Congratulations to our Nissan SCOPE & Infiniti KEI Masters
Cecil Sammons
Nissan SCOPE Master
Bender Honda Nissan
Clovis, NM
Growing up, Cecil Sammons was not always interested in cars. “I just tinkered around with everything.” Now a Master Technician, Cecil says his favorite part of his job is diagnosing the cars. “I like fixing them. I get a sense of pride from doing it. When a customer comes in and he or she is all upset because his or her vehicle is acting up, I can fix it for him or her. That makes me happy.” He recommends that new technicians remember to “just take your time and listen to the customer’s complaints. Try to put yourself in his or her shoes.” Sammons says he likes all of Nissan’s vehicles and has owned a number of them himself. “I have a 370Z now. I really think Nissans are good vehicles. I recommend them to all my friends.”
In his spare time, Cecil says he works on project cars every now and then but that he tries not to. “I try to keep it at work. My main thing is going fishing. We trout fish during the winter, but we also catch bass, catfish and walleye. I also like camping and hiking.” A graduate of Clovis Community College with an Associate’s Degree in automotive technology, Sammons now serves on the advisory committee of his alma mater. “They have a really good automotive program.”
Isaias Serna
Nissan SCOPE Master
Bert Ogden Nissan
McAllen, TX
Even from a young age, Isaias Serna was mechanically-minded. “I started out with lawn mowers, taking the engines apart and overhauling them. Then it was tractors, and from there I moved up to regular vehicles. By the time I was sixteen, I was removing engines, doing overhauls and all that.” Serna pursued his interests and eventually graduated from South Texas Community College with a degree in automotive technology. Now that he is a Master Technician, Isaias says he still enjoys working on anything and everything; however, he does have a bit of a preference for the GTR. “I’m a GTR specialist. I’m actually the only one certified in this shop. I’ve worked on quite a few.”
Serna recommends that new technicians focus on studying the electrical and diagnosis part of the job. “The electrical part is the most critical. You’re going to go through a lot of that as well as diagnosing the vehicle. Mechanically, you can see someone take something apart and you can probably put it back together. But, knowledge of the electrical side of it is probably the hardest thing you’re going to face.” Isaias also cautions: “This is not an easy job. It takes a lot out of you. It takes a lot of your body and a lot of your mind.”
Robert Thomas
Nissan SCOPE Master
Shingle Springs Nissan
Shingle Springs, CA
Robert Thomas says that his interest in automotive technology began when he started road racing at the age of sixteen. In the early ‘70s, Robert attended De Anza College’s two-year automotive program where he eventually earned his certificate. Thomas believes that technicians “need a working knowledge in the basics and fundamentals. Some schools are better than others. Some spend too much time learning how to use a lab scope and not enough time learning the basics of how everything works.”
A Nissan employee for 20 years, Robert has no problem navigating the common ASIST workstation. In fact, Thomas was present for the initial development of ASIST. “I was working at a Nissan dealership in the San Francisco bay area when they first developed ASIST. I was one of the technicians they asked to come over, try out the prototype systems and give feedback on them.” Since Robert gave up racing a few years ago, he now prefers to spend his off-hours camping and hiking.
Robert Vieitez
Infiniti KEI Master
Gunn Infiniti, LTD.i
San Antonio, TX
For Robert Vieitez, seeing family members working on cars in the front yard was a common sight; however, Robert is the first in his family to make automobiles his career. He decided to enroll in WyoTech’s automotive technology program. Vieitez says that his favorite part of a car to work on is “the motor or the powertrain.” His favorite part of his job is the actual diagnosing of the vehicles.
Robert often uses the CONSULT to assist him in his work, and he notices a distinct difference between the current CONSULT and the previous model. “It’s 10 times better than CONSULT.” Concerning Nissan’s move toward HEV and electric vehicles, Vieitez says: “People are starting to buy them, and the hybrids we have right now have no problems whatsoever. I’ve talked to the people who work on LEAFs, and they say that there’re no problems with those either. So, right now, I’m excited.”
Steve Nattier
Nissan SCOPE Master
Monken DG-CR-PL-JP-Nissan
Centralia, IL
Steve Nattier started his automotive career by attending trade school, earning a certificate in auto diesel technology. Steve believes that new technicians “need at least a trade school education, so they can learn the basics.” Nattier also recognizes the growing importance of electrical training. “They have to know a lot of electrical nowadays. A lot of stuff is going hybrid.” Steve has been working at Monken Auto for about 12 years, and although he is open to seeing more hybrids come through the dealership, he believes it will be a while before they see many electric vehicles in his neck of the woods. “Where we are there are no charging stations for at least 75 miles.”
