He used to be known as the tune-up guy, the shop troubleshooter or the ace mechanic. Today, he's known as a driveability tech. Tomorrow, when body control electronics come on full line, he'll probably be known as an electronics diagnostics technician.

Whatever his name might be, most of us know that driveability techs are smart, sometimes contentious, and most often completely absorbed in what they do. In order to stay on top of their game, most spend their spare time studying the diagnostic process. Some are driven by ego, some by money. But none thrive on tedious tasks and the resulting boredom. As I've said before in this column, driveability diagnostics is a tight-wire act and the adrenalin rush of solving a difficult problem is, by itself, enough to keep most diagnostic techs coming back to work day after day. And maybe that's why you want to become a driveability technician.

Mental Attitude

What's the psychological make-up of a driveability technician? I think innate curiosity is the prerequisite characteristic of any good driveability tech. Curiosity is needed to master new technology. Curiosity helps sort and classify all of the detailed factual information a driveability tech must know. Without innate curiosity, you lose the driving force you need to become a good driveability technician.

The next characteristic is perseverance in solving problems. Since most driveability techs won't admit failure, t...