Questions from and for auto electrician apprentices.
I keep getting handed battery tests and globe changes while the tradesmen do the good diagnostic jobs. How do I get onto the real work?
Do the basic jobs fast and properly, then attach yourself to the diagnosis jobs. When a tradesman is chasing a fault, ask if you can watch, hold the meter, or pull the trim. Ask one good question per job, not twenty. At home, learn to read wiring diagrams for the vehicles your shop sees most. The apprentices who get pulled onto diagnostic work are the ones who proved they are switched on with the boring stuff and show genuine interest in the thinking part. It usually turns in second year.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified auto electrician
My multimeter readings keep confusing me. The battery shows 12.4 volts but the car still will not crank. What am I missing?
You are measuring voltage with no load, which only tells you part of the story. A battery can show over 12 volts sitting still and collapse the moment the starter draws current. Test under load: watch the voltage while cranking, and learn voltage drop testing across cables, terminals and earths. A corroded earth strap can eat several volts under load while looking perfect on a static check. Get your head around voltage drop early and you will be ahead of half the industry. It is the single most useful habit in this trade.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified auto electrician
The shop is starting to get hybrids in and I have been told not to touch them. When do I get to do the high voltage stuff?
Your shop is doing it right. High voltage systems can kill you, so nobody should touch them without the training: the depowering units for hybrids and battery EVs, done through your Cert III electives or a short course. Talk to your boss and your TAFE about getting AURETH011 and AURETH101 into your elective mix, and in the meantime learn the safe habits: identify the orange cabling, know where service disconnects are, and never assume a system is dead. Getting these tickets early is one of the best career moves you can make right now.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified auto electrician
I am halfway through first year and honestly thinking about quitting. The pay is rough and I feel useless. Does it get better?
It gets better, and mostly on a schedule. Pay steps up every year, and competency-based progression can bring that forward, so check your award level is right on the Fair Work calculator and make sure your competencies are being signed off. The useless feeling fades around the time wiring diagrams start making sense, usually early second year, and one day you will find a fault solo and feel ten foot tall. Before you quit, talk to your boss, your TAFE teacher or your apprenticeship support network. If the problem is the workplace rather than the trade, transferring to another employer or a GTO beats walking away with nothing.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified auto electrician
Should I aim for a dealership, an auto elec shop or try to get into mining after I finish?
Do your time in a general auto electrical shop if you can, because the variety builds diagnostic skills you cannot get anywhere else. Dealerships teach you deep knowledge of one brand and current tech, especially EVs and ADAS, but can be narrower. Mining pays the most by a long way, though as an apprentice you learn more in a busy workshop than changing the same fleet components on site. A common path: qualify in a general or heavy shop, add EV tickets and a couple of years of diagnosis, then take the skills to mining or a specialist role once you are worth top dollar. The trade is portable, so you are never locked in.
Answered by a qualified tradieQualified auto electrician
