Good down & dirty auto mechanic courses in India

Evil · 2nd September 2008, 08:15

I want to learn about cars inside out, from hotwiring one to being able to identify a problem expertly. I'm looking for practical knowledge. Where can one get such training in Mumbai? Any recommendations?

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 2nd September 2008, 09:45

Most good mechanics start life as apprentices, often simply kerosene / diesel washing the parts removed for repair. Such work is usually unpaid for first couple of months.

Going to the dealer / auth. showroom for a brand or even "high tech" workshops may be counter productive because you will have no access to the trouble shooting techniques unless you have some "access".

Best option would to get in touch with a "road side" old school mechanics, work with them for couple of months or more (one year at least), and then go to some auth. / brand shop and then move further.

condor · 2nd September 2008, 11:24

I wish our Auto companies conduct such workshops. BSD, what you say is not practical considering our regular schedules.

GTO · 2nd September 2008, 11:56

Getting an *internship* at a reputed garage is probably the best way to learn. If you know the owner, he would probably allow you to come part-time too. Most of us have learnt the basics by tinkering around with our own cars. Good option, especially if you have a relatively older car. You could also do some thorough reading up on automotive tech books & technical section threads on Team-BHP

There are some institutes, but they are a mixed bag.

gd1418 · 2nd September 2008, 12:39

This is a story that starts like - Once upon a time, there was a king. Circa 1975, when I was learning to drive a car. My grandfather & father, both, told me one thing. Never leave the vehicle on the road in case of a breakdown and come back. Try to do minor repairs and get it to home or to a garage or to a known place. Now how would one achieve that?

I was made to go to the shop floor of our regular garage, of course after school and dirty my hands & clothes and wield spanners, hammers & screwdrivers. During the course of the basic training, "ustaadji" mentioned that if I buy and use a Hindustan 10, it will during the ownership teach me every nuances of car mechanics.

Well, I didn't buy a Hindustan 10, but learnt enough to manage decently. It is the recent new age vehicles, that can't be rectified on the roadside, rather has to be towed to a garage. For example, while I could change the fan belt of a Amby/Fiat in a jiffy in case of belt snapping, the same I can't do if the belt of my Scorpio snaps mid-way, although a spare is in the boot.

silver_shadow · 2nd September 2008, 17:00

get a cheap beat up old car for a few thousands. something for which you can get a workshop manual/lots of info about on the internet plus good availability of cheap spares. you should not think of it replacing your existing ride.

now you can get some tools and start working on the car. simple things first and then more complex later. you could even start with an old 2 stroke bike if you have low experience with automobiles in general.

you can work on it at your own leisure. how much you learn will depend on YOU and no one else. i think there's a wealth of info available out there for this to work.

anujmishra · 2nd September 2008, 17:22

CAR is itself an institute. You need to focus upon on what area you want to learn. Learning each and everything about a car would not help much.

There can be many learning areas in car

1. Clutch plates assembly, gears, diffrential
2. Engine
3. Auto electric parts
4. Body repairs (Denting & Painting are different specialized area)
5. Tyres, Suspension, Alignments
6. Aesthetics (Upholstry, Seats etc)
7. May be more

In good brand automotive repair garage you will find experts in different areas of cars. However for most of the mechanical part only one mechanical mechanic assigned but often he needs advice from experts to work on area which does not belong to his expertise.

So focus on one part and start learning and there are much more to learn in one area itself. Better to be Master of One than Jack of All. (Jack of All becomes only after experience)

Good Luck!

ported_head · 3rd September 2008, 00:27

If you want academic training, your best bet will be either a Diploma or an ITI course. The level of hands on training is way above any degree course. However, these courses are usually considered second/third rung, and preferred by employers only at workshop level.

If you want informal training, find yourself a good mentor. Somebody who is willing to teach. Somebody with a lot of experience under his belt, will teach you far more than picking up a junked car and trying to fiddle around yourself.

It's fun, but it's dirty. And a lot of work.

Amien · 3rd September 2008, 01:54

I am VERY much interested in something similar, will watch this thread closely for suggestions.

