Moving Up Masters and Seniors

MOVING UP - Congratulations to our Nissan SCOPE & Infiniti KEI Masters

Aaron Bowes

Nissan SCOPE Master

Cole Nissan

Bluefield, WV

When asked what system he likes to work on most, this 23-year-old master technician said: “I actually enjoy the heck out of tearing apart engines and putting them back together.” He says the best road to master technician status is: “Decide that you want to be a master technician and then set yourself to it.” For new technicians, Bowes recommends: “listening to the older, more experienced guys in the shop, use the Virtual Academy and stick with it.” Aaron praises his Nissan instructors for answering his questions even when they were not related to the course. “They were always cool and willing to help.”

Bowes has worked with cars his whole life and went to UTI straight out of high school. With Nissan for four years, the first Nissan he ever worked on was an Altima he bought at the age of 15. He likes the feel of Nissan cars, saying: “I like the ride quality and the fit and finish of the interiors. When you get in the vehicle, you get a sense of good quality.” A power sports enthusiast, Aaron owns two four-wheelers, a dirt bike and a motorcycle that he likes to ride in his free time.

Brennan Bosley

Nissan SCOPE Master

Boardman Nissan

Boardman, OH

Brennan Bosley, has been working on cars for eight years. He learned about cars at technical school and started at Nissan right after he finished. Bosley describes his master technician accomplishment as, “definitely an achievement.” He took initiative to finish the required schooling and do all of his ASEs. Above all, Brennan thinks it is great to be 29 years old and have a job he describes as: “a good, solid career in which I can advance myself and get more knowledge.”

Though Brennan likes to work on any vehicle or system, his favorite Nissan vehicle is the Titan. “I think it’s a good truck. There aren’t really issues with it.” Bosley describes the Nissan brand as: “Innovative. I think they’re ahead of the game as far as technology. Nissan’s qualityis excellent. I have worked on other brands, but Nissan’s quality is definitely excellent.” In his spare time, Brennan races his car at Quaker City Raceway and is also planning a trip to Vegas this year.

Carlos Albert

Nissan SCOPE Master

Lynnes Nissan City, Inc.

Bloomfield, NJ

Carlos Albert started working on cars when he was just three years old. He officially started with Nissan when he was awarded an internship at a Nissan dealer during high school. He describes the brand as: “one of the best brands to work for as far as the product. I love it.” He has always owned Nissan vehicles, starting with the Pulsar NX, a 200SX and a couple of 240SXs, an Infiniti G35 and now a 350Z. Young for a master technician at 29 years old, Carlos looks forward to even more career progression. He is GT-R certified. The GT-R is his favorite vehicle to work on. He says the hardest things to diagnose are intermittent issues.

Carlos refreshes his knowledge very often and has some strong recommendations for new technicians: “Focus on doing your job right and not doing it halfway. Don’t take short cuts. Have pride in doing the job the right way. It pays off more in the end.” Albert feels good about having people in the shop that look up to him. His daughter, who is three, also loves cars and often tells him to drive faster.

Danny Moura

Nissan SCOPE Master

Mastria Nissan, Inc.

Raynham, MA

Danny Moura manages to run three miles every day on his lunch break. When he is not working on a Nissan or hanging out with his wife and three daughters, he is training for a marathon. He has already completed the Cape Cod Marathon and the Bay State Marathon and is training for another half marathon in Maryland.

Moura came to Nissan in 2009. He describes his road to master technician status as: “Keeping up with training and taking as many courses as I could. It was all about training.” As a result of all of his training and his achievement, Moura says he has more pride in his work. His recommendation for new technicians is to get on the Virtual Academy and start training. “Get as much training as you can and keep it all up-to-date.” That is exactly what Danny does; he logs on every day and scrolls through, checking for new videos.

Of Nissan’s HEV and EV vehicles, Danny says: “They’re going in the right direction, kind of pioneering the electric car that’s sold at a reasonable price.”

David Pierce

Nissan SCOPE Master

Modern Nissan, LLC.

