March 2017

Quick description

This course was a project based automotive collision repair class that taught its students how to have good work ethic, be meticulous, problem solve and show respect to one and another and to the work that you do.
This class ran as a real business and had a real customer base every day that were to not be disappointed.
One day in particular a customer pulled in with no clue as what was wrong with their car and a student and I were tasked with fixing the issue.

The Challenge

  • Understanding how a basic engines, transmissions and drivetrains work and where problems usually will lie.
  • Knowing what type of signs a vehicle will show that lead back to different types of issues.
  • Knowing the customer wants the most quality part we can find for a good price.
  • Working with people from different backgrounds and being aware their thought process.
  • Staying safe in the workplace.

Our Approach

  • Listen to the sounds the engine, transmission and drivetrain are making and see if anything sounds off.
  • Asking the customer what type of issues they were having when they figured out something was wrong with it.
  • Researching and comparing prices where to find the cheapest part for replacement.
  • Collaborating together and staying open minded to their ways because teamwork makes dreamwork.
  • Always wearing hand, foot, head and body protection.
undercar
flywheel
pivot bearing

First Iterations

Once my teammate and I both listened to the car we had the same suspicion, that the clutch was worn and starting to slip.
So when we asked the customer what they were experiencing and they said that sometimes when they would hit the gas the rpms would increase but the speed would only be climbing slowly, then after they’d let off there would be a “burning smell”. It wasn’t 100% yet but based on what the customer had to say, our suspicion had practically already confirmed.
So my teammate and I went to town on spraying bolts down with rust penetration and then we went straight to cranking.
After some solid teamwork, paying special attention to where screw and bolts were going, we cracked open the transmission and at first glance of the clutch sure enough it was basically nonexistent. We knew it was time to express order the same one.
Once we had the transmission open and the clutch out, we the found the flywheel to be scuffed so we gave it a nice buffer to clean it up. We also made sure to check the pivot bearing and the pivot bearing arm to see that it was functioning properly and able to move back and forth in ease.
By the next day the new clutch, was in and the car was driving like butter

Final Solution

If it wasn’t for this course or some of the tasks that we accomplished I would’ve never found my heavy love for group collaboration and team gratification at the end of a hard project.

This course not only showed me how to work side by side and learn from other who could potentially think very differently from you, it also taught me a lot about how to have detail oriented work and responsibility and initiative especially in a workplace.