can you learn to be a mechanic without doing the whole apprenticeship thing??

celtictiger32

just wondering is it ppossible to become a mechanic without doing an apprenticeship. im not getting any younger and dont want to start an apprenticeship etc but would love to learn to be a mechanic. something online or part time would be ideal.???????????????????????/

Plug

You can't. When I went to FAS first I was about 20, my mate who sat beside me was 30 with 2 kids. He was older than our instructor. It does not matter about age, plenty of people changing there career etc.
First of all you will need to find an apprenticeship with a qualified mechanic before you get registered with FAS.

I know one lad who did some night course or module or some crap and he reckons he's a mechanic. He obviously isn't. He does nixers a few evenings and the weekend too, it's ridiculous that people pay him to work on their car. He does silly sh1t like forgetting to fill diesel filters with diesel before installing them.

Nissan doctor

Not in Ireland.

There are night courses on vehicle maintenance etc but they are only going to give you the very basics.

In the US, Japan and australia they have specific collages for motor mechanics where you do all the training modules in the collages. In the US they also have mechanical collages which specialise is tuning, race engine technology etc.

E39MSport

"A skilled worker capable of building or repairing machinery. A mechanic can be compared to a technician, the distinction being that the technician is stronger in theory, the mechanic stronger in hands-on experience"

Of course you can.

I'm not a 'qualified' mechanic but I do a hall of a better job on my motors than any mechanic that I have ever paid.

Research and practice.

E39MSport

E39MSport wrote: »

Of course you can.

............Research and practice.

You can research and practise all you like, you still won't be a mechanic. Try and get garage insurance for repairing cars without being qualified or without employing a qualified mechanic.

Slidey

Its all fine and well doing courses and what not but until you can fcuk up and figure out how to get around problems with experience and lateral thinkin you are not a mechanic.

Anyone will tell you, even after 4 years of serving your time you still have one hell of a learning curve ahead of ya

E39MSport

RoverJames wrote: »

You can research and practise all you like, you still won't be a mechanic. Try and get garage insurance for repairing cars without being qualified or without employing a qualified mechanic.

Ahhh, qualified! OP didn't mention that.

E39MSport

E39MSport wrote: »

Ahhh, qualified! OP didn't mention that.

Ahhhhhh indeed :P

E39MSport

RoverJames wrote: »

Ahhhhhh indeed :P

Serious head on me today - pre lent bender .....

shamwari

The OP did say "without doing the whole apprenticeship thing". If don't do the apprentice, you ain't qualified.....:p

Having said that, I know guys who worked in the electronics industry who now perform auto-diagnostics full time. These guys are far better than some of the main dealer "experts" who do the same sort of work. :cool:

celtictiger32

i didnt really have a career change in mind when i posted the thread more of a hobby type thing and see where it went from there, thats why i didnt really want the whole apprenticeship thing. was kind of hoping there might have been some online thing that i could have learned a few things as i went along

shamwari

I know that a number of VEC's and FAS ran night courses along the lines of "Introduction to Motor Maintenance" as a foundation for those who wanted to do their own DIY. There should be no end of reference and reading material online, in large book stores and probably the library. In addition, there's an excellent magazine called "Car Mechanics Mag" which publishes monthly and is an excellent read. If you want to read up and learn, there will be plenty there for you!

celtictiger32

shamwari wrote: »

I know that a number of VEC's and FAS ran night courses along the lines of "Introduction to Motor Maintenance" as a foundation for those who wanted to do their own DIY. There should be no end of reference and reading material online, in large book stores and probably the library. In addition, there's an excellent magazine called "Car Mechanics Mag" which publishes monthly and is an excellent read. If you want to read up and learn, there will be plenty there for you!

nice one ill have a look there.

E39MSport

celtictiger32 wrote: »

i didnt really have a career change in mind when i posted the thread more of a hobby type thing and see where it went from there, thats why i didnt really want the whole apprenticeship thing. was kind of hoping there might have been some online thing that i could have learned a few things as i went along

I'm saying nothing RJ

From my own experience OP, I've picked it up as I go along. It's a big plus if you have a second car to drive while you have one in bits all over the drive/garden. (especially when you find out you've messed something up and need to go and get a new part).

Forums (the internet) are your friend. Hayne's manuals etc are good.

If you don't put to much pressure on yourself then it's great trying to figure something out. However, you need to keep safety foremost in your mind and remember that you could kill yourself and others if you get it wrong. I always make sure I have the correct torque specifications and double check everything.

I've built up a nice collection of tools while still saving a small fortune in maintenance bills. Having said that I tend to go a bit overboard and rebuild stuff that doesn't require it.

There's plenty of jammers that need attention going cheap on donedeal - Go for it

celtictiger32

E39MSport wrote: »

I'm saying nothing RJ

From my own experience OP, I've picked it up as I go along. It's a big plus if you have a second car to drive while you have one in bits all over the drive/garden. (especially when you find out you've messed something up and need to go and get a new part).

