Motor Age contributor recognized for over 25 years of ASE certification

Dec. 14, 2015
Richard McCuistian, a longtime Motor Age contributor with eleven ASE certifications (A1-A8, Light Vehicle Diesel, L1 Advanced Level Engine Performance, and G1), recently received recognition for his 25th anniversary of being ASE certified.

Richard McCuistian, a longtime Motor Age contributor with eleven ASE certifications (A1-A8, Light Vehicle Diesel, L1 Advanced Level Engine Performance, and G1), recently received recognition for his 25th anniversary of being ASE certified. In honor of this prestigious milestone, we asked Richard to reflect on his expansive career in the service repair industry, including his passion for fixing vehicles, biggest challenges, and advice for newcomers to the industry.

Longtime Motor Age contributor Richard McCuistian holds his award for being ASE certified for over 25 years.

Motor Age: What has driven you throughout your career?

Richard McCuistian: My dad owned a shop, and from the time I was about four years old, I’ve always been drawn to grease, steel, sparks, switches, gears and bearings, hand cleaner, colorful cardboard boxes with new parts in them, and all the rest of it. I love using tools and fixing and maintaining vehicles, especially when the light bulb pops on over my head and I make the connection between the data and the fix. I like being the guy in a uniform who knows what to do when most others don’t. 

And most of all, nowadays, I love passing what I know along to the younger generation. We need new blood in this industry now more than ever, and I like being a part of that process.

Motor Age: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced throughout your career?

McCuistian: Like most people my age who started out forty years ago when electronic ignition was brand new and so many ignition systems were points-and-condenser, my biggest challenge throughout the years has been staying abreast of changing technologies as electronics have taken root in virtually every part of the vehicle. I spent most of my career at dealerships and got really great training there.

Now I’m teaching, so I have to make sure I stay up to date on what’s going on with the more common makes and models that populate the area where my trainees will be wrenching.

Motor Age: What is the most important advice to pass on to someone who is new to the service repair industry?

McCuistian: To begin with, you WILL earn what you get paid in this industry. After your foundational training (and it’s good to get that first), realize that speed and accuracy will be the engine and the transmission of your career. In order to get P.A.I.D., you have to exhibit Performance, a good Attitude, great Integrity, and bulletproof Dependability (hence the acronym). Once you’ve developed your troubleshooting and mechanical skills to the point that you work quickly and with accuracy, don’t think your skill level gives you a license to be a jerk. There are a lot of guys and gals out there who are better and faster than you are.

If you really want your knowledge to explode, always be willing to share what you know with others in the field. I learned early on that whenever you take the time to explain something to somebody else, you understand it even better yourself.

Secondly, realize that there isn’t a silver bullet for every problem. You have to be tough, and you have to be smart. You need to be ready to go where nobody else has gone before on a job and find the problem on your own when diagnostic tools and software don’t have the answer.

Motor Age: Why is training and ASE certification important to you?

McCuistian: Without training, you’re flying blind. Without ASE certification, you have no real credentials to show, and credentialing tells prospective employers that you’re serious about your career choice. I would not have been employable as an NATEF program instructor without ASE certifications. Further, some shops won’t even hire a technician that isn’t ASE certified. ASE certification doesn’t in and of itself mean you’re a super-wrencher, but you will command more pay as a capable and productive ASE certified student.

Richard, thank you for sharing your expertise, experience, and wisdom with Motor Age over the years and for your unceasing dedication to the service repair industry!

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