Texas Idea Farm -- Educational Services

Car Care Subsection

GW was once ASE-certified in engine performance and repair, as a condition of employment while teaching at Minnesota State’s Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology Department, 1996-1997.  However, those certifications expired some years ago, while technology has marched on.   Since then, he has tried to keep up with the major improvements, and while he is no longer ASE-certified, he can still help you with many things.

What is offered here is help for the driver who knows nothing but “fill ‘er up”, not technical training for professional mechanics.  Surprising as it may seem, there are still a lot of things the “Average Joe” can do for his car, and actually, should be doing for his car, as a matter of routine maintenance or operation.

These routine maintenance things include changing air filters, (so simple a child can do it), making sure oil and filter changes are done on-time, making sure to get timely coolant changes, simple under-hood fluid and battery checks, and ensuring proper tire inflation.  And, every driver should know how to safely change a flat tire for the spare.  To change a tire safely really requires more stuff than the manufacturers provide!

In addition, there are some minor repair items the “Average Joe” can still do for himself.  These include things like changing out spark plugs and spark plug wires, changing his own engine oil, changing out worn brake pads, and changing out worn wiper blades.

GW offers an on-site course for the items listed above.  (The same course could be taught at GW’s home/farm shop instead.)  This would be offered only once sufficient students were lined up to take it.   This offering is restricted to a practical traveling distance:  essentially a 50 mile radius around McGregor, Texas (just west of Waco).  For a flyer about such an offering, click here.   To contact GW about signing up for a course, click here.

The basic course materials are available in handout form for self-study.  To download a copy of those materials, go to the car care course offering page and click on the links to the course material files.   Click here for the Car Care Course page.