ASE Certification Training Headquarters

Online ASE Certification Training and Career Center

Welcome to ASE Certification Training Headquarters! We have everything you need to make your life easier as you begin your career as an Automotive Service Excellence Certified Master Mechanic. State specific training requirements, a step-by-step hiring process, potential employers, and interviews to help you get hired are just some of the helpful things you'll find here.

California Auto Mechanic License Requirements

Thankfully throughout the State of California, a good auto technician is not required to have a license to repair vehicles!

However, just because there is no structured or national criteria does not mean virtually all technicians are equally skilled for a job in an automobile repair shop.

Operating in California, mechanics who satisfy the following prerequisites are much more likely to obtain a job in an automobile mechanic shop when compared with candidates who do not fulfill these minimal qualifications:

  • Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Certification (Master Mechanic certification preferred)
  • California work experience in one of the following areas:
    • Parts Specialist – 2 years
    • Service Consultant – 2 years
  • On-the-job training from local automotive dealers
  • Plus: Any car manufacturer certifications (e.g. General Motors, Chrysler, Mercedes, BMW, etc.)
  • Automotive Repair Classroom Training:
    • Collision repair training
    • Repair Technology training courses (including diagnostic software)

Salaries and Incomes for Motor Vehicle Repair Specialists in California

Total Number of Auto Mechanics56,000
Average Annual Salary$43,220
Average Hourly Wage$20.78
Employment (per 1,000 jobs)3.806
Annual Job Growth Rate4.0%
Estimated Job Openings per Year 2,800
Wage Statistics for Automotive Service Technicians (2014 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Supplemental Qualifications

To make oneself a great deal more valuable to potential automotive shops, many mechanics will quickly realize that his or her job opportunities improve if they’re able to achieve additional certifications and education:

Automobile Service Excellence (ASE) Certification in California

A mechanic salarylarge number of auto technicians choose to get extra qualification from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) (www.ase.com). ASE is an self-governing, non-profit organization that works to improve quality of motor vehicle maintenance and services by certifying and assessing repair and service specialists. ASE Certification is often a significant component of an auto technician’s occupation and resume, and can help show off knowledge and help to make mechanics far more marketable to future hiring managers. Simply be sure you devote some time to review for the assessments by using our free of charge testing tools and quiz questions. Automobile mechanics together with other auto service industry experts that want to get ASE certification can take any one of ASE’s 40+ tests. Upon successfully passing these job-related competency exams, the mechanic will become ASE certified in several of the following areas: Automobile, truck, collision repair, and many more. (Register here)

Refrigerant Certification in California

The American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires all auto service technicians that work with or buy refrigerants to achieve licensing in appropriate handling of refrigerants. Currently there is not a formalised test preparation mandated, but a number of labor unions, trade schools, and employer associations offer courses and college classes for assessment preparation. Additional information about this certification can be read at the official EPA page.

ASE Student Certification in California
ASE Student Certification can help you move on the ideal track for establishing a career as an effective service skilled professional in the car industry. Compared to the full ASE official certifications, there are not any mechanic experience prerequisites for student certification. Any candidate simply just would need to complete one or more of the student certification tests. The moment the student has skillfully finished one of these tests, the faculty prints the official document and has it approved by the school principal and it is presented to the trainee. The student qualification is valid for two years after the evaluation day.

Desirable Characteristics for California Certified Auto Mechanics

Eagle Eyes: Vehicular difficulties will often times be caused by forgotten about details or things which can be caught by a extremely experienced technician. The nature of an motor vehicle technician is to examine every possible issue with very good detail when producing a diagnosis or repair.

Service Excellence: Vehicle service professionals help potential customers day after day, and the most successful specialists develop close personalised connections with their clients that keep them returning for possible future Assistance. A large number of professionals take too lightly this part of the California auto repair service business.

Abilityase certified mechanic to Diagnose: A fundamental capability of automobile technicians is the ability to diagnose engine, mechanical, and wear-related complications with vehicles and other complicated systems. The competency to discover and correct complications often comes with on-the-job training and experience in a maintenance shop.

Typical Incomes in California by City:

City / RegionTypical SalarySalary RangeJob Count
Bakersfield - Delano $35,890 $21K - $55K1100
Chico $40,260 $24K - $61K340
El Centro $49,540 $26K - $72K230
Fresno $37,220 $20K - $57K1490
Hanford - Corcoran $33,540 $20K - $53K120
Los Angeles - Long Beach - Glendale (Metro Area) $36,390 $21K - $60K13160
Madera - Chowchilla $40,530 $22K - $53K140
Merced $33,590 $19K - $54K340
Modesto $36,520 $26K - $58K730
Napa $44,890 $27K - $60K200
Oakland - Fremont - Hayward (Metro Area) $49,170 $26K - $73K4130
Oxnard - Thousand Oaks - Ventura $37,450 $22K - $68K1490
Redding $42,500 $21K - $72K330
Riverside - San Bernardino - Ontario $38,080 $21K - $61K5810
Sacramento - Arden - Arcade - Roseville $48,130 $28K - $68K3520
Salinas $43,730 $29K - $66K460
San Diego - Carlsbad - San Marcos $42,850 $28K - $65K4850
San Francisco - San Mateo - Redwood City (Metro Area) $48,110 $29K - $85K3240
San Jose - Sunnyvale - Santa Clara $48,530 $27K - $72K2680
San Luis Obispo - Paso Robles $38,060 $23K - $62K460
Santa Ana - Anaheim - Irvine (Metro Area) $46,370 $28K - $82K5000
Santa Barbara - Santa Maria - Goleta $43,030 $24K - $69K590
Santa Cruz - Watsonville $49,510 $28K - $73K310
Santa Rosa - Petaluma $49,450 $26K - $71K720
Stockton $35,350 $20K - $59K870
Vallejo - Fairfield $39,620 $23K - $69K690
Visalia - Porterville $34,700 $18K - $54K450
Yuba City $39,650 $24K - $58K260

Next Steps towards ASE Certification

Now that you’re familiar with all of the ASE Certification requirements in [state], try out our free Automotive Service Excellence Tests to see how much you know!