When it comes to mechanical technicians, the Gold standard for our industry is a "Master Tech." A Master Tech is someone who has tested and passed eight Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) tests. An individual must have these eight ASE's active at the same time to be a Master. To be 'active,' he or she must recertify each ASE every 5 years. This maintains the ASE and thus the Master Status. The tests are incredibly rigorous, require study and preparation, and are offered very infrequently. They are proctored exams at a special facility where the test takers must surrender their cell phones and undergo extensive searches to prevent any possible cheating. The answers are known to be vague, with a lot of grey areas. There are usually anywhere from 50-60 questions, with only 60-90 minutes allotted for each test. Passing requires 90% (or only 5-6 wrong answers). On top of the testing, there is also a minimum real-world experience requirement.
Now for the impressive part: obtaining WORLD-CLASS status requires a technician to carry 22 total current ASE's (14 more than a Master!). Currently, there are 879,000 technicians in the US, of which 250,000 are ASE Certified. How many are World Class technicians? 2000…or .2% of all technicians in the world! So, to say we are proud and honored to have Tom as our World Class technician is an understatement. With 28 ASE's, he ranks inside the top 1% of all technicians in the US, essentially making him the Platinum Man of Iron Men. There is truly no one more qualified to keep your car running smoothly. Huge thanks to Tom's many years of dedication and service!
