
Auto Repair is a vocational occupation which deals with the repair and maintenance of automotive and their components. The person who undertakes auto repair is called an Auto Mechanic or a Mechanic. Repair means to restore to sound condition after damage or injury, to set right, to renew or revitalize or to make up for or compensate. Auto Repair is associated with the repair and maintenance of automobiles and their components.
Whenever there is any damage or injury to an automobile like a two-wheeler or a four wheeler, it requires the service of specialized auto mechanic to bring it back to order. The services of auto mechanic are also required for the general maintenance and overhauling of automobiles to keep them run properly. Sometimes experienced auto mechanics also provide consultancy and advisory services on repair and maintenance of automobiles.
Auto repair works also involves preventive maintenance like oil changes, brakes, climate control, steering, suspension, alignment, etc. Today, automobiles are getting more complex, and several technologies are incorporated in a single system.
Apart from the normal components, a car also has air conditioning, music systems, pollution check device, insulation, and several others. Many automobiles nowadays have Engine Control Unit (ECU), also called Engine Management System, which is an electronic device fitted to the internal combustion engine. This demand auto repair to be more sophisticated and technology driven.
A first-rate auto repair workshop has a fully mechanized and computerized environment to undertake all the aspects of auto repair. History of Auto Repair is associated with the gradual development of the Automobile Industry. However the history of Auto repair has to be unfolded gradually. The period between 1885 and 1918 was The Pioneering Era and Coming of Age for automobiles, when not many people could afford to have their own vehicles.
The Auto Repair works were performed largely by the blacksmiths and master mechanics that were not professionally trained in auto repairs. Then, between 1919 and 1945 automobiles became an industrial product. During this period, Ford Motors Company pioneered the concept of own service organization and factory authorized repair shops. It was later followed by other companies all over the world.
The period between 1946 and 1979 saw mass production of automobiles and since 1980 it gradually became a consumer good. During these years factory authorized repair shops and professional auto repair shops increased exponentially. This has resulted in technical and sales trainings of mechanics by the factories and expert Auto Repair for the customers.
Auto Repair