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Centennial Colleges Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship Focuses On Canadian Tire Employm

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If there is one brand that is recognizable across Canada, it is Canadian Tire. Founded in 1922, this store is not only known for its loyalty reward program and great prices but also its automotive services. As an automotive technician who wants a clear advantage over the competition, the only program you should consider is the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship at Centennial College. Thats because this offering, officially known as Automotive Service Technician Canadian Tire MAP 32, is actually partnered with the store. As such, you will be employed or sponsored by Canadian Tire stores and receive all the in-school training necessary for your apprenticeship as an automotive service technician.

Applicants to this automotive service technician training are required to have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or GED (General Educational Development). Additionally, applicants must be employed by a Canadian Tire dealership or be selected through an advising/interview session; and they must also be able to legally work in Canada. It is worth noting that when space permits, additional applicants are selected through an interview process. If the college determines there are additional seats available, applicants will receive a letter and questionnaire with instructions on how to request a program interview. Admission is on a first come first served basis. Lastly, students enrolled in a Centennial College Modified Apprenticeship Program (MAP) are Registered Apprentices, in accordance with the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

The structure of the automotive service technician apprenticeship sees students experience more in-depth automotive service technician training that includes 32 weeks of in-class training. During this time, students complete five courses, which are part of a provincial automotive curriculum and satisfy the knowledge necessary to become a licensed technician. These courses are: Drive train Systems, Electrical/Electronic & Emission Systems, Engine Systems, Work Practices and Procedures, Suspension/Steering and Brake System. All of these automotive service technician apprenticeship courses are facilitated from Ashtonbee Campus. As Centennial Colleges transportation training hub and the largest facility of its sort in the province, it is fully equipped with product-generic tools and includes a broad range of makes and models from the automotive industry. It is worth noting that automotive service technician training students may be eligible for EI (employment insurance) during the in-class training.

Students of this automotive service technician apprenticeship also obtain four weeks of On-the-job experience at one of Ontarios over 190 Canadian Tire stores, which leads to a high placement rate for candidates. At Canadian Tire locations, automotive service technician apprenticeship students work alongside automotive service professionals, applying what they have learned during their in-school sessions, gaining new knowledge and getting to know the company. It is a chance to show off their newly acquired or developed skills. During the employer sessions, Automotive Service Technician Apprenticeship are compensated.

Sources to Get Quality Online Leads for Automotive Dealers

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Are you still placing ads in newspapers or billboards and waiting for people to show up at your dealership? Do you have a nice website but are unable to get quality leads? Is your competitor grabbing all the prospective buyers in your market? Then it is the time to rethink on your marketing strategy.

We all know that there are a limited number of potential car buyers in the market. Now the question is, how do you direct these potential car buyers to your dealership? Though consumers like to physically inspect a car before purchasing, it is the Internet they approach first in their car buying process. Needless to say is how dramatically the Internet has changed the car buying process almost 90 percent of consumers use the Internet to research vehicles (source: ‘Capgemini Cars Online Study 2009/2010). The survey also states that many consumers today are starting their research on vehicles with search engines, then moving to manufacturer and dealer sites.

So, it is very important for the auto dealers to have a solid internet marketing strategy; which includes automotive SEO, PPC, Email campaigns and automotive social media marketing media to get quality online leads and stay ahead of their competitors. A well planned internet marketing strategy enables you to access a wide number of potential customers, which then translates in to huge sales.

Simply put, investing in the website design is not enough. Proper care and nurturing its performance should be the top priority of an automotive dealer. It is very important to make sure that your website is ranking on the first page of all the major search engines in order to get highly qualified, exclusive leads to your website.

Sources to get quality leads
As a smart auto dealer, you should embrace all that the Internet offers. In order to survive, sustain and succeed in today’s competitive environment, you should take advantage of all the tools that are available; such as SEO, PPC advertising, e-mail campaigns, and an aggressive social media marketing strategy.

SEO
Automotive SEO is one of the major sources, which provides quality online leads for your dealership. A solid automotive SEO strategy lists your website among the top rankings for all your keywords. Ranking on the first page of the search engines makes your website credible, which in turn provides more traffic, more quality leads and eventually more sales. Proper optimization of home and inside pages brings up all the content related to services and products you offer – making it easy for the customers to know about your services.

