I call it the “bonehead cycle” of the Independent Repair Shop. Workers in the average Independent Auto Repair Shop are sick of being treated like dirt, working in poorly lit and ill-equipped conditions on junk cars that “just need to be fixed so they can get by.” The boss constantly complains that the workers are making more than he is and they ain’t making much.

By ASE. Everybody knows that MD following an individual’s name means Medical Doctor. And most people know that CPA signifies Certified Public Accountant. Associations and professions use certification to recognize qualified and competent individuals. The certification process is one of the single most important steps in career development. Here are the top ten reasons an automotive professional should consider becoming ASE-certified.

Henry Ford once said ‘Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.’ If you are preparing to take the ASE L1 certification test AVI has the tools you need to prepare for success. Use our new ‘L1 Test Prep’ website to sharpen your skills before the big test. AVI has you covered with six free quizzes to test your knowledge on the various topics you will be tested on when you take the ASE L1 certification test. Over 50 questions with videos help you gauge your strengths and weaknesses.

Fort Myers, FL – October 7, 2008 – Automotive Video, Inc., TEAM AVI, has become a distributor of the Motor Head Grill, a unique barbeque grill that resembles a V-8 engine. Russ Freeman, one of AVI’s best customers came up with the concept in 2003, from the headers of a 440 Dodge engine and valve covers from a 1973 pickup. The grill was patented in 2005 and the final product was revealed at the Memory Road Show at the Texas Motor Speedway in April 2008.

Fort Myers, FL – February 3, 2009 – Automotive Video, Inc. also known as Team AVI recently released a training program with Dave Scaler from Mechanics Education Association to help tackle tough issues on the most popular import models driven today. Many shops turn import customers away because their techs lack the training to diagnose and repair the unique problems that occur with these vehicles. Imports are a growing portion of the repair business and this class gives shop owners and techs the training they need to capitalize on this segment of the market.

Fort Myers, FL – January 26, 2009 – The 2009 AVI Training Conference which took place January 15-18 at the Pink Shell Resort in Fort Myers Beach Florida was a great success. Even with the turbulent state of the economy, attendance was up from last year and there were more vendors than previous years. Sales were up for both AVI and the vendors who attended, which is a testament to the fact that in this fragile economy, the automotive aftermarket is not in as much trouble as much as other industries. More people are fixing the cars they have rather than buying new vehicles. ASA predicted that 2009 would be a great year for this industry and it seems they were correct.

By Scott Holloway. As a vehicle service and maintenance provider, you are no doubt aware that with the model year 2008 all cars and light trucks sold in the United States have a Direct Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). These systems actually have been in use for better than ten years and have only recently shown up in the repair centers with a resounding thud! We all know that with change comes opportunity, and TPMS represents huge opportunity for the tire service centers and auto repair garages alike.

By Charlie Fewell. Face it; you have no control over the state of the economy or the potential loss of revenue and profits that may occur when times are tough. You do in fact have total control over your behaviors during any economic slowdown. Many companies pull back and reduce overall spending in an attempt to preserve the bottom line.

Beyond the Books – OEM service websites are a valuable resource for much of the information you need to do your job, but only if you know how to use them. AVI can help you easily navigate through these sites to find the information you need quickly. Bill Haas, Vice President of Education and Training for ASA will show you where to find exactly what you need in the shortest amount of time so you can be more profitable with less stress.

Get some quick tips from Dave Hobbs as he shows us how to use a smoke machine and scan tool as a diagnostic dream team. Learn the basics of EVAP systems and how they work so you can better use your scan tool and smoke machine together as a better team for diagnosing EVAP related codes.

By Craig Van Batenburg. In the beginning of hybrid car development the air conditioning systems were R143a systems that shared all the same components as a typical gasoline motor vehicle. The early hybrids were the Honda Insight, Civic Hybrid, Ford Escape, and Classis Prius (2001-2003). All hybrid A/C systems are really climate control. Only the Insight had A/C as an option, and it was a climate control system as well. Every other hybrid to date has factory climate control for some very important reasons.

By Dave Hobbs. Car audio? Been more interested in R.P.M.s than in watts R.M.S.? Better rethink that philosophy with today’s factory car audio and entertainment systems. The technology that used to be a handful of simple circuits like “power, ground, speaker and antenna” and totally independent of other electronic systems has given way to vehicles sprawling with wires and data busses interacting with the audio system.

By Bill Haas. Remember the days when you could open the doors of your shop in the morning and customers would drop off the keys to broken cars all day long? It wasn’t that long ago, but a lot has changed in a short time. Vehicles are built better, last longer and require less maintenance, and more businesses are offering automotive solutions to vehicle owners. Specifically, automobile manufacturers and dealerships are attempting to be a significant influence on when and where vehicle owners have service performed.

Have you spent hours trying to repair a driveability or emission problem and couldn’t resolve the issue? Many of these problems can only be repaired thru flashing. AVI can give you the training you need so you can be prepared when you come across a problem that cannot be fixed without a software update.

Would you like to solve engine performance and misfire issues in 10 minutes? AVI can help you diagnose these problems quickly so you can make more money. This course with Bill Fulton will help you become more profitable by showing you a 10 minute diagnostic strategy using your DSO (Digital Storage Oscilloscope) and secondary waveforms to resolve these issues.

We all know that look. We get it from customers from time to time.A guy drives up, parks out front and asks, “I’ve got a tail light out, can you put one in for me real quick?” You say, “Sure.” After it’s put in, you tell the guy, “All fixed and we checked all the other lights, too. Everything’s good. That’ll be $13.00.” The guy gives you the “Deer In the Headlights look” (DIH) and says…