In his off-hours, Nattier enjoys spending his time at the bowling alley. While working, Steve says his favorite part is when he “fixes something right the first time.” Concerning the ASIST workstation, Nattier says he usually can find what he is looking for pretty easily. But, he admits that he does miss the index that was included with the ASIST. “You could click and find a word a lot quicker. It helped, but they took the index away. It makes it a little harder sometimes.”
Don Becker
Nissan SCOPE Master
Daytona Nissani
Daytona Beach, FL
Although Don Becker has been regularly working on Nissans since 1997, his automotive career is significantly longer than that. “I’ve been at this for 43 years now. Back in the old days, I worked for a Datsun dealer in Indianapolis for a while.” Apparently, Don inherited his love for automotives from his father. “There was always something out in the garage that my dad was working on. He had Triumphs, MGs and Porsches. I even remember him fixing the engine of a Goliath at one time.” Now a Master Technician, Becker works as the shop foreman at Daytona Nissan. “They kind of give me all the difficult stuff to fix. I don’t really care what it is as long as it’s different. I like to fix the weird stuff.” He also is not intimidated by the new HEV and electric technology. “I think the LEAFs are really cool. I like all that stuff. Everybody’s scared of it, but it doesn’t bother me.”
Don used to spend a lot of his spare time on radio-controlled boats and at one point held 16 RC boat speed records. Becker spends more time now working on his Mini and going to the racetrack. “A friend of mine has a Sentra SER that we run as a 4-cylinder stock car. I like to spend Saturday evenings at the racetrack.”
Wade Harrington
Nissan SCOPE Master
Alexander Nissan, Inc.
Muncy, PA
As a child, Wade Harrington acquired his love for automotives by watching his grandfather. “I used to climb under the car with him when he was changing oil.” A graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Wade’s favorite part of his job is still simply working on cars. “It is fun doing what I do. It kind of comes naturally. It feels really good.” Harrington specifies that he tends to enjoy performing electrical diagnoses the best. When he is not working, Wade likes to spend time restoring his vintage ’69 Volkswagen Beetle and ’78 Volkswagen Bus.
Concerning Nissan’s plans for HEV and electric vehicles, Harrington thinks: “It definitely could bring in another spectrum of customers. I kind of like the hybrid, because you can drive a lot farther with it. You don’t have to find a charge port and wait.” Wade recommends that new technicians really concentrate on learning all of the new technology. “Keep up with all the new stuff because turning a wrench to change a part is one thing, but the diagnosis part is very important.” The condition he tends to find the most timeconsuming to diagnose is “a good true diagnosis of an airbag system. It’s pretty much a lot of diagnosis and checking to see if it looks good. If it still happens, then you replace this. If that doesn’t work, you replace that. There are a lot of steps you have to do.”
Steve Denton
Nissan SCOPE Master
Tom Wood Nissan, Inc.
Indianapolis, IN
As shop foreman, Steve Denton says he likes “helping other technicians learn how to repair difficult issues.” But above all Steve says he enjoys being an automotive technician. He says he “likes a challenge.” Denton acquired his interest in cars from his dad. “My dad raced cars. Drag strip, mostly. I helped my dad with his hot rods. I was helping him change oil when I was three years old.” When Steve was in high school, he took vocational training. “That’s what got me started.” At the age of 17, Denton went to community college to complete his automotive training.
When he is not working, Steve likes to spend time restoring his ‘56 Chevy Nomad. “It’s mostly original with a 265 engine. When I used to live in Colorado, I liked to fish, and I had a private ship. But, I ended up moving back to Indianapolis to be close to my parents.” Denton cautions that no one should become an automotive technician simply for the money. He recommends that one “should get his feet wet first before spending a lot of money on school. Maybe do some part time work.” Also Steve is quick to point out the importance of electrical training. “Specifically, the diagnosis of computer-controlled systems, most new technicians are computer savvy, but they don’t understand the controls.”
Jeffrey Skoglund
Nissan SCOPE Master
Miata’s Nissan Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Jeffrey Skoglund first developed an interest in cars when he learned to drive. “Before that, I just took everything apart. I heard that my grandfather liked cars, but he was long gone by the time I was born.” Before coming to work at a dealership, Jeffrey completed the automotive program at American River College, a local Sacramento community college. Skoglund recommends that new technicians take a look at what their local community colleges have to offer. “Definitely check to see if they have a good program before checking out the trade schools. Then, just keep at it. You’ve got to love it.” Jeffrey also suggests that new technicians concentrate on learning “the electrical and engine control side of things, because they are the most complicated parts. If you’ve got that down, the other stuff should be easy.”
Skoglund says his favorite part of being a technician is that “it’s always different. If you do one thing too many times in a row, you can change it up. You get to work with your hands and your mind. You don’t have to sit in an office.” The conditions he finds the most difficult to diagnose “usually involve running problems on older cars, the less computer-controlled cars.” In his spare time, Jeffrey likes to play electric guitar and bass.