FourWheelDrift · 3rd September 2008, 19:40

@Evil : you may want to check out

Western India Automobile Association - WIAA Welcomes You

***** WELCOME TO M.H.SABOO SIDDIQUE, INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CENTER BYCULLA, MUMBAI-8 *****

***** WELCOME TO FR. AGNEL TECHNICAL EDUCATION COMPLEX,INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CENTER , VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI *****

Government Polytechnic Pune Advanced Diploma in Automotive Mechatronics | Admission Dates and Notifications

Mercedes-Benz India - Passenger Cars Homepage - Social Responsibility - Automotive Mechatronics

http://dte.org.in/inst_level/govtpolypune.pdf

http://www.vjti.ac.in/home_acad_P.D.AUTO.ADMN.07.doc

Cheers,

FourWheelDrift

You could also look at the local ITIs ... who offer the Motor Mechanics course.

***** WELCOME TO INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INSTITUTE *****

Other Mumbai ITIs LIST OF ALL INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INST / CENTERS OFALL REGION

filcord · 12th September 2008, 23:15

As GTO said, beg a local garage which is known for it's good service to use your services for free for a few months. Once you get home, read up, or browse the theory of what you practiced, if you can stay awake after working the whole day, that is!

Nikhilb2008 · 13th September 2008, 00:52

I attended a 2 week course in Automobiles in Coimbatore. It was organised by this GD Naidu Charity Trust.

It's actually a full fledged school where people come, study for a year or so(purely automotive) and then get hired by Bajaj, Ashok Leyland, etc. Most of the students arent from very well to do backgrounds. This institute is doing a phenomenal job there helping the sons(mainly!) of poor people get a good diploma and then getting them placed.

It is run by a slightly arrogant chap(my personal opinion), but thankfully he isnt involved in teaching. The guys who are involved in the teaching are so humble and down to earth. You actually feel like you have gone back in time where teachers were Gods. You automatically treat these men like Gurus. They are true gurus. Not just lecturers.

They have very old stuff to learn on(an Old Cadillac stands out. We learnt abt Wishbone suspension on this Cadillac). They also have an amby engine, a maruti 1000 engine, etc..

Generally old stuff but nothing is outdated. What we have today are evolutions of the same designs.

We learnt everything. We actually dismantled the Amby Isuzu engine and the Maruti 1000 engine the smallest parts possible. Then assembled it again. We did the same for Power steering, Rack and pinion steering, Synchromesh gearbox, normal gearbox, Leaf spring suspension, Wishbone tye, Mc Pherson type.

This 14 day course was so enlightening. It was awesome.

The icing on the cake was when we were taken down into the garage and shown the cars owned by these cars. I dont remember exactly what cars they had but it was a super collection. Mainly old cars, but classics nevertheless. There was a 2CV if I remember correctly.

If any of you wants details, I'll dig it out from my email inbox and post it here.

Modifiedsachin · 18th September 2008, 19:26

Hi Nikhil,

Now thats something which one can attend (mean who do not want to leave his current job & get in this

)

I will like to know if any such short duration course is there in mumbai, if not then will really like to know the details of this course as may plan to take a leave of 15-16 days and attending this.

Well any limitations or pre requirements for this course?
And if no such course is there in mumbai then which language??

Sorry but only know English, Hindi & Marathi.

snaronikar · 18th September 2008, 20:25

First readng and doing the practicals would be good as when you will be with the parts of automobiles, you will know which part you are handling and assembling. Then joining an institute or working in a local garage is recommended.

Modifiedsachin · 19th September 2008, 12:12

Ok that seems a good option as well.

I have already started knowing the parts of my car & tried many to check with do yourself type. (Air filter, battery replacement, fuse replacement, lights replacement etc. but I know this is really small of what I should be knowing)

There are many parts which are visible in engine bay I don't even know the name,

I will post few pics of my engine bay & will ask few queries to understand what are they & then can learn from here or from how stuff works

I do understand that the professional job is better kept with the professional people but I may at least learn many things from this and some do yourself tips.

2nd September 2008, 08:15	#1
Evil BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 27 Thanked: 9 Times	Good down & dirty auto mechanic courses in India I want to learn about cars inside out, from hotwiring one to being able to identify a problem expertly. I'm looking for practical knowledge. Where can one get such training in Mumbai? Any recommendations?
	() Thanks

2nd September 2008, 09:45	#2
BaCkSeAtDrIVeR BANNED Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Kochi Posts: 2,522 Thanked: 752 Times	Most good mechanics start life as apprentices, often simply kerosene / diesel washing the parts removed for repair. Such work is usually unpaid for first couple of months. Going to the dealer / auth. showroom for a brand or even "high tech" workshops may be counter productive because you will have no access to the trouble shooting techniques unless you have some "access". Best option would to get in touch with a "road side" old school mechanics, work with them for couple of months or more (one year at least), and then go to some auth. / brand shop and then move further.
	() Thanks