PPC
Pay Per Click advertising involves purchasing sponsored links on the top of page of a search engines. These campaigns can generate instant sales to your dealership if used within the right context. PPC attracts highly targeted traffic to your dealership based on the keywords you have selected. An important aspect of a PPC campaign is that they can be launched quickly, which ensures that you get quality leads in no time.

Email campaigns
E-mail marketing is one of the most effective marketing methods that generate quality leads. Email campaigns increase sales, downloads, inquiries, registrations and overall sales. Through email campaigns, dealers can contact potential customers on a regular basis, increase customer loyalty by sending newsletters or other information related to products or services they offer. Through email marketing, dealers can target large number of customers with minimal budgets. In short, it is a cost effective, highly responsive and opportunistic medium to generate quality leads.

Social media marketing
Millions of people are using social platforms like Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis nowadays. It is one of the latest and the fast growing marketing base today. High-quality social media content can raise brand awareness and consideration levels. It can also change customer perceptions of a brand. Social media marketing improves your dealership’s reputation online and thus provides quality leads.

Automotive dealers can get quality online leads using Search Engine Optimization along with the other three campaigns mentioned above. But even today, many auto dealers are still not embracing these highly effective marketing campaigns because they either fail to understand them or they think that it is time consuming and difficult to implement. If you are one from them, it is very important for you to approach a reputed internet marketing firm that specializes in helping automotive dealers, to get quality leads that result in sales opportunities.

Automotive Service Warning Lights That Your Vehicle Needs Automotive Repair!

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Paying close attention to your vehicle’s warning lights is one of the surest ways to know whether your vehicle needs a minor automotive service, or a more extensive automotive repair. The dashboard lights are color-coordinated according to the severity of the warning (i.e., yellow is caution, red is serious). Each time you start the car, all of the lights and indicators appear as the car’s computer checks each system. When the lights go out, the computer has verified that each of the vehicle’s systems is functioning properly.

If an indicator light remains on several minutes after the car has been started, or if it comes on while driving the car, you should be concerned about it. You will want to treat all dash warning lights like traffic signals.
The two basic kinds of warning lights; Yellow and Red, are further described below:
Yellow Warning Lights –

On most cars, a yellow “Service Engine Soon” light means “proceed with caution.” Your car’s computer system has indicated a potential problem and is alerting the driver.

The computer system is capable of correcting some minor abnormalities, but if the light continues to come on after multiple car starts, it is telling you that you need to consult a technical manual and/or schedule an automotive service. If the light comes on while you are driving but doesn’t come back on again, the computer system probably corrected the problem without any further intervention.
Common problems that may cause the “Service Engine Soon” light to come on are:

* computer-related problems, such as faulty sensors
* anti-lock brake systems
* safety restraint systems, such as air bags
* emissions components

Red Warning Lights –

A Red Warning light indicates an immediate danger to your car and you should immediately pull over and turn off the car. Whatever caused the red light to come on can be a safety issue (i.e., brakes), so proceed with caution as you maneuver to stop the vehicle.

Unfortunately, when the red light comes on, the problem is already occurringthis is NOT a pre-warning. It can be a matter of seconds before permanent engine damage occurs. Call for road-side assistance for automotive repair.
Problems that normally cause red warning lights are:

* low oil pressure
* engine over-heating
* brake failure
* transmission over-heating
* low battery voltage.

Like smart phones, vehicles these days are ‘smart’ and are continuously monitoring the performance of your vehicle.

For professional automotive service, contact our ASE-certified technicians at A&C Automotive & Machine by calling 651-674-4733, or go online at http://aandcautomotive.com for more information. Since 1985, our auto center has served vehicle owners in North Branch, MN, and in the surrounding areas of Harris and Stacy, MN.

Maha Usa Manufacturer Of Innovative Automotive Lifts

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Vehicle repair shops can be a lucrative business opportunity, especially in today’s difficult economic times, when new cars seem to be endlessly going up in price and older models need to be fine-tuned as often as possible in order to keep them in optimal condition. To undertake those auto repairs, mechanics need vehicle-lifting equipment to be able to assess the vehicle and decide what sort of repairs will be necessary.

When mechanics search for lifting equipment they can trust, they choose MAHA USA because they know that this leading manufacturer of automotive lifts has an impeccable record when it comes to safety testing. As an innovator within the mechanical engineering industry, MAHA USA has helped to create automotive vehicle lifts that exceed both client and industry expectations.

