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.

Steve's Imports - a Committed Advocate for Portland's Homeless

Family owned and operated, Steve's Imports has served the automotive needs of Portland, Oregon, customers for more than three decades. The firm repairs a full range of quality German and British makes including Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, and Volkswagen. Steve's Imports maintains a strong community presence and was featured in a recent Autobody News article for its homeless advocacy efforts.

Steve Spinnett, the company's head, has a background in local politics and previously served as mayor of Damascus, Oregon. When people who were homeless began living nearby, he sought to understand what had brought them to this particular juncture in their lives. He also sought out practical ways of helping them, such as by letting them charge their electrical devices and access water through an outside spigot.

Steve Spinnett also learned how to differentiate people who were legitimately homeless, those who had experienced trauma or a run of bad luck and could not get out of their situation, from criminal elements who used homelessness as a pretext for dealing drugs. He assisted one woman who was an addict and near death in receiving drug treatment through his local church and by connecting with a compassionate family. The result was that she regained her health and renewed a relationship with her long-estranged father.

Mr. Spinnett characterizes his current mission as one of engaging with other area business owners in emphasizing the importance of compassion, rather than simply viewing homeless people as a problem.