A big attraction to attend Autocare 2025 was training from some of the USA’s best

Autocare 2025 presented an opportunity for attendees to benefit from training offered by some of the most respected ADAS and diagnostics specialists from the US.
Keith Perkins, Brandon Steckler, and Tomi Oliva were all in Brisbane passing on their knowledge to Australian technicians at the event.
Keith was pleasantly surprised at the level of skills but said there is still a gap in the average Australian technician’s knowledge when it comes to module programming and staying on top of diagnostic procedures.
However, he believes the access to the data now made available by the introduction of the Australian Automotive Service and Repair Authority (AASRA) will help bridge that chasm.
“It is good to see that the Australian technicians now have the information they need to fix cars properly,” Keith said.

Brandon echoed Keith’s comments.
“The biggest exciting thing for me is the Australian technicians and their passion for learning and their enthusiasm,” Brandon said.
“The Australians have learned from the loopholes and situations we’ve fallen into in the United States with our right to repair.
“They’re learning from our mistakes or missteps and making corrections for that.
“So, I’m happy for them, and I hope things continue to head in a positive direction, because everybody deserves their living, and everyone deserves to have access to the information we need to repair vehicles.”
Brandon said though he was teaching new technology, he was impressed by the knowledge of Australian mechanics.
“There’s a misconception that technicians in the United States know more… but that’s not the case,” Brandon said.
Brandon emphasised the importance of the recently launched ADAS Code in Australia and stressed that all technicians need to learn about the technology.
“It’s not going away anytime soon, because it in fact saves lives,” Brandon said.
“My hope is the future leads to more educated technicians or more education for technicians. And that should help weed out some of the ones that don’t want to do things the right way.”
Tom also saw a gap in the Australian knowledge base.
“They’re very advanced when it comes to diagnostics. Programming does seem to be a little bit of a weak point because you’ve only recently had the addition of right to repair in Australia,” he said.

For learn more about what these experts offered at Autocare, visit www.autocare.org.au