MOVING UP - Congratulations to our Nissan SCOPE & Infiniti KEI Masters

Although Enrique Torres says he did not really grow up in an automotive family, he was always interested in cars. Enrique got his automotive training at UTI and took advantage of the Nissan-specific program they offered. He recommends that new technicians also look into similar programs when starting their careers. “It actually helps a lot to go to a school like UTI. It gives you the basics of automotive. And if you’re interested in Nissan, I do recommend taking their Nissan program.”

Torres has been working at Power Nissan Chandler since he was 18 years old, and he says his favorite part of the job is simply “personally testing my own limits, to see what I can do. That’s what I like about my job.” At the dealership, Torres says that he “pretty much works on all areas of the car. Whether its engines, transmissions or interior work, I pretty much do it all.” The issues he tends to have the most trouble with are intermittent electrical issues. However, Enrique is quick to point out that “any kind of intermittent issue is pretty hard to diagnose.”

Although Robert Douglas has only been working for Nissan for 4 years, he has actually been working on cars for closer to 13 years. Robert first started his career as an automotive technician while he was still studying at the University of Minnesota for a degree in mechanical engineering. He said: “I started working on cars to put myself through college and I just kind of stuck with it.” Since making the move from working at Volkswagen to Nissan, Douglas has been very pleased with his experience working with Nissan’s vehicles. “I love them. I have lots of favorites. I think that’s why I prefer to work on them. I think they’re very well made. I have a 2013 Altima, and if I could, I’d own a GT-R.” When he is not working at the dealership, Robert enjoys working on his own project cars at home. “I have a Jeep Wrangler that I built. It’s kind of a Frankenstein of three different models. It has a Chevy drivetrain with Ford axles.”

As far as training goes, Douglas believes that learning the systems of older cars is just as important as understanding the more modern vehicles. “A lot of the older cars are harder to work on, so if you’re going to take a class, you need to make sure it covers carburetors and all that older technology. They are still out there, and you do still have to work on them, but there is very little technical data left anymore. Even in ASIST. So, make sure you cover all those bases because all that stuff still applies to modern cars in some way or another.”

John Wilke first started working on cars when he was about 15 years old, following in the footsteps of his uncle, a retired mechanic. Wilke earned an associate’s degree in automotive maintenance technology from Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Missouri, and he believes that future technicians could benefit from schooling as well. “I think school is helpful. You can only learn so much just by doing. Sometimes you have to sit in a classroom and learn some theory behind the systems you’re working on.”

In his time working as a technician, John has found that the most difficult problems to diagnose tend to be “squeaks and rattles. They can just eat up a whole day sometimes without you even realizing it. They can be hard to duplicate.” When Wilke is not working, he likes to spend his time boating, hunting and fishing. He avoids automotive hobbies though. “I like to leave work at work.”

When Clarence Wicker was a kid, his future love for cars and mechanics was expressed by “putting models together. Taking things apart and seeing if I could figure out how they worked.” As he got older, Wicker did not waste any time getting his start in automotive. “I started straight out of high school that gets you ready for going out into the work field. A career center of sorts, it was still high school, but I got to take a year of automotive tech and a year of automotive body too.”

Clarence says that his favorite part about working in a dealership is “the satisfaction I get when I finally get a car done and out the door.” In his experience, Wicker has found that some of the more difficult conditions to diagnose tend to be CAN communication problems. “We just don’t see them enough, and when you do see a CAN communication problem, you never remember what you were taught about it. I went to a class about it and ran into a CAN communication problem right afterward, but I still hadn’t spent enough time doing it to actually be good at figuring out the problem.”

Coming up on his 13th year of working at Modern Nissan, Wicker has been very pleased with his choice of dealership and manufacturer. “I enjoy working for Nissan, both the dealership and the company. I worked for Chevrolet for 3 years, but I wouldn’t go back to them. I’m happy to stick right where I am.”