Winston-Salem, NC

David Pierce came to Nissan in 2009, seeking something new and different. A master technician in 10 other car lines, his achievement of Nissan master technician felt natural. He excelled to Nissan master technician status in four years by, “just sticking to it.” Working on cars for the past 25 years, Pierce learned about cars formally in vocational school. Although he seldom sits down to refresh his knowledge, he uses available diagnostic tools frequently especially the C-III plus. David has GT-R training on his horizon, and the GT-R is his favorite Nissan vehicle.

Pierce owns and races an older style rail dragster. He says he races: “every time I get the chance.” Other than that, this multiauto master technician enjoys playing a few rounds of golf. Although not keen on giving advice to up-and-coming technicians, David Pierce’s method of achieving his own successes is a solid recommendation for others. “Just stick to it.”

Joshua Standard

Nissan SCOPE Master

AutoNation Nissan of Brandon

Tampa, FL

Joshua Standard has many recommendations for aspiring master technicians and new technicians coming up. “Do the courses online. Get your ASEs. Take the cars with big problems because that will hone your skills. Bug your service managers to send you to school after you get everything filled out then enroll in courses. As good as it is to be booksmart, get your hands dirty. Exhaust all of your options and know how everything works.” Since beginning with Nissan, Josh has seen a 50 percent increase in pay. He attributes the increase to master technician training, which he has found to be very rewarding. “It’s nice when someone notices you put in hard work.”

Standard’s favorite problems to fix include CAN bus issues and repairing LAN systems because of the amount of brainpower they require. Of Nissan’s plans for HEV and EV vehicles, Josh says the supercharged, four-cylinder Pathfinder looks good and feels good. In the fall, Josh was scheduled to go to a Nissan hybrid vehicle class, but his first daughter was born. When he is not enjoying his wife and newborn, Josh likes to race autocross.

Justin Beckett

Nissan SCOPE Master

Zimbrick Nissan

Madison, WI

Justin Beckett learned about cars helping his dad and then in technical school. While he enjoys working on any Nissan vehicles, he especially enjoys suspension and alignment jobs. Beckett says his favorite Nissan is the Sentra. “I own three of them. The newest one is an ’06 and the oldest one is a ’91 that I drag race. I’ve won a couple.” For new technicians, Justin recommends: “Learning from the guys that have been around for a while, they have a few tricks up their sleeves that they can teach you.”

Beckett most looks forward to: “learning new technologies and getting more comfortable with all the fancy stuff they keep putting on cars.” He describes the Nissan brand as: “taking over the world, one car at a time.” He is glad to be a part of it. When he is not completing an alignment or suspension job, Beckett likes to bowl. He and his wife have a 13-year-old and a one-year-old, and they participate in family tournaments.

Mark Acevedo

Nissan SCOPE Master

Team Nissan

Oxnard, CA

The grandson and nephew of mechanics, Mark Acevedo says: “I have always wanted to be a master technician ever since I was young. So it’s nice to finally do it.” Acevedo learned most from hands-on training at the dealership. For new technicians, he says: “Ask questions! A lot of the guys need to ask questions to learn. Ask as many questions as you can.” Electrical diagnosis is Mark’s favorite part of his job because: “It’s kind of like detective work. You have to follow the wires, the colors and also test.”

With Nissan for the last 10 years, Acevedo describes the brand as: “sporty, with something for everyone. I like the Maxima, the 370Z and the GT-R.” He refers to the Virtual Academy about once a week to see if there is anything new. Mark works on cars in his spare time. “I love to work on cars. I am always working on cars.” He takes his two sons, who are seven and four, camping, to car shows and off-roading. His oldest son has already started helping him when he works on cars.

Marlon Gurley

Nissan SCOPE Master

Nissan South

Morrow, GA

Marlon Gurley says: “I am originally from Trinidad, and everybody on the islands at some point works on cars. I fell in love with working on cars. I moved to Florida and went to technical school. I never finished the entire class because I started working in the field. So I just started doing my ASEs, and June this year makes five years with Nissan.” He recommends that new technicians take initiative, get online and finish the courses. He suggests that technicians: “focus on diagnosis. Anybody can replace parts, but if you cannot diagnose a vehicle properly, then you are just a parts changer.” He is also grateful for everything he has learned: “Without the training, my job would be a lot harder.”