Manuel Parra-Marquez
Nissan SCOPE Master
United Nissan
Las Vegas, NV
It only took three years of high school auto shop to convince Manuel Parra-Marquez that a career in automotives was the right path for him. Now a Master Technician, Manuel originally started with Nissan as a lube technician back in 2005. While working at Nissan, Parra-Marquez also took classes at UTI in Phoenix, NM. Once Manuel finished school, he moved to Las Vegas where he has been working at United Nissan ever since. Parra-Marquez is happy that he has been able to remain with Nissan throughout his automotive career. “I started off with this company, and I’m happy with this company. I saw all the opportunities to become a master technician and I was able to take advantage of them. I’m happy about that.”
Manuel says that one of the coolest aspects of being an automotive technician is that each person is only paid for the specific work that they perform each day. Parra-Marquez has found that simple squeaks and rattles can be the most difficult and timeconsuming conditions to diagnose. “Nobody likes those because you sometimes have to tear down the whole car and it doesn’t pay very much to do it. You can spend a whole day working on it, but it is just part of the business.”
Matt Hoelscher
Nissan SCOPE Master
Joe Machens Nissan
Columbia, MO
It was the fast-paced world of hot rods that first got Matt Hoelscher interested in an automotive career. “The hot rod portion definitely got me started. A friend of mine’s father had a drag car, and we worked on his car quite often. I got into that aspect of it, and everything branched out from there. I didn’t always work on cars nor have the skill when I was younger, but I got into it. I did oil changes at Wal-Mart for a couple years. Then about a year after high school, I got into Universal Technical Institute in Arizona.” Matt not only completed UTI’s automotive program, he also completed the diesel, hot rod, HVAC and Ford programs offered at the school. UTI now offers a Nissan graduate program, and Hoelscher recommends that new technicians take a look at it.
Matt recommends that younger technicians really learn their fundamentals before moving on to the electronics on the car. “I think experience with the basics builds a lot on what you’re going to learn once you get into the electronics*.” In his off hours, Hoelscher says he still “dabbles in hot rods. I have a little 4-cylinder turbo car.” Up until a few years ago, Matt also moonlighted as an inline speed skater. “I had to give it up because I was putting my body through so much with skating and working on cars all day. One of the last things I did was the Chicagoland Inline Marathon. I got second overall out of 300 or so skaters.”
Thylan McCurdy
Nissan SCOPE Master
MacGuire’s Nissan/Lebanon
Lebanon, PA
Thylan McCurdy was born into a decidedly automotive family. “My grandfather, father, uncles, everybody seemed to be in the trade. So I kind of grew up around it.” While Thylan was still in high school, he attended a local technology school. “It’s a career and technology center. I went there for half the day during my junior and senior years. It was a kind of work-study. That’s actually how I got into the dealership. We had a co-op program, and I came to MacGuire’s Nissan. I’ve been here ever since.” Now a Master Technician, McCurdy highly recommends programs such as the one he attended to aspiring technicians. “I’m a big fan of the handson. You’re still in class learning bookwise but being in the work environment definitely helps. It gives you an idea of what you’re going to be doing every day.”
In his off-work hours, Thylan spends most of his time on automotive hobbies. “I also enjoy riding motorcycles. Other than that, I just like working on cars.” Most of all, McCurdy enjoys working on engine mechanics. “I like getting involved with tearing things apart.” In comparison, the most difficult conditions he finds to diagnose involve the electrical systems. “They’ve made CAN lines a lot simpler, but you can still have difficulties sometimes. And anything intermittent isn’t fun.”
Mark Kamrath
Nissan SCOPE Master
D. Patrick Nissan
Evansville, IN
From a young age, Mark Kamrath always had a mechanical mind. “My mom’s favorite story is that, at two years of age, she’d give me one of those click pens and I’d take it apart, and then put it back together during church service. She kept me busy doing stuff like that. So ever since then, I’ve been taking things apart and putting them back together.” Before Mark was even out of high school, he started working at a shop in Houston, Texas. Now Kamrath enjoys helping other technicians learn from his experience. “I like helping the other guys when I can. Just to help them understand better ways of doing things or thinking about something when they get stuck on a problem.” When it comes to fixing cars, Mark says he likes “doing pretty much anything, except oil changes.”
One of Kamrath’s favorite Nissan vehicles is the GTR. “I’ve worked on other fast cars, but the GTR is pretty impressive.” Mark is also excited about Nissan’s plans for HEV and electric vehicles. “I think it’s great. I think it is definitely the future and it’s good to see that Nissan is right with it.” When away from work, Kamrath enjoys spending time with his three sons. “We do a lot of stuff in the garage. I’ve been showing them how to weld, how to think for themselves, fix things for themselves, and they’re building things. Now we’ve got a couple of old cars in the garage. One of them is a ’66 Mustang. Other than that, I like to go camping. We all go camping a lot.”
