Car doors opened, hoods were popped and safety glasses were in place.
On Thursday, for the second consecutive year, two-student teams from 10 technical high schools across Pennsylvania vied for the bragging rights of being the best car mechanics at their level.
The event, at the Automotive Training Center in Warminster, was to decide the winner of the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Pennsylvania state title and a chance to represent Pennsylvania in the national finals in Dearborn, Mich.
Brian Siegman, 18, of Bristol Township and Rob Bruce, 18, of Falls represented Bucks County Technical High School in Bristol Township. They were the school's top two auto mechanics in their class, and both teamed up recently in the Greater Philadelphia Automotive Competition in Philadelphia, where they placed third and earned scholarships.
“I am going to do the best I can,” Siegman said before the competition began.
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| Brian Siegman of Bristol Township and Rob Bruce of Falls Bill Fraser/Staff Photographer |
People are keeping their cars longer, so it’s important to know how to fix them, said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Jenny Robinson. “In the real world you have to diagnose the problem and fix it,” she said.
The race against the clock began at 9:45 a.m. and ended at 11:15 a.m. sharp. Each of 10 identical Ford vehicles had been intentionally bugged with 10 identical malfunctions.
Only the judges knew exactly what the malfunctions were and how to fix them. Making the repairs flawlessly was the key to producing "the perfect car." Even the slightest oversight by any of the teams, such as a loose taillight clip, was cause for a 1-point demerit. Each team also had to make the repairs within the time allowed.
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