Yugeshin Mari (better known to his friends as “Yogi Bear”) grew up as part of an esteemed and well-educated family. His original career plans were to enter into the advanced world of electronics, but, as fate had it, the electronics class at the technical high school that he was attending had no space for him, so he decided to take Motor Mechanics as a subject instead. He now works as a qualified Cotech at Renault in Centurion.

“I had the usual stereotypical view of a motor mechanic or technician being a really down-and-out person who is always dirty and doesn’t need much intellect to do his job. Man, was I wrong! From the moment I started studying mechanics, I knew that I had a burning passion for working on cars, and that it was a lot more complex than people believe. The technology and electronics used in vehicles today requires complex thinking and analysis. My parents gave me a questioning look when I revealed to them what career I wanted to follow – but they supported me the whole way, nonetheless, and they are very proud of where I am today.” 

Yugeshin began his apprenticeship in 2003, qualified as a mechanic in 2005, and completed his Cotech training in 2006. “You can see how determined I was to get to the top as quickly as possible – this career truly excites me. My girlfriend keeps saying that if I ever have an affair, it will be with a car!”

Renault SA offers its technicians a twelve-week training programme that takes them to Cotech level. This qualification certifies a technician as a diagnostic specialist “who fully understands the operation of the computerised systems” and “enables them to address the problems a vehicle may experience, rather than treating symptoms of problems.” The constant upgrading and development of electronic components means that diagnosis can be very complex, therefore, qualified Cotech technicians often partake in regular refresher courses to ensure that the highest levels of proficiency are maintained.

Basics

“The salary of a motor technician varies to a large extent. This depends on which company you are working for, your product knowledge, and, of course, experience. Many companies also offer incentive bonuses when a certain target is reached,” explained Yugeshin.

Job description

“The fundamentals of this job are to diagnose and repair problems in motor vehicles. It is not just servicing a vehicle, but actually working with complex problem areas. Computer diagnostics are now a big part of this industry,

and constantly gaining new experience is of utmost importance if you want to get anywhere in this field. You must want to learn new things every day. This is not a tedious nine-to-five job – you must be hungry to gain new knowledge on a continuous basis, especially when it comes to innovative technology in the motor industry.”

Required studies and experience

“Attending a technical school would be an advantage. Many companies offer school-leavers apprenticeships to qualify as motor technicians. Qualified technicians can then move on to doing a more advanced training programme such as the Cotech training offered by Renault.”

Personality types

“Many technicians are very impatient and lose their temper easily – I suppose it’s just a guy thing! But I believe it’s to your advantage if you are calm and collected and don’t have a short temper – especially when dealing with customers – which is something I also enjoy. You also have to be determined and persistent.”

An average day

“My day is quite varied. Other than diagnosing and fixing problems, I liaise with customers, and the parts division, as well as handle queries with regard to the warranties on the vehicles.

Assisting other technicians in problem areas also makes up part of my day.”

The best thing about the job

“Fixing a car! I love discovering where the fault lies and repairing it – this gives me immense satisfaction.” 

The worst thing about the job

“The very worst thing about this job is when you have the symptoms of a fault – you are sure you know what the problem is, but you battle to fix it because you can’t find the cause! For example, an immobiliser fault could have the same symptoms as another fault that is picked up on the computer. You then just have to work according to trial and error, and use the process of elimination to get to the root of the cause. This can be extremely frustrating – the computers don’t always co-operate with us,” laughs Yugeshin.

“This job is more like a hobby to me. My mind is on cars 24/7. I also love modifying and rebuilding cars, and transforming them into something similar to those in the movie ‘The Fast and the Furious’. My ultimate dream is to get the opportunity to work on Formula 1 racing cars.”

Chantelle Gradidge