Car maintenance classes
Discussion
Ever since I got the S, I've been thinking about doing some sort of car maintenance course in my spare time. I'm not particularly good with mechanical stuff but I am quite keen to learn. Everyone keeps telling me how easy our cars are to work on and I'm fed up of bluffing my way through the technical banter whenever I meet any of you. 
It goes without saying that this forum is an absolute goldmine of information and I doff my cap to everyone who posts here - I'm just looking for a bit of hands-on training in the basics.
I've done a little research and this course seems to fit the bill. It costs £170 for 20 weeks (3 hours per week) which seems quite reasonable. It sounds to me as though some of the bodywork stuff might not be particularly relevant for fibreglass cars, but the rest of the course sounds pretty good. Any thoughts?
It goes without saying that this forum is an absolute goldmine of information and I doff my cap to everyone who posts here - I'm just looking for a bit of hands-on training in the basics.
I've done a little research and this course seems to fit the bill. It costs £170 for 20 weeks (3 hours per week) which seems quite reasonable. It sounds to me as though some of the bodywork stuff might not be particularly relevant for fibreglass cars, but the rest of the course sounds pretty good. Any thoughts?
Geoff, I used to work at a college and this looks bang on.
I'd say the bodywork stuff is useful too - even if you're not going to do any yourself it is useful to know the techniques (I'm not pretending I know much).
I'd give the college a call - I'd put money on them having your car in the workshops for the people on the course to look at - because as you said its a nice straightforward car to work on, and they can also look at 'how they used to build them' with a seperate chassis !
You may find a cheaper course if you aren't working towards any kind of qualification, but I guess it depends on whats available - and if they have any places left !
Chris
I'd say the bodywork stuff is useful too - even if you're not going to do any yourself it is useful to know the techniques (I'm not pretending I know much).
I'd give the college a call - I'd put money on them having your car in the workshops for the people on the course to look at - because as you said its a nice straightforward car to work on, and they can also look at 'how they used to build them' with a seperate chassis !
You may find a cheaper course if you aren't working towards any kind of qualification, but I guess it depends on whats available - and if they have any places left !
Chris
Looks pretty good to me, seems to cover the main items, certainly enough to get you going, then you'll be surprised how much you pick up or learn from your mistakes (believe me I've learned a lot that way!)
And I think most of the bodywork stuff will be helpful, there are a few differences with fibreglass cars but most of it is the same.
And I think most of the bodywork stuff will be helpful, there are a few differences with fibreglass cars but most of it is the same.
Go for it Geoff and if you like, when you have some jobs to do on your car give me a buzz and we can try and make arrangements to work together on it... for bigger jobs, you are welcome to join me any weekend this winter to continue my cars refurb.
just make sure you get rid of all the old oil from your hands before you start your day job
K
just make sure you get rid of all the old oil from your hands before you start your day job
K
Forget the bodywork side of it - the "Introduction to vehicle MIG/MAG welding techiniques" is worth it for dealing with the outrigger repairs.
That actually looks a very good course covering a lot more that I'd expect. It should give you plenty of confidence to tackle the S because they're a nice simple car.
That actually looks a very good course covering a lot more that I'd expect. It should give you plenty of confidence to tackle the S because they're a nice simple car.
Well done,and just in case you may be touching on engine management systems the following is a link to a site which gives a good explanation of the different types and how they work.Hope you find it of interest, hopefully others will as well.
http://www.emeraldm3d.com/ems.htm
http://www.emeraldm3d.com/ems.htm
Finished!
This was a really worthwhile course and I'm glad I did it. It turns out that the advertisement was actually for two separate courses, so my course didn't cover any of the bodywork stuff (or welding). Still, I learnt a lot from the classes and I feel that we covered the 'basics' quite well. It would probably be too simple for most S owners but it was ideal for me!
I missed three of the sessions due to work commitments and holidays:
1. Car valeting (I already know how to wash my car).
2. Transmission (this sounds quite difficult for a novice to tackle).
3. Servicing (a lot of this was covered in previous sessions, apparently).
So I didn't actually obtain my C&G 3901 Certificate in Car Maintenance qualification, but I'm still glad I did the course. I'd recommend this sort of thing to any fellow mechanical novices... not that there are any of those on here.
This was a really worthwhile course and I'm glad I did it. It turns out that the advertisement was actually for two separate courses, so my course didn't cover any of the bodywork stuff (or welding). Still, I learnt a lot from the classes and I feel that we covered the 'basics' quite well. It would probably be too simple for most S owners but it was ideal for me!
I missed three of the sessions due to work commitments and holidays:
1. Car valeting (I already know how to wash my car).
2. Transmission (this sounds quite difficult for a novice to tackle).
3. Servicing (a lot of this was covered in previous sessions, apparently).
So I didn't actually obtain my C&G 3901 Certificate in Car Maintenance qualification, but I'm still glad I did the course. I'd recommend this sort of thing to any fellow mechanical novices... not that there are any of those on here.
Dave, the only thing I'm good at is repeating what I've read elsewhere!
With regards to cleaning hands I find the best solution is to use latex gloves, under a fiver for 100 pairs from Machine Mart. You do rip holes in them quite a bit but they are so cheap just get another one out of the box.
The only problem then is that you end up with grubby wrists!
Top one with the course by the way - I used to work at a college and spent most of my summer holidays in the garage - does it show?
Chris
With regards to cleaning hands I find the best solution is to use latex gloves, under a fiver for 100 pairs from Machine Mart. You do rip holes in them quite a bit but they are so cheap just get another one out of the box.
The only problem then is that you end up with grubby wrists!
Top one with the course by the way - I used to work at a college and spent most of my summer holidays in the garage - does it show?
Chris
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