Critical Thinking resources in the Automotive field

Longview Community College, Lee's Summit, Missouri

Critical Thinking
Across the
Curriculum Project

Resources in the Automotive field

(Editors note: It may seem odd to think that critical thinking can apply to fixing automobiles, but the activity of diagnosing the problem in a particular auto and then fixing it involves the most critical of thinking skills - eliminating the irrelevant, systematic reasoning, experimentation, etc. With the idea in mind that our mechanics are actually using applied physics, we offer the following resources)

Contributed by: Edward Schauffler

The following addresses are related to the automotive field. It seems to be a little tough to find good information in the automotive field for critical thinking projects without paying a fee. One company charges $1.85 per minute to look up service information which could become very expensive very quickly. I did find three addresses so far that may be useful:

1. ASA (Automotive Service Association)
(Links to this site are broken - I will try to find if the resources still exist. Until then, try searching for the ASA on a search engine. ed.)
This is a highly organized network of industry shop owners, managers and technicians in the automotive aftermarket. Originally the organization has networked information to the members through seminars, newsletters, training expos and conventions. Good stuff that is available from their internet home pages free of charge includes a place where car owners, shops and technicians can locate information on:

Finding a quality automotive repair shop
Car care tips
Systems operation

2. CYBERSHOP
http://www.cyberauto.com/catalogs/auto_info/repairs/recalls.html
A search for manufacturer recals can be conducted which could be a useful resource for technicians to use prior to or during the vehicle diagnosis of a problem.

Copyright © 1996
Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum Project
Longview Community College , Lee's Summit, Missouri - U.S.A.
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Inquiries to: michael.connelly@mcckc.edu
Last modified: 03/02/04