ASE Master Certified Technicians

Who is qualified to properly inspect a used vehicle?

A pre-purchase inspection on a used vehicle is only as good as the experience level of the automotive technician and his knowledge on each and every system. Today's cars are so technologically advanced that most professional automotive technicians specialize only on a few of the 8 general automotive areas. To properly inspect a vehicle, the Technician should be certified in all 8 areas. A technician with all 8 certifications is called an ASE Certified Master Technician (see ASE below).

However, ASE Master Technicians are not certified on body and frame systems. You should have a technician which has certifications on Structural and Non-Structural Analysis (body & frame) to determine and any accident damage and the quality of previous body/frame repairs.

To properly inspect today's used vehicles, you need an ASE Certified Master Technician to examine all mechanical & electrical components and systems, and a Body & Frame Technician to determine existing and pervious damage.

What is ASE?

ASE stands for National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

You may have seen the ASE blue logo at a repair shop or seen an ASE blue patch on the Technician's uniform. ASE is a national testing organization which sets standards for automotive technicians. To become certified by ASE, a technician first must have experience on a particular system, then take and pass the ASE test for that system. All ASE certifications are valid for 5 years, then the Technician must re-take and pass the current test to be re-certified on that particular system.

Example: a automotive technician has been working at a brake repair shop for a year and wants to become certified on brakes. Since he has qualified the experience criteria for brakes, he may take the ASE test. Once the Technician passes the ASE test on brakes, he is then given a "ASE Certification on Brakes". The Technician can now wear the ASE blue patch and display the ASE logo at his place of work.

Technicians can be tested and certified on any of the 8 general automotive areas. If a Technician is certified in all 8 mechanical and electrical systems, he is then know as a ASE Master Certified Technician.

For the types of certifications a Technician can have, click here.