Based on an extensive background of forty years in the mechanical engineering industry, MAHA USA has developed a reputation for quality. Their subsidiaries and dealers across 130 countries worldwide provide customers with their expert brand of vehicle testing and maintenance equipment and play a key role as a contract partner in the development, planning and execution of country-specific test concepts.

Having the right size lifting equipment is imperative to having a well run vehicle repair shop. At MAHA USA, you will find an impressive collection of automatic lifts that suit your company’s individual needs. For example, you may wish to select from their exemplary collection of two post automotive lifts, which includes the HL Freedom 10,000. This outstanding piece of equipment offers the user 10,000lbs of lifting capacity and features an automatically engaging single lock release system on each column, for the pinnacle in safety and strength.

This exceptional manufacturing company also offers automotive lifts for heavy-duty vehicles such as large trucks. Among their extensive collection of innovative lifting equipment, they offer mobile column lifts that can lift vehicles weighing up to 144,000 pounds. These mobile column lifts are the perfect tool for any automotive or heavy-duty repair shop. In addition, due to MAHA USA’s dedication to safety, their mobile column lifts are not built simply to pass ALI certification standards, but to supersede those standards and guarantee unmitigated safety for repair shop usage. Clearly, MAHA USA is the best choice for automotive and heavy duty lifts that surpass every expectation.

Because of their unrelenting dedication to customer service, MAHA USA will work directly with you to discuss what sort of equipment will suit your facility. They can offer you suggestions in terms of size and structure, as well as discuss with you the technical details of the equipment so that you are given a complete picture when choosing from the company’s vast collection of superior automotive lifts and vehicle repair equipment.

MAHA USA equipment is ideal for a variety of automotive businesses. From auto repair to service centers and dealerships, MAHA USA has the right equipment for your facility. So why wait? Go to MAHA USA today and find out how they can help your business to speed past the competition.

About MAHA USA:

With subsidiaries and dealers in over 130 countries, MAHA USA is one of the world’s leading providers of systems for vehicle testing and maintenance. For more information, please go to Maha-usa.

Motorcycle Purchase and Finance Done Right

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Are you considering purchasing a motorcycle? You are not sure about how you should do it and how you should prepare for the motorcycle loan application? Following is a brief explanation and tips on how to purchase your desired motorcycle and how to finance the purchase by means of motorcycle loans. If you want to obtain advantageous terms both on the loan and on the bike purchase follow this advice carefully and you will achieve what you want without hassles. Though there is no particular order in which a motorcycle purchase steps should be followed, always remember that shopping for a motorcycle with the loan pre-approval in hand will guarantee you better terms on your loan purchase.

Shopping Around For The Right Bike

Before starting your search for your dreamed motorcycle there are a couple of things you need to resolve first: You should always consider your monthly payment possibilities with your budget at hand, you should also know beforehand how much money you are willing to spend for the motorcycle purchase and for the financing of that purchase and with that information in mind, you should start shopping for your motorcycle loan first unless you have the money ready for the purchase. In any case, when you have the money or the loan pre-approval, the shopping should start calmly knowing that you will not close on the first deal you are presented. Do not rush in or look anxious, remember that you will at first only be gathering information regarding models, brands, prices, etc.

Once you have gathered enough information you need to find a balance. Do not get capricious and consider your options, seek the bike that matches not only your taste, but also your budget and your convenience. After you have selected your desired motorcycle, find the lowest price you were offered for that bike and taking that offer with you contact the other dealerships to ask them to improve that offer. As you can see, this is the reason why you need to have the money or the loan pre-approval ready before contacting dealers: When bargaining, if you have the money or financing available, the dealers will take you seriously and try to improve the offer to keep you as a client.

Shopping for The Loan

Getting the loan needs to be done first. At least you should try to obtain pre-approval in written so you can show it to the dealers and bargain for a better purchase price. Motorcycle loans are not that difficult to get. If you have a fair or good credit score, things will really be simple. But if your credit is not that good, there is no need to despair. Bad credit motorcycle loans are available widely and by shopping around a little you can obtain competitive rates for bad credit motorcycle loans too. In any case, whether you are seeking a regular motorcycle loan or a bad credit motorcycle loan, you should request many loan quotes and try to contact lenders informally to know what they charge for financing. Once you have several loan quotes to compare, you should pick the loan with the terms that best adjust to your budget and finances.