Growing up in Kenya, Peter Kimani inherited his interest in cars from his father, who ran his own auto shop. However, it was not until Peter moved to the United States that he made the decision to make automotive his career. “I came to the U.S. to get my undergrad and I used to get home from my undergraduate studies and go straight into the garage. My wife would say: ‘You might as well pursue what you like.’ So, I went to automotive training in Kansas City, and when I came back to Springfield, I got a job immediately.” Kimani has now been working for Nissan for 5 years, and he says his favorite part of the job is “when you fix a car and you’re proud of it. After you’ve put in 15 hours and now everything works. That’s awesome.”

Personally, Peter says that his favorite area to work on is the electrical side of things, and he advises that new technicians focus on learning those areas as well. “If you can do electronics, you can pretty much do everything else.” In his off-hours, Kimani enjoys playing video games, but he really considers traveling to be his main hobby.

Brian Carlson takes pride in the fact that he can fix anything that comes into the dealership where he has worked for almost 8 years, an achievement that coincided with his becoming a master technician. He keeps his Nissan education up-to-date by watching all the SIR videos, and he frequently uses the C-III plus tool. Carlson enjoys working with his coworkers to try to figure out how to fix difficult cars before contacting TECH LINE but says that he does call them about once a month.

His favorite car to work on is the Altima, but he loves the Rogue, which is what his wife drives. When asked what his greatest achievement was, Carlson replied: “My wife and I getting married. We are expecting a new baby on May 25, and we are really excited about our future. Buying all of my tools is my greatest achievement at work.” When he is not at work, Carlson enjoys golfing, riding his bike and having a salt water fish tank.

At the same shop in Boise, Idaho since 1996, Gary Luper says what he looks forward to most in his job is: “Being able to help people.” Not only a master technician but also a certified GT-R technician, he gets to do just that every time he delivers a GT-R, his favorite Nissan, to its new owner. Luper says becoming a master technician took hard work. “I put a lot of time into what I do, and I like doing it. I stayed on top of training, and work ethic has a lot to do with becoming a master technician. My job is my life, it is very important to me, and I am the shop foreman. It’s important that I make sure we all fix it right the first time.”

Luper enjoys working on electrical diagnoses and drivability concerns, which he considers a nice challenge. He uses the C-III plus tool and the new ASIST “every day, all day sometimes.” Outside of work, Luper spends time with his girlfriend and their kids and is an avid Harley Davidson rider. “I ride my Harley quite a bit. We usually ride from Boise, Idaho, all the way to Sacramento and into Northern California.”

Greggory Cockrell’s hard work has propelled his career with cars from porter to master technician by way of UTI, Nissan training and his own zeal for learning. Cockrell says achieving master technician status is his greatest achievement thus far. Striving for more, he recently started working toward a degree in computer science with the intention of continuing to move up the ranks in Nissan and one day teach at a training center.

Cockrell enjoys: “Heavy line work such as engines and transmissions, the big stuff, replacing the short block . . . It can get frustrating, but I like to go for it, and when I finish, it feels good.” Using all available resources, Cockrell refers to ESMs, the C-III plus tool and the new ASIST. He refreshes his subject knowledge frequently. “Whether it is learning how to diagnose quicker or repair quicker, I am always learning something new.”

His favorite Nissan cars are the GT-R and the 370z, which he says he loves everything about especially the engineering. With his record so far as an indication of his ability, surely Nissan will see much more from Greggory Cockrell.

After 16 years at Nissan, Issam Salameh still refreshes his knowledge looking at Nissan websites and taking Virtual Academy classes every time he sees a new one online. He achieved master technician status by “working hard, going the extra mile, helping all of the customers and being on top of all the technology that comes out.” Salameh recommends the same for new technicians coming up. He also says: “If you have nothing to do, go watch what someone else is doing.”

