As a professional technician who's logged a quarter of a century in the field fighting my way through more than a few poorly written pinpoint tests and badly drawn wiring schematics, my personal aim as an instructor is to produce entry-level techs who can stand on their own two feet. I try to lay a solid foundation of knowledge and problem-solving skills that they can build on because we're all students at heart. It is expedient that burgeoning techs learn how to troubleshoot on their own. We all generally learn more working through a tough problem than when the answer is spoon-fed to us. However, we all need help sometimes, and getting the vehicle back to the customer in a timely fashion is important. But let's be real: We all known technicians who just want to avoid getting their mental knuckles skinned and move on to the next gravy-saturated job ticket, too. Fruitlessly sifting through pinpoint tests and connector pinouts to ferret out an annoying glitch can be challenging, frustrating or both, depending on pressure, priorities and the temperament and/or resolve of the contender. And like a fighter preparing to face a heavyweight champion, every serious auto mechanics student needs to have faced tough opponents in training if they are going to make it past the first round.
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