When your vehicle breaks down in the Marion, Iowa, area, or just needs some routine service, it can make you a little nervous. Because your vehicle's so important to your life, you need to be back on the road as soon as possible — with the problem fixed right the first time.

We've been checking into some of the training our Marion, Iowa, technicians receive, and we're very impressed. It's amazing how much knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern vehicle. So it's not like when your uncle worked on his hot rod over the weekend.

Today there are four-cylinder engines around Marion that make more power than the V-8's in luxury cars did 20 years ago. A new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket's Ferrari in a race to 60 mph/97 kph.

Our engines are more and more powerful. And they're so reliable. This is all due to engineering. But the benefits come to Marion drivers at the price of simplicity. Modern cars are so much more complex from a mechanical standpoint that it makes your head spin.

Then there are the electronics. Some vehicles on Iowa roads have several networked computers controlling most of the engine functions and many other vehicle functions as well. Marion drivers take all of this sophistication for granted – but somebody has to fix it when it breaks.

It's a real challenge for the pros at Blair's Ferry Automotive and other Marion auto service centers to keep up. It requires a high level of commitment on the part of the auto technician and the service center. In addition to the training, there's the financial commitment to purchase the diagnostic and repair tools as well.

So where do Marion technicians go for training? There are many sources. It's usually a combination of formal classroom training, training provided in the service center by auto parts and equipment manufacturers, online courses and home study courses. There are many independent certifications available all the way up to Master Technician.

Service centers in Marion, Iowa, have a lot of other resources available.  No one can know everything, so service centers like Blair's Ferry Automotive subscribe to data services, technical libraries and even online communities that can help them when they run into a difficult problem.

It's like those medical diagnosis shows on TV. Here are the symptoms. What's the diagnosis and treatment? Diagnosis is every bit as much an art as a science. Marion drivers want everything to be simple, straightforward and cheap – and sometimes it just isn't.

So, be more relaxed next time you take your vehicle in. You can trust the professionals at Blair's Ferry Automotive. You're in good hands. The more you know, the more comfortable you can be with your automotive service decisions at Blair's Ferry Automotive. 

Blair's Ferry Automotive
1565 Blairs Ferry Rd.
Marion, Iowa 52302
319-447-6310
http://www.blairsferryautomotive.com