When asked about the Nissan brand, Salameh said: “All my family, all my friends drive Nissans, let’s put it that way.” Issam had just bought a new Maxima at the time of this interview to replace the one he had been driving for 12 years. Salameh says his greatest achievement at work is customer confidence; he has many customers that request him. With a regular customer base, and two daughters in college, Salameh says he has little free time but does look forward to working until the job is done.

Jeremiah Umphrey started his car education at UTI, completing NASCAR and Nissan training before he started working for Gwinnett Place Nissan. After starting work at Gwinnett Place Nissan, Umphrey took all of the online courses that he could as well as all the opportunities to go to instructor-lead courses. Being a master technician has been “really awesome, I’ve wanted to do it my whole life. It’s an honor because you feel accomplished when people ask what you do, it’s neat to tell them that I am a master technician.”

Jeremiah says he most looks forward to the problem solving aspect of the job including: “hard diagnoses, difficult issues and weird things that happen to cars.” Of the Nissan brand, he says: “They are performance-based vehicles and faster than the competition.”

Umphrey got married in September. He and his wife wanted to drive off in his favorite Nissan, a 1993 S13 240sx that he built out while he was in school. She helped him replace the transmission two weeks before the wedding. Other than work and being a newlywed, drifting for fun and watching movies are Umphrey’s favorite pastimes.

“Coming in and learning new things,” is what Juan Hurtado of Torrance, California, looks forward to most in his job. “I am always learning new things, staying sharp. Being able to make my own decisions and be confident in them is nice. I am glad that I can fix cars.” Hurtado says achieving master technician status was a long term goal of his. Having never previously worked at a dealer, he was happy to see that there were opportunities to set and achieve goals at Infiniti. Juan says his experience as a master technician has been rewarding, and he urges new technicians to put in 100 percent if they are serious about working in the automotive field.

With almost 8 years at the same dealership, Juan Hurtado describes the Infiniti brand as “solid.” He most enjoys troubleshooting drivability concerns and anything that has to do with the performance aspect of the vehicle. Hurtado’s life outside of work is spent coaching his two daughters’ softball team.

Matthew Byers has been working on cars since he was 16 years old and got into an internship program in high school. He has proudly achieved master technician status at the young age of 24. With Nissan for 5 years, Byers says: “Becoming a master technician has been a big deal since I got it pretty early. It helps me make money and proves I can diagnose and fix cars.” He achieved master technician status by reading all of the ASE books page-by-page and taking all of the quizzes. He recommends as much hands-on training as possible for new technicians coming up and also says the Virtual Academy is a very informative resource. Confident navigating with the new C-III plus tool, Matthew says he uses it daily.

Byers’ first-loved Nissan cars were the Skyline and the S15 Silvia. He thinks the Nissan brand is great especially the GT-R for looking “super sweet.” When he is not at work or working on his own car, Matthew likes to play video games especially “Call of Duty: Ghosts.”

With Nissan for 20 years, Michael Carter is thankful that Nissan has given him things to strive for, such as becoming a master technician. Carter’s value for his education is exemplary; he logs on to ASIST every day to see what is new and does training outside the dealer that he pays for on his own. For up-and-coming technicians, Michael recommends using all the free information available from Nissan, keeping up with vehicles as they come out, getting to Nissan’s classes and passing the tests.

Though Carter revels in diagnostic concerns, he says: “I like dealing with customers, doing ride alongs, keeping them in the loop.” Of his favorite Nissan vehicle, the new Maxima, he says: “I am kind of biased. I like the latest model Maxima because I have one . . . it looks nice, drives nice, draws good attention. And it has get-up-and-go for getting on the highway.”

Other than his Maxima, Michael loves to ride his Harley Davidson. He and his wife tour the country on their bikes for fun, making the nine-day pilgrimage from Virginia to Sturgis, South Dakota, every year in August for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Working at Five Star Nissan in Albany, Georgia, for over 6 years, Nick Haire says: “Every day is dynamic and different. That’s what I like about my job the most.” Encouraged to become a master technician by his service manager, Haire finished his master technician certification process a year ago. The certification’s rewards include more money, job opportunities, security and his turning out better quality work. He highly recommends the development process to up-andcoming technicians, saying: “Definitely do everything you can to achieve master . . . it’s worth it.”