2nd September 2008, 11:24	#3
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 15,864 Thanked: 16,008 Times View My Garage	I wish our Auto companies conduct such workshops. BSD, what you say is not practical considering our regular schedules.
	() Thanks

2nd September 2008, 11:56	#4
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,497 Thanked: 300,309 Times View My Garage	Getting an internship at a reputed garage is probably the best way to learn. If you know the owner, he would probably allow you to come part-time too. Most of us have learnt the basics by tinkering around with our own cars. Good option, especially if you have a relatively older car. You could also do some thorough reading up on automotive tech books & technical section threads on Team-BHP There are some institutes, but they are a mixed bag. Last edited by GTO : 2nd September 2008 at 12:03.
	(2) Thanks

2nd September 2008, 12:39	#5
gd1418 Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 3,578 Thanked: 728 Times View My Garage	This is a story that starts like - Once upon a time, there was a king. Circa 1975, when I was learning to drive a car. My grandfather & father, both, told me one thing. Never leave the vehicle on the road in case of a breakdown and come back. Try to do minor repairs and get it to home or to a garage or to a known place. Now how would one achieve that? I was made to go to the shop floor of our regular garage, of course after school and dirty my hands & clothes and wield spanners, hammers & screwdrivers. During the course of the basic training, "ustaadji" mentioned that if I buy and use a Hindustan 10, it will during the ownership teach me every nuances of car mechanics. Well, I didn't buy a Hindustan 10, but learnt enough to manage decently. It is the recent new age vehicles, that can't be rectified on the roadside, rather has to be towed to a garage. For example, while I could change the fan belt of a Amby/Fiat in a jiffy in case of belt snapping, the same I can't do if the belt of my Scorpio snaps mid-way, although a spare is in the boot. Last edited by gd1418 : 2nd September 2008 at 12:40.
	() Thanks

2nd September 2008, 17:00	#6
silver_shadow BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 366 Thanked: 3 Times	get a cheap beat up old car for a few thousands. something for which you can get a workshop manual/lots of info about on the internet plus good availability of cheap spares. you should not think of it replacing your existing ride. now you can get some tools and start working on the car. simple things first and then more complex later. you could even start with an old 2 stroke bike if you have low experience with automobiles in general. you can work on it at your own leisure. how much you learn will depend on YOU and no one else. i think there's a wealth of info available out there for this to work. Last edited by aah78 : 3rd September 2008 at 01:08. Reason: Potential expletive removed.
	() Thanks

2nd September 2008, 17:22	#7
anujmishra Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,290 Thanked: 492 Times View My Garage	CAR is itself an institute. You need to focus upon on what area you want to learn. Learning each and everything about a car would not help much. There can be many learning areas in car 1. Clutch plates assembly, gears, diffrential 2. Engine 3. Auto electric parts 4. Body repairs (Denting & Painting are different specialized area) 5. Tyres, Suspension, Alignments 6. Aesthetics (Upholstry, Seats etc) 7. May be more In good brand automotive repair garage you will find experts in different areas of cars. However for most of the mechanical part only one mechanical mechanic assigned but often he needs advice from experts to work on area which does not belong to his expertise. So focus on one part and start learning and there are much more to learn in one area itself. Better to be Master of One than Jack of All. (Jack of All becomes only after experience) Good Luck!
	() Thanks

3rd September 2008, 00:27	#8
ported_head Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai, India Posts: 2,387 Thanked: 20 Times	If you want academic training, your best bet will be either a Diploma or an ITI course. The level of hands on training is way above any degree course. However, these courses are usually considered second/third rung, and preferred by employers only at workshop level. If you want informal training, find yourself a good mentor. Somebody who is willing to teach. Somebody with a lot of experience under his belt, will teach you far more than picking up a junked car and trying to fiddle around yourself. It's fun, but it's dirty. And a lot of work.
	() Thanks

3rd September 2008, 01:54	#9
Amien BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 253 Thanked: 322 Times	I am VERY much interested in something similar, will watch this thread closely for suggestions.
	() Thanks

