here, and in my opinion, it's a joke. Anyone else feel same way? This guy seems amazing. ✌️

26. It's A. S. E

27. I went to trade school for Automotive Service Technologies, I really wish they would've focused on ASE even a little. I got my 609 cert but I barely know anything about MVAC. After graduating I still couldn't even get hired at Valvoline. Right now I'm slowly studying for my G1, hopefully that will help my resume.

28. As a self taught mechanic I like to take the practice test online because it shows me what areas I’m lacking in and I recommend other mechanics to do the same you don’t have to go take the actual test just take the practice test online and see what areas you can improve on.

29. Excellent video on what allows you to become ASE-certified with all the invites & I wish you the best luck on gaining the rest of your certified, David!

30. My old vocation school auto teacher was master tech certified, he basically told us the tests were useless in that it just tests your knowledge and not if you can apply it. He'd tell us lots of stories about master techs he knew he could barely work on cars but had all these certs. The dude was insane though he could diagnose problems extremely fast despite not working on cars in years after breaking his back.

31. Some of us turn a hobby into helping others. Great to see David did so with his instructional videos and teachings. Contributions like this will leave a huge legacy for him.

32. This man is doing God’s work.

33. I was Master ASE certified before I left the industry. My only issue with it is, the certifications don't prove you know how to work on a car it only proves that you can study material and pass a test.

34. I’ve been following David for quite some time and he really is just the coolest dude. There’s no way you can’t watch a video of his that you don’t mirror his enthusiasm to anything he talks about. I’ve learned everything I know about McLarens thanks to him. He is a bottomless pit of knowledge and provides a wealth of informative content on how to understand and DIY. I’ve even had questions that I reached out to him about and he’s taken a lot of time guiding me. Such an authentic and cool dude. I will always owe this man a beer, or chocolate milk! Whichever he prefers!

35. He had an interesting observation: people who work on cars for a living generally weren't good in school.

36. Watching a Drivers Therapy video you can see he absolutely knows what he is doing in practice. This along with being a being a A.S.E. Master Tech brings together practicality and knowledge in depth. Not only that it’s fixed, but how and why.

37. I had my ASE P2 (parts) cert for years when I was at a retail store. Im pretty sure my manufacture certs hold much more clout in the parts world. Mazda has seriously incentivized training and performance with hundreds of hours of training and consistent monthly performance metrics to earn pinnacle status. I tell you what, the gifts were very nice.

38. Doesn't matter to me at all anymore. I tried dozens of low price to official top dollar shops and they all messed things up. Every single time. Some more than others, but it always cost me a lot of money. I probably wasted 70k on them all together.
    So now I do it all by myself and I realized nobody would do it the detailed and thoughtful way I do, because it's simply too much time and thus inefficient as a company trying to make money.
    I still shudder when I have to give it to a shop, like when I want my interior updated or a paint job, etc. and the shops also hate me because they are incompetent and see me as a nuisance because I actually check thoroughly if they did a good job. It's always a nightmare.

39. It’s so cool you put so much work into learning something that you don’t really even have to, but you just want to improve your knowledge.

40. I’ve met David multiple times in my town and can confidently say he’s one of the coolest down to earth dudes I’ve ever met, when I was going through medical problems he brought his NSX and his Supra down with his wife and let me check both of them out in person which meant a TON to me as a fellow car guy, David if you see this you’re the man!! Keep doin you brother and congrats

41. It’s amazing to see someone so genuinely passionate about cars and the community. He doesn’t just talk about it, he lives it. Whether it’s teaching at the university, wrenching on his own projects or helping others with theirs, he’s always sharing his knowledge and love for the craft. Anyone who knows him personally understands the dedication and heart he puts into everything he does 🙌

Comments are closed.