Blog 10: Senior Project Update

1) I still haven't been able to find a class on auto mechanics so I think I'm just going to take an online class. As for the restoration of a car, well, that seems to be a bit of a problem because I haven't found anyone in my neighborhood that needs help restoring a classic car. I also haven't been able to find another mentor. Let's just say, things aren't going my way.

2) I actually read an article on muscle cars that wasn't part of my research that didn't exactly help me with what to do next but helped me find a possible answer to my EQ. It talked about vital things to take care of when you have a classic muscle car. Up to the point that I had read that article, I was focusing all my possible answers of my EQ on the inner workings of a car. The article talked about the vital things you have to take care of on the outside of the car - the chrome, paint, tires, etc. And now I know that I can't just focus my answers on the inner working of a car but also on the aesthetically pleasing parts of the car.

3) Well, I now have to find an online auto mechanics class, so I guess links of where I plan to get my classes would work, right? I might even try UTI but I think I might have to be graduated for that. But, it's worth a shot.

First choice

Second choice

Blog 9: Working EQ and Possible Answers

1) What was the working EQ you used during your presentation?

What is the most important factor in maintaining a classic muscle car? 

2) Did you decide to revise your working EQ after your presentation? If so, write your revised EQ here. If not simply write "I am not going to revise my EQ at this time."

I am not going to revise my EQ at this time. 

3) What are possible answers to your current working EQ? 

1) Checking for and controlling leaks

2) Periodic wash and buff of exterior 

3) Periodic transmission and engine check up 

Blog 8: Rough Draft of Presentation 1

CONTENT

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

Content

1) Write a description of what you plan on doing for your independent study component. 

Because I'm doing auto mechanics, I plan to fix up a beat up car for either my benefit, or someone else's  benefit. 

2) Describe in detail how you think your plan will meet the 30 hours work requirement.

The repair of a car takes a lot of time. This will, without a doubt, exceed the 30 hours I need to complete my IC 1. 

3) How does your independent component relate to your working EQ? 

My EQ will most likely be about the maintenance of muscle cars, so because I'll be repairing one, I'll have a complete understanding of what I'm doing and probably learn a thing or two that wasn't taught in class. 

Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

Questions

1) What does a person need to be a certified mechanic? Are you a certified mechanic?

2) How long have you been working with cars? How long have you been working at your current shop? 

3) Where did you work before you started working at RPM Transmissions (current shop)?

4) What would you say is one of the main problems with working as a mechanic?

5) As an expert, what would you say is most important when repairing a car?

6) Different cars need different types of oils, right? So, how do the oils differ?

7) I read an article that said that to become a top mechanic, you have to take an ASE class for auto mechanics. How important would you say that an ASE class is?

8) In your opinion, what tools should be invented to make auto mechanics easier? 

9) During my research, I read an article that said that wheel alignment of a car is very important and another that stated it as a 'repair that can wait'. What's your take on the wheel alignment of a car? How important would you say it is?

10) What do you do when a customer doesn't know what is wrong with their car and the problem isn't one that the computer can tell you about?

11) In my last interview, I asked my interviewee what he thought was the best way to learn about auto mechanics and he said that the best way to learn it was through the hands-on experience. What would you say is the best way to learn auto mechanics? Would you agree with him?

12) Apart from my senior project, I have to do a science experiment that relates to my topic. I want to study the chemicals that go into oil and from what I learn, make a sort of universal oil that will work with most cars. Do you think it's possible to do so? If so, how difficult do you think it'll be? 

Blog 5a: Science Fair Problem Statement

1) Topic: 

Auto Mechanics

2) Problem in your topic. What will you do once you solve the problem?

A problem in my topic is the type of oil a car uses for lubrication and cooling throughout the whole system. I want to work with synthetic oils to try to find a way to dilute the weight of the oil to as low as 1w when cool and also modify it so that when hot, the oil will be as thick as 50w. If I can manage to do this, I will promote the shop in which I work by using this type of oil for cars that need oil changes. 

3) Problem in your topic. What will you do once you solve the problem? 

A problem in my topic is that when working on cars, you sometimes need to take apart a lot of the car or a whole part to be able to fix the diagnosed problem. The problem with this is that disassembling a part can be a very long process. I want to find a way to make this process easier and if I can figure out how to do so, I would like to get the method across to my mentor to help him out when he has to do such a thing, thus decreasing the time it takes to fix a car and increasing the amount of customers we get. 