Being a tech-savvy technician helps Marlon stay up-to-date. Any time there is a new Nissan Technical Service Bulletin, he gets an alert on his phone. Marlon is looking forward to Nissan’s electric vehicle plans. “Electric vehicles will affect the dealership in a positive way. They are not something that anybody is going to be able to diagnose. The vehicles will have to come to the dealer as opposed to anywhere else.” Outside of working on Nissans, Marlon enjoys spending time with his family. He has two sons.

Michael Hatt

Infiniti KEI Master

Crown Infiniti

Hoover, AL

Michael Hatt’s favorite part of training to become a master technician was the traveling. Hatt traveled from Alabama to Nashville, Atlanta and Dallas for classes. Hatt says: “I did it through the company; I just kept pushing them to send me to school.” The pushing paid off. At 28 years old, Hatt is a master technician with his eyes set on becoming shop foreman one day. The son of an independent auto shop owner, Michael found his way to working at Nissan via a friend.

For up-and-coming technicians, Michael recommends focusing on hybrid training and transmission training because they are the most difficult parts. Michael is a fan of Nissan’s HEV and EV cars, which he has driven on routine test drives. “I like trying to drive only on electric.” Although he enjoys the EV autos, Hatt’s favorite Infiniti is the QX56 “because it looks like a tank.”

When he is not working on a G35, Hatt enjoys family time. He has two daughters, and they love vacations. “Vacation is the best part. We go to the beach and the mountains.”

Ronnie Bittinger II

Nissan SCOPE Master

Koons Nissan

Falls Church, VA

For Ronnie Bittinger II, a job with Nissan came naturally. He grew up around Nissan dealerships because his dad has worked for Nissan or Datsun since the early 1980s. This fact likely contributes to his choice for favorite Nissan vehicle. “The Z is my favorite because of its long standing heritage, being one of the bestselling sports cars of all time, and its reputation.” His achievement of master technician status came from hard work, dedication and support from his dealer. “When I was younger, I was always told that if I was going to be something I needed to be the best at it. So I just try to be the best I can.”

Ronnie’s favorite part of the job is fixing cars that have been to multiple dealerships and are still having problems. “It’s a good feeling to fix a car that no one else can fix.” He describes the Nissan brand as: “not the norm, willing to take chances and be adventurous.” He drove the LEAF as a demo for 12,000 miles and says: “I think the LEAF is a great car, and I love the M hybrid.” For new technicians, Bittinger says: “Money has to be on the back burner of everything because technicians need to take a few years and learn everything they can. Money will come eventually. Get the basics down.” A man of many talents, Bittinger enjoys playing guitar, collecting records, especially metal, and also woodworking. He is currently on the hunt for a 240Z to own.

Rusty Locklar

Nissan SCOPE Master

Mitchell Nissan, Inc.

Enterprise, AL

Rusty Locklar has been with Nissan for 16 years. The first Nissan he ever worked on was a hard-body truck. He learned about cars from his dad and on his own. His successful self-teaching has him in a place where he finds no concerns any harder to diagnose than others. His accomplishments have come by way of honest, hard work, and his certification came from attending Nissan’s training. Locklar refreshes his subject knowledge about once a week. His studies focus on new models, training that he also suggests new technicians should concentrate on most. Rusty recommends that all new technicians find their way to Nissan training.

In his lifetime, Rusty has owned at least 10 Maximas. The Maxima is the Nissan he chooses as his favorite for its sportiness and because it is fun to drive. Rusty is in the right place. When asked about what he looks forward to at work, he says: “I just love to work on cars.” In his free time, he participates in outdoor sports and races on a circle track. He has won two championships so far.