3rd September 2008, 19:40	#10
FourWheelDrift BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mumbai/PNW Posts: 630 Thanked: 555 Times	@Evil : you may want to check out Western India Automobile Association - WIAA Welcomes You *** WELCOME TO M.H.SABOO SIDDIQUE, INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CENTER BYCULLA, MUMBAI-8 * * WELCOME TO FR. AGNEL TECHNICAL EDUCATION COMPLEX,INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CENTER , VASHI, NAVI MUMBAI * Government Polytechnic Pune Advanced Diploma in Automotive Mechatronics \| Admission Dates and Notifications Mercedes-Benz India - Passenger Cars Homepage - Social Responsibility - Automotive Mechatronics http://dte.org.in/inst_level/govtpolypune.pdf http://www.vjti.ac.in/home_acad_P.D.AUTO.ADMN.07.doc Cheers, FourWheelDrift You could also look at the local ITIs ... who offer the Motor Mechanics course. * WELCOME TO INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INSTITUTE *** Other Mumbai ITIs LIST OF ALL INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INST / CENTERS OFALL REGION Last edited by FourWheelDrift : 3rd September 2008 at 19:48. Reason: Wanted to add in the local ITIs as well.
	() Thanks

12th September 2008, 23:15	#11
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 996 Thanked: 67 Times	As GTO said, beg a local garage which is known for it's good service to use your services for free for a few months. Once you get home, read up, or browse the theory of what you practiced, if you can stay awake after working the whole day, that is!
	() Thanks

13th September 2008, 00:52	#12
Nikhilb2008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,196 Thanked: 10,137 Times	I attended a 2 week course in Automobiles in Coimbatore. It was organised by this GD Naidu Charity Trust. It's actually a full fledged school where people come, study for a year or so(purely automotive) and then get hired by Bajaj, Ashok Leyland, etc. Most of the students arent from very well to do backgrounds. This institute is doing a phenomenal job there helping the sons(mainly!) of poor people get a good diploma and then getting them placed. It is run by a slightly arrogant chap(my personal opinion), but thankfully he isnt involved in teaching. The guys who are involved in the teaching are so humble and down to earth. You actually feel like you have gone back in time where teachers were Gods. You automatically treat these men like Gurus. They are true gurus. Not just lecturers. They have very old stuff to learn on(an Old Cadillac stands out. We learnt abt Wishbone suspension on this Cadillac). They also have an amby engine, a maruti 1000 engine, etc.. Generally old stuff but nothing is outdated. What we have today are evolutions of the same designs. We learnt everything. We actually dismantled the Amby Isuzu engine and the Maruti 1000 engine the smallest parts possible. Then assembled it again. We did the same for Power steering, Rack and pinion steering, Synchromesh gearbox, normal gearbox, Leaf spring suspension, Wishbone tye, Mc Pherson type. This 14 day course was so enlightening. It was awesome. The icing on the cake was when we were taken down into the garage and shown the cars owned by these cars. I dont remember exactly what cars they had but it was a super collection. Mainly old cars, but classics nevertheless. There was a 2CV if I remember correctly. If any of you wants details, I'll dig it out from my email inbox and post it here.
	(1) Thanks

18th September 2008, 19:26	#13
Modifiedsachin BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 114 Thanked: 30 Times View My Garage	Hi Nikhil, Now thats something which one can attend (mean who do not want to leave his current job & get in this) I will like to know if any such short duration course is there in mumbai, if not then will really like to know the details of this course as may plan to take a leave of 15-16 days and attending this. Well any limitations or pre requirements for this course? And if no such course is there in mumbai then which language?? Sorry but only know English, Hindi & Marathi.
	() Thanks

18th September 2008, 20:25	#14
snaronikar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 2,845 Thanked: 29 Times View My Garage	First readng and doing the practicals would be good as when you will be with the parts of automobiles, you will know which part you are handling and assembling. Then joining an institute or working in a local garage is recommended.
	() Thanks

19th September 2008, 12:12	#15
Modifiedsachin BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 114 Thanked: 30 Times View My Garage	Ok that seems a good option as well. I have already started knowing the parts of my car & tried many to check with do yourself type. (Air filter, battery replacement, fuse replacement, lights replacement etc. but I know this is really small of what I should be knowing) There are many parts which are visible in engine bay I don't even know the name, I will post few pics of my engine bay & will ask few queries to understand what are they & then can learn from here or from how stuff works I do understand that the professional job is better kept with the professional people but I may at least learn many things from this and some do yourself tips.
	() Thanks