Students offer free car inspections
Is your car ready for spring? Probably not. According to the Car Care Council, 90 percent of vehicles inspected last year failed one or more aspects of the inspection.
To help you determine your car’s health, Tennessee Technology Center at McMinnville will offer free car inspections to the public on Wednesday.
To be held in conjunction with National Car Care Month, the inspections will be conducted by members of the center’s automotive technology class taught by senior master technician Donnie Allen. It will feature checks of each vehicle’s tire pressure, windshield wipers, belts, hoses, lights, fluid levels and tire tread.
Technology Center director Dr. Abraham Pallas said each inspection will take about 10 minutes and is absolutely free. Additionally, he said, there will be no pressure to buy anything as nothing is for sale. Performed merely as a public service, officials say they hope it will encourage the public to learn more about the automotive program offered by the center and the quality training it provides.
A full-time, 18-month course, the Technology Center’s automotive technology program trains students to handle dealership-quality automotive work. Before they graduate, students must pass tests given by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) in eight categories covering all mechanical and electrical components of automobiles.
Wednesday will mark the second time the Technology Center has held such a car check-up event. The first, held in December, was such a success officials decided to do it again and to expand to include check-ups in each of the seven counties in the Technology Center’s service area.
Locally, the free car checks will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Tennessee Technology Center.
Free car inspections by automotive technology students from Tennessee Technology Center at McMinnville will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following dates and locations:
• Monday, April 5, Sparta, Floyd’s Hometown Foods
• Wednesday, April 7, McMinnville, Tennessee Technology Center
• Monday, April 12, Altamont, Grundy County Administrative Offices
• Monday, April 19, Spencer, Van Buren County Administrative Offices
• Wednesday, April 21, Manchester, Coffee County Administrative Plaza
• Monday, April 26, Smithville, City Parking Lot
• Wednesday, April 28, Woodbury, Cannon County Courthouse