Forums (the internet) are your friend. Hayne's manuals etc are good.

If you don't put to much pressure on yourself then it's great trying to figure something out. However, you need to keep safety foremost in your mind and remember that you could kill yourself and others if you get it wrong. I always make sure I have the correct torque specifications and double check everything.

I've built up a nice collection of tools while still saving a small fortune in maintenance bills. Having said that I tend to go a bit overboard and rebuild stuff that doesn't require it.

There's plenty of jammers that need attention going cheap on donedeal - Go for it

thats what i was thinking alright ah i think ill give it a bash, even though i lnow ill get an ear bashing from her indoors:eek:

The Muppet

+1 on buying cars that need work and fixing them a la wheeler dealers,

I've been doing that for the last few years and have learned quite a bit, when they are done I sell them on to finance the next patient. That way you can work at your own pace and around your other commitments without have to work to a time line.

It's a great hobby .

Nissan doctor

Slidey wrote: »

Anyone will tell you, even after 4 years of serving your time you still have one hell of a learning curve ahead of ya

Agree 100%. I'm 11 years down the line now and still learning. There should never come a point as a mechanic that you stop learning, new systems are being introduced all the time and you should be taking it upon yourself to study up on them as they come along.

celtictiger32

i want to go get an oul banger straight away now thanks lads lol... i suppose the same applies to the likes of panel beating spraying etc.? just thinking probably cheaper than having to buy new

flutered

RoverJames wrote: »

You can research and practise all you like, you still won't be a mechanic. Try and get garage insurance for repairing cars without being qualified or without employing a qualified mechanic.

i had it for years, until i retried about 5 years ago. (st pauls)

flutered

there is a main dealership near me, one of the owners kids went to fas and became a mehanic, yet he never dirtyed his fingers in the garage, never left the office, but he still passed his exams.

Slidey

flutered wrote: »

there is a main dealership near me, one of the owners kids went to fas and became a mehanic, yet he never dirtyed his fingers in the garage, never left the office, but he still passed his exams.

It is not exactly hard. He still would have had to do the practicals in FAS.

Having your papers means fcuk all, but not having them says a lot more. Manys a qualified mechanic would be out of their depth in a puddle in the yard. I have seen them leave my garage and they hadn't a pair of hands to bless themselves.

flutered

flutered wrote: »

i had it for years, until i retried about 5 years ago. (st pauls)

You had what exactly? and what did you retire from?

fryup

watch Ed China on the telly

Plug

fryup wrote: »

watch Ed China on the telly

But dont watch Jock!:eek:

E39MSport

OP, go take a look at that Saab for 250 notes.

rs8

ata Technicians??

David09

Slightly off topic, but just wondering what the difference is between a mechanic and a mechanical engineer???

Would a mechanical engineers degree or higher cert qualify the holder to work on cars??

Plug

David09 wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but just wondering what the difference is between a mechanic and a mechanical engineer???

Would a mechanical engineers degree or higher cert qualify the holder to work on cars??

A mechanical engineer designs things like machines etc. A mechanic or *wait for it* a service technician repair and maintain vehicles.

David09

David09 wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but just wondering what the difference is between a mechanic and a mechanical engineer???

I work in a place where most of the engineers there are mechanical engineers by qualification (I'm not). The practical element of their 3rd level courses must have been next to nil even for the lads who went to ITs rather than Universities, electrically they have no clue whatsoever for the most part. Also most of them are of the mindset that modern cars require professional servicing as they're so sophisticated. They wouldn't chance changing oil or sparkplugs in a 00 Corolla.

I'm not joking

In fairness though, mechanical fitters are often no better :eek:

Anyway a mechanical engineer would be speccing machines that are required for a purpose, designing bridges, working on turbines ... anything really. But at a high level, at the conceptual stage, it's often someone elses problem to get it working which is where the sh1t sometimes hits the fan.

Slidey

Someone with a Mechanical Engineering degree cannot train to be a DoE tester.

The department considers their training inadequate!

Nissan doctor

rs8 wrote: »

ata Technicians??

I Got ata accredited to level 2(diagnostic technician) with my last job. Its a voluntary recognition rather then a qualification.

You don't have to be qualified but you do need a minimum of experience within the industry.

Slidey

Slidey wrote: »

The department considers their training inadequate!

Rightfully so I reckon

firefly08

Just to add to the recommended reading list - Haynes manuals are great, but Hilliers Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology is a really good general introduction into how pretty much every aspect of a car works, and why it's made that way.

It should help to fill you in on some of the background stuff that you'll never get from working on cars directly.

crosshair1

As a mechanical engineer, running my own automotive business, I'd have to agree with what others have posted that on its own its not a qualification to work on vehicles.
As far as mechanical repairs or fitter type work goes I dont think theres any substitute for hands on experience.
To the op I dont think theres any fast track to becoming a mechanic, maybe you can read up and do a bit of diy stuff for yourself but beyond that without experience of varied work it would be difficult to progress.