Auto Technician Certification Benefits Motorists

(NAPSI)-It makes good financial sense to protect your automotive investment through maintenance and service performed by qualified professionals. And an increasingly popular way to distinguish between auto technicians is to look for national certification.

The independent, nonprofit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (www.ase.com) administers national certification tests to service and repair professionals. Those who pass exams and fulfill the work-experience requirement become ASE certified. And those who pass a battery of exams become ASE Master Technicians. Certification is not for life; technicians must recertify every five years to keep current with changing technology.

Every ASE technician is issued personalized credentials listing his or her exact areas of certification and an appropriate insignia or pin.

ASE technicians can be found at every type of repair facility: new car dealerships, independent garages, service stations, tire dealers, specialty shops and major franchises. More than 400,000 ASE technicians are at work nationally.

Repair facilities employing ASE-certified technicians usually display the distinctive blue and white ASE sign on the premises and post their certified technicians' credentials in the customer service area. Further, establishments with a high percentage of ASE professionals on staff are eligible to participate in ASE's elite Blue Seal of Excellence Recognition Program.

Visit www.ase.com for more information about certified technicians and for seasonal car care tips.