Blog 4: Project Reflection and working EQ

The Pentagon 

Positive statement: What positive thing happened as a result of what you have completed so far?

Thanks to the interview, I found out that I had 2 uncles in East LA that both own an auto repair shop, which can help a lot with my senior project. I also learned that the best way to learn about auto mechanics, is to get a lot of hands-on training. 

EQ Content: How has your interview helped you improve the understanding of your topic?

My interview helped with the understanding of my topic because I learned that to really be successful in auto mechanics, you have to really like it because it's a lot of work and if you just don't have the passion or patience for it, you really have no business doing it. I also learned a bit more about how the transmission and engine differ and which is easier to work with and why. 

What has worked for you so far in the senior project? 

The hands-on work and note taking that I did when I was working at the shop has helped me more than any piece of research I've found. The only problem is that I haven't been able to go to the shop because of the location of it. 

What hasn't worked so far? 

The research checks haven't really helped me with the understanding of my topic. It might be that I'm maybe not doing the right type of research, but I haven't really found the research all that helpful. I learned more in one day at the shop than I did from 4 pieces of research. 

Finding Value: Based on your experience so far, 

What possible questions come to mind regarding what you want to learn this year? 
 I really just wanna study auto mechanics this year and learn as much about it as possible. Questions that come to mind about this are, mainly about what I will have to study to become a certified mechanic such as, will I have to take an auto technician class to be able to work with today's cars? Where can I take an auto mechanics class at my age? If I can't take a class on auto mechanics, is there another way, besides the mentor ship, to get a better understanding of my topic?

What is your end goal with this senior project? 
My end goal is for me to know enough about cars to be able to work as a mechanic along with my mentor because I know he could use an extra hand around the shop and I would also want to be able to have enough experience to be able to take an automotive ASE class to become a certified mechanic.

Who would you like to talk to next? Why?
For my next interview, I would like to interview my mentor, Charles Madrigal because I know he will be able to help me out with my project more than my first interview, only because my first interviewee lives in East LA and my mentor lives near me so I would be able to directly go to him for anything. I also haven't been able to go to the shop so I don't want my mentor to think that I won't be going back

Blog 3: Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why? 

I plan on interviewing my mentor, Charles Madrigal. I want to interview him because he's been working with cars almost all of his life and I know he can help me with putting me on the right track and can help me find more mechanics that he thinks can help me throughout my senior project. 

2. You have to ask 5 open ended questions. 

1. I'm interested in studying auto mechanics. What can you tell me about it?

2. From your perspective, what can I study that would be significant to other people?

3. Who else would you recommend I talk to?

4. What kinds of places or activities do you recommend I do for my mentorship component?

5. What books should I read in this field? Who else can I interview? 

Blog 2: Topic Choice

A: What is your topic and why? 

My topic is auto mechanics. I chose this because now that I started driving, I realized that I don't only have to worry about how I drive, but I also have to worry about the maintenance of my car. After realizing this, I noticed that I know nothing about cars. I've always found cars interesting, but I never really took the time to learn anything about them. After my 10 hours, I thought that working with cars is actually pretty cool and, in a sense, fun. Now, I really want to learn more about cars because I think that if I can learn enough about them, I might just have fun with my senior project after all and I might develop a new found love for working with cars.

B: What do you hope to accomplish this year with this topic? (connecting you answer to each of the 4 ESLRs)

• iPoly Citizen: During my 10 hours, I learned that working with cars is more difficult than working with people because one of the main skills that you need to have as a mechanic is patience. Auto mechanics requires a lot of patience because if something doesn't work out the way you planned or you can't figure out what the problem of the car is, you will get frustrated unless you have a lot of patience. Through this topic, I plan to learn to have patience with things which will, in turn, also allow me to have patience with people. Not only that, but if I really start to become good at auto mechanics, I can help out people at iPoly that are having problems with their cars. 
• Effective Communicator: As a mechanic, you have to know how to talk to people because you have to talk to customers and people working at auto shops. My mentor taught me that one of the most important things to know is how to talk to people because although you won't work them much, when you do, it'll be important. You have to know how to talk to people at auto shops so that, if possible, you can get car parts for a lower price than they usually are. As for your customers, you have to know how to explain to them what exactly is wrong with their car and you have to know how to listen to them to try to decipher what the problem with their car is as soon as they get to the shop. I plan to learn how to better communicate with people by learning to communicate with our clients. 
• Effective Learner: There are a lot of things that you have to know when it comes to cars. You have to know the inner mechanisms, how things work, and how to fix them. Through this topic, I plan to learn how to remember and store a lot of information at once.
• Effective User of Technology: Because of the advancements of technology in cars, I have to know how to work the computers in cars how to check what and if there are any problems with the computers of the car. I plan to learn as much as possible about working with the computers of cars and better my understanding of developing technologies. 

Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Component

Specific Hour log and Description 

Contact Charles Madrigal of RPM Transmission (626) 825-7048

• 8/27/12 3:30 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. (3 hours) 
• Showed up at RPM Transmission and introduced myself. Got a basic idea of the tools and cars that we're gonna be working with. Drove three different types of cars around from shop to shop and got to see where the other shops are located. 
• 8/28/12 7:30 A.M. - 1 P.M. (5 & 1/2 hours) 
• Showed up at RPM Transmission and took a look under the hood of a car. Learned the difference between working on engines and transmissions. They're actually quite different. I also learned the difference between Japanese cars and German cars. I also learned how to set up a car to lift it with the hydraulic air jack. Every car is different. I was taught what a CVJ is and also where slide pins are located. We lifted a car and took the tires off to rotate the routers and changed the brake pads of a car. At the end of the day, we changed the oil of a car and checked the brakes of it. We came to the conclusion that we needed to rotate the routers of the that car too.  
• 8/29/12 7:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M. (2 hours and 15 minutes) 
•   Showed up at RPM Transmission and checked out a Sonoma S10. While looking at the S10, I learned that most cars from '91 and up, can be checked with a computer to tell you what's wrong with it. The peculiar thing is that it can only tell you what is wrong with the engine, transmission or anything electrical. We removed the routers of an Altima and sent them to a shop. We went back to work on the S10 and found that something was wrong with the TPC (torque pressure censor). We then moved on to a PT Cruiser that wouldn't start and found that it was because the fuel wasn't reaching the engine. To make sure it was that, we opened up the side of the engine and put some combustible gas in it, then started it. For a second, the car started and we were sure that it was because the fuel wasn't reaching the engine.  

L: What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience? List them.

• Is there a difference in difficulty when working on a old car than a new car? If so, why? 
• What do you do when you rotate the routers and change the brake pads, but still hear screeching when you brake? 
• What happens to a car when the CVJ stops working?
• We removed and rotated a lot of routers, does that mean that the main problem with brakes are the routers? 
• Exactly how much more difficult is it to work on engines than to work on transmissions? 
• What's the first thing you have to look for when you start working on a car that you don't know anything about? 
• How exactly do you work on the fuel injection system? 
• Because there are a lot of liability issues when working as a mechanic, what are the main things you can get sued for? 
• Besides an auto mechanics class, what other classes do I need to take to become a mechanic?
• Is there a school that is known for its auto mechanics class or is it even necessary to graduate from college to become a mechanic?

I: What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

The most important thing I gained from this experience was knowing that you have to know what you're doing and that you have to have a lot of patience when working with cars. You have to know what you're doing because as I was there, I noticed that even though one day you might only have one or two cars to work on, the next day you might have seven to ten cars to work on and to keep your customers happy - another thing that's very important when working as a mechanic - you have to be able to fix the problem quickly but correctly. Knowing what you're doing is important but most importantly, I learned that you really have to have a lot of patience because a rushed job is never good and if you loose your patience, no matter how mad you get, the car isn't going to care. It's simply a car and you might even mess up the car more than what it already was if you get mad and try to rush the job.

A: How did what you did help you choose a topic? Please explain.

The topic I am considering is auto mechanics. Working on cars helped me choose a topic because it showed me that being a mechanic was what I hoped it would be. It's work that you need knowledge about, you can be your own boss and it's never the same thing day after day. I like all that and I think I would really like learning more about cars, how they work and how to fix them. I plan on my topic being something with cars like the maintenance of one, how to get the most mileage out of your car, or how to fix your own car. I still don't know what exactly my topic is going to be, but I think that working with a mechanic will help me figure out what it is I really want to do.