The Automotive Service Excellence Certification Process

Portland, Oregon-based Steve’s Imports is a family-owned car service center that offers quality repair and maintenance services to the owners of European and Asian automobiles. All service technicians employed by Steve’s Imports earn certification with the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).

The ASE has pursued the promotion of excellence in the automotive services, parts distribution, and repair sectors since 1972. The goal of the organization is to provide a means of technical-knowledge verification so that shop owners and the people they provide services to can trust that a customer’s vehicle is in good hands when an ASE-certified professional works on it.

A professional technician can earn ASE certification if he or she meets set professional experience minimums and is able to pass the organization’s certification test. ASE certification is only available to those professionals who have earned at least two years of training on the job, or who have received a two-year automotive repair degree and have at least one year of work experience. Once this prerequisite is met, a technician must pass a sub-specialty test (written by a group of experienced ASE members) in order to receive his or her certification. Tests must be retaken once every five years in order for professionals to remain among the 300,000 current ASE-certified members. Several levels of of tests are available, in order to reach Master Technician Status, Tests A1 - A8 must be completed. Steve's Imports proudly posts their Master Status Certificates.