Nick loves to repair and replace engines on any of Nissan’s fleet. He describes Nissan as an innovative, reliable brand of car. His favorite? The GT-R, a choice that needs no explanation, but he says the GT-R is “head and shoulders” above the competition.

Outside work, Haire races in an Autocross league in Georgia, and in the summer, he wakeboards, water skis and enjoys spending time on his boat.

Rick Gonzalez of Monrovia, California, has been a master technician for almost a year now, an accomplishment he says: “Means everything to me. I worked real hard to achieve all of it from day one. That was my goal, and finally achieving it means everything.” For new technicians, Gonzalez says: “Try to get as much information from anywhere that you can, it is the key to everything.” Keen on information, Rick says he uses the C-III plus tool and the ESM every day and reads TSBs so much his coworkers make fun of him.

Gonzalez says his favorite part of the job is ”the challenges that come every day, the next challenge, the next car to figure out.” A Nissan fan since childhood, Gonzalez says: “My mom had a Sentra, my dad had a Nissan pickup and my father-in-law bought a G and I fell in love with it too.” Rick and his wife have a 10-month-old son, Diego. “When I’m home, I’m with him and my wife. We just chill out and play with him.”

TechTalk would also like to congratulate and recognize these Infiniti and Nissan Master Technicians

Congratulations to our Nissan SCOPE & Infiniti KEI Senior Specialists

Jeremy Agcaoili

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Modern Nissan/Lake Norman

Cornelius, NC

Anthony Bianchi

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Peter’s Auto Sales, Inc.

Nashua, NH

Joe Borski

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Liberty Import Center

Libertyville, IL

Paresh Patel

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Mid City Nissan, Inc.

Chicago, IL

Kris Cochran

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Kendrick Nissan

Lafayette, IN

Corbin Jurick

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Faulkner Nissan, Inc.

Harrisburg, PA

John Polseno

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Nissan Village/North Attleboro

North Attleboro, MA

Brian Evans

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Nissan of Cool Springs

Franklin, TN

Arkady Myatezh

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Love Nissan, Inc.

Saint Albans, WV

Shawn Whitten

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Nissan of Murfreesboro

Murfreesboro, TN

Jacob Maldonado

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Brenner Nissan

Mechanicsburg, PA

Matthew Wezowicz

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

North Little Rock Nissan

North Little Rock, AR

Mike Terrill

Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist

Bronco Motors Infiniti

Nampa, ID

Ronald Broadhead

Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist

Crown Infiniti

Hoover, AL

Dan Thomas

Infiniti KEI Senior Specialist

Infiniti of Tucson

Tucson, AZ

Louis Dabney

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Kelly Nissan

Easton, PA

Jeffery Mcconkie

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Economy Nissan, Inc.

Durango, CO

Juan Rivas

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Fred Haas Nissan

Tomball, TX

Steven Mckay

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Berlin City Nissan

South Portland, ME

Timothy Foster

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Hunter Nissan

Hendersonville, NC

Richard Sowle

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Lia Nissan

Schenectady, NY

Andrew Muns

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Lynnes Nissan West, Inc.

Stanhope, NJ

Paul Whitlock

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Bill Gatton Nissan

Bristol, TN

Robert Ingram

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Sheehy Nissan

Glen Burnie, MD

Jeremy Stephens

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Uftring Nissan, Inc.

Peoria, IL

Tyler Givart

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Boardwalk Nissan.

Redwood City, CA

Gil Sousa

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Crossroads Nissan Wake Forest

Wake Forest, NC

Ruthana Kroch

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Carson Nissan

Carson, CA

Todd Gorley

Nissan SCOPE Senior Specialist

Ed Hicks Nissan, LTD.

Corpus Christi, TX