Jorge Cruz
Nissan SCOPE Master
United Nissan
Las Vegas, NV
Jorge Cruz says that he always knew he wanted to be an automotive technician. “As far back as I can remember I always liked cars. I had an older brother who was a mechanic, and he always taught me things. I grew up working next to him.” Before coming to work at United Nissan, Jorge earned his associate’s degree in automotive technology at National Technical School in California. He also spent some time working for Honda, earning master technician status for that manufacturer as well.
Cruz has now been working as a Nissan technician for five years, and he recommends that new technicians get some training before they start working at a dealership. “I recommend going to school first, especially nowadays with the technology changing almost every year. The technical side is more advanced and more complicated. You have to be pretty knowledgeable to be able to diagnose vehicles nowadays. Pretty much everything’s electronic now, so I would recommend getting some electrical training. With the Nissan training, although it’s very good, it’s geared toward those who already have some previous training and previous knowledge of the technology. There are some people who are pretty smart who might not have any problems, but in general I think it’s good to start with some knowledge.”
Cory Smith
Nissan SCOPE Master
IngramPark Nissan
San Antonio, TX
Cory Smith is “a hardcore Nissan guy.” He has owned a number of Nissan cars, including two Titans, a 350Z and a 240SX. “My favorite one would have to be the 350Z. They’ve been out so long that they’ve proven to be almost bulletproof. They don’t really have any problems.” Like many future technicians, Cory started out working on cars with his dad. “That’s what kind of got me into the hobby of working on cars. And then it eventually turned into my career.” A graduate of Lake Washington Technical College, Smith’s favorite part about being an automotive technician is that “every day is different. Every day is a different problem, a different car and a different customer. It just makes it exciting. It’s not just the same old job every single day.”
Cory suggests that new technicians “go to school before starting. It kind of makes it hard for us when they come in and only know how to loosen a drain plug. It definitely helps a lot to study a career before going into it, so you’re not just going in blind. Whenever you go in with some basic knowledge, you at least have a little bit of confidence which will make you move a little bit quicker.” One of Smith’s favorite hobbies outside of work is “working on car audio and visual stuff. I started out doing car audio installations at Best Buy.” Cory also enjoys participating in drifting events. “I put a turbo motor from Japan in my 240SX and use my Titan to tow it over to Dallas. They have a place called Mineral Wells, and they have a nice little setup there for drifting.”
Congratulations to our Nissan SCOPE & Infiniti KEI Senior Specialists
Todd Smetana
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Bob Moore Nissan of Tulsa
Tulsa, OK
Christopher Shough
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
North Plainfield Nissan
North Plainfield, NJ
Joshua Houchin
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Frank Fletcher Nissan
Joplin, MO
Doug Basham
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Dick Smith Nissan
Columbia, SC
Robert Underwood
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Vaden Nissan
Savannah, GA
Jeffery Mahl
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Billy Ray Nissan
Longwood, FL
Anthony Evans
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Benson Nissan
Easley, SC
Aaron Miller
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Kuni Westside Infiniti
Lynnwood, WA
Michael Schultz
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Perry Infiniti
Escondido, CA
Robert Palomo
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Infiniti of Riverside
Riverside, CA
Matthew Naves
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Ben Mynatt Nissan
Salisbury, NC
Robert Melton
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Blue Ridge Nissan
Wytheville, VA
Daniel Shea
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Frederick Nissan
Frederick, MD
Jaime Davalos
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Charlie Clark Nissan
Brownsville, TX
Michael Zorchets
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Bedford Nissan, Inc.
Bedford, OH
Chris Francois
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Nissan of Middletown
New Hampton, NY
Terry Frederick
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Ferman Nissan of North Tampa
Tampa, FL
Jeffery Gill
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Antwerpen Security Nissan
Baltimore, MD
Zachary Boggs
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Fred Martin Nissan, LLC.
Baltimore, MD
Steven Allen, Jr.
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Al West Nissan
Rolla, MO
Gustavo Perez
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Autonation Nissan Kendall
Palmetto Bay, FL
Ryan Stone
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Koons Nissan
Falls Church, VA
Thomas Christenbury
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Harrelson Nissan So Carolina
Rock Hill, SC
Victor Rodriguez
Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist
Gunn Nissan, LTD
San Antonio, TX
Frederick Sharpe
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Warren Henry Infiniti
Miami, FL
Darryl Hirsch
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Nationwide Infiniti Timonium
Timonium, MD
Kevin Roskosky
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Sheehy Infiniti/Annapolis
Annapolis, MD
Gasper Limon
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Infiniti of Tucson
Tucson, AZ
Dung Tran
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Austin Infiniti, Inc.
Austin, TX
Juan Muro
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Hoy-Fox Infiniti
El Paso, TX
Edward Doherty
Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist
Herb Chambers Infiniti
Westborough, MA