Experiencing flat tires, illuminated check engine lights and faulty brakes are among the biggest fears of teenage drivers. When the car will not start, the heat is not working or smoke starts to emerge from the hood, it would be nice not to have to call AAA. And for a number of students enrolled in the auto-servicing classes at AHS, these car troubles are nothing they need AAA for.

“In auto tech we learn how to change the oil, work on brakes, perform tune ups and just about everything you need to know about tires,” said senior Timothy St. Peter.

This series of elective classes offered in the auto-servicing department educates students on the basics of repairing and maintaining automobiles. The classes involve hands-on lessons in which students discover and practice the proper techniques for vehicle maintenance.

“I started working on cars at an early age and most of my family works on cars,” said senior Andy Gomez. “I really think I have a future in this field and this class has helped me develop this.”

While the first year of classes introduce students to the basics of auto mechanics, students who show a continued interest in the field are eligible for the next, higher level class.

“In auto servicing we learn the basics about cars. We work in the shop and the work is a good step to the future classes,” said sophomore Eric Hernandez.

In the more advanced classes of the auto tech electives, students work in the shop more often. The cars that students perform tune-ups or oil changes on are often faculty and staff cars brought in for service work and student experience.

Although the information and hands on learning this class provides would prove beneficial to any student, many in the auto tech program have goals to take the knowledge they have gained beyond the shop at AHS. Additionally, students are trained in the nuances of auto mechanic safety and by passing a test can attain certification as an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) brake mechanic.

“I have a love for cars and this line of work,” said St. Peter. “The auto tech classes at Annandale have inspired me to continue working with cars and become an auto technician following high school.”

The classes certainly involve more than playing with heat guns and learning the proper way to remove a flat tire. The students work under the close supervision of teachers, Joe Desio and Anthony Maniatakis to repair air conditioning problems and deal with the many, varied technical aspects of any car failure.

“Today’s vehicles have numerous computers and each one of the computers has more computing power than the computers of the Apollo 13 [NASA Spacecraft],” said auto-servicing teacher Joe Desio. “So today’s technicians need to be smart and well trained. The moniker of grease monkey no longer exists, they are now technicians.”

So when the tire feels low, the check engine light is flashing or the car is smoking, calling AAA is an option, but having an auto tech student riding shotgun would also prove incredibly beneficial.