When you move into a new neighborhood, who do you look for? Most likely you look for a family doctor and a good dentist, but what about a mechanic? Prior to the 1970’s, consumers had to rely on word of mouth and really didn’t have a reliable way to distinguish a good mechanic from a bad mechanic.
Then in 1972, the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) and the Motor Vehicle and Manufacturing Association (MVMA), now known as the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, worked together to form independent non-profit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
The ASE’s mission is “To improve the quality of vehicle repair and service through voluntary testing and certification of repair and service professionals.” The ASE certification is widely recognized as the stamp of a competent mechanic and service station.
Nationwide, there are about 400,000 automotive professionals with the ASE certification. The certified ASE professionals are not only mechanics and shops, but also dealerships, fleets, and other sought after automotive care and repair professionals.
ASE Online helps automotive professionals train and prepare for the ASE certification exam with tools accessible from their website such as multimedia tutorials, training, and practice tests. The actual exams are held in supervised locations on specified times. Eric Ebling from Pride Auto Care in Littleton jokes, “They want to watch us to make sure no one else takes the test for us.”
Pride Auto Care “Full Service Tire and Auto” shops in Littleton, Centennial, and Parker have been awarded with an ASE “Blue Seal of Excellence” which means that at least 75% or more of their mechanics are ASE certified and there is at least one certified service professional for each of the services that the shops perform.
So when you’re looking for a competent mechanic, independent or dealership automotive service center, look with confidence for the ASE certification and then maybe you can work on the doctor and dentist.
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I've been taking all my cars to the Pridemore's since 2003.
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