Stephen Boisvert

Nissan SCOPE Master

Desert Nissan

Las Vegas, NV

Unsure of what he wanted to do after high school, Stephen Boisvert followed his father’s suggestion to go to an automotive technical school. After he finished, he saw an ad in a newspaper for a Nissan parts guy. He was hired to work in the service department when the dealer found out about his schooling. Now with Nissan for almost 18 years, Boisvert is grateful for the master technician achievement. “I have more professional pride; I have reached the top goal that you can get with Nissan. I’ve been given the opportunity to learn a little more about the systems. It’s good to have the familiarity. More training means I can do a lot of the checking by myself without having to look at the ESMs because I know how the system works.”

Boisvert enjoys electrical work. “It’s tedious and time consuming and fun to get to the bottom of. I like knowing that I fixed something.” Having worked for Nissan for so long, Boisvert says: “The C-III plus is far and away better than the Consult-III. It’s more efficient, and it leads you where you need to go way easier than Consult-III.” Stephen lives in the Las Vegas area and has two small kids. In his time off work, they always find something awesome to do together as a family.

Thomas Little

Nissan SCOPE Master

Tom Peacock Nissan

Houston, TX

Thomas Little has worked for Nissan or Infiniti since 1986. Years of hard work and dedication paid off with his completion of the requirements to become a master technician, an achievement he says, “felt great.” Little says he learned about cars “in his driveway.” His career with automobiles began in independent shops before he came to work in dealerships. The first Nissan he ever worked on was a 280Z, and now he is his shop’s foreman.

Although Thomas refers to ESMs and the C-III plus tool all the time, he says he saves calls to TECH LINE as a last resort. He checks the Virtual Academy once a month to see what is new, and he just completed a Nissan class about hybrid vehicles in Dallas.

Outside of diagnosing drivability concerns, Thomas likes to go to Lake Summerview and the Trinity River to find arrowheads and ride his bike. He is also looking forward to a trip to Big Ben National Park. Thomas’ future includes LEAF and GT-R training, and he hopes to move into management.

William Romero

Nissan SCOPE Master

Nissan of Burleson

Burleson, TX

For William Romero, a love of cars has always been part of his life. Interested in cars since he was a kid, he chose to go to school at the Arizona Automotive Institute. In order to keep his education up-to-date, William refers to the manuals he received in Nissan training. He views his master technician status as recognition for all of his training, certifications and efforts.

Although William looks forward to any challenge his work presents, he recommends new technicians focus on electrical systems because everything is computer-controlled. He is also certified to work on his favorite Nissan vehicle, the GT-R, of which he says: “It’s fast; it has so much technology. It is the best bang for the buck that a person can get.” The GT-R is a great example of Romero’s description of Nissan, “exciting and innovative.”

While his favorite system to work on is the transmission system, William says squeaks and rattles are certainly the hardest to diagnose. When he is not working on a Nissan, Romero stays busy with his four kids, spending time together at amusement parks and the zoo and rooting for the Chicago Bears.

Adam Webb

Nissan SCOPE Master

Pat Peck Nissan

Gulfport, MS

Adam Webb says one of the perks of being a master technician has been the extra training. “Going to training and knowing the product more gets you a more in depth knowledge, so you know how to repair things and you are more informed.” He refreshes his knowledge by helping new technicians, recommending they focus on learning electrical systems and studying the Virtual Academy, which he describes as, “an amazing training tool.” Adam spoke highly of the master technician and GT-R training he received. “After I went to the GT-R training, I was amazed at the technology that is in that car. It is ahead of its time.” At a training class for automatic transmissions, he says the instructor helped him completely understand how to navigate ASIST.

Webb’s favorite part of the job is the sense of accomplishment that comes when he has a car completely torn apart and he puts it back together. Happy where he is right now in his career, Adam says: “We have a good group of guys here; everyone gets along great. We come together and fix issues on cars, and we even come together for personal issues. Next weekend we are having a crawfish boil for someone’s birthday.” When he is not working, Webb likes to spend time with his two daughters, who are two and five.

Congratulations to our Nissan SCOPE & Infiniti KEI Senior Specialists

Leonardo Deledda