Automobile Internship – Halfway Stage

As you probably realized, I have stopped providing daily updates of my internship due to the repetitive nature of my work. However, I have almost reached the half way stage in the internship and I feel compelled to write another post about it.

By now, I have completed 4 out of the five levels of training courses. Jishar has been an excellent teacher and I feel much more confident around cars, since I can unhesistatingly work on most models now.

On the repairs side, I have repaired innumerable cars since my last post. I have worked on nearly every Peugeot car on the market and some notable non Peugeot models such as the Lexus ES300, the Nissan Patrol, the Chevrolet Tahoe, the BMW 750Li, the Audi A7 and the Porsche Cayman S. The repair work has been the same as before, replacing engine parts and repairing parts such as the injection system, the fuel pump and so on.

The internship has been thoroughly enjoyable and I enthusiastically look forward to the second half. It has helped drastically improve my skills with automobiles and I am sure that this will help me with various automobile projects in college.

I leave you now, with a few pictures from the past few days. Ciao!

Automobile Internship – 04/08/2013

Okay it’s been over a week since I joined, but since I started posting late, here’s Day 3.

I started today after a three day break due to the weekend and stop weather. As I entered, Sixen had just brought in a Peugeot 3008 from the yard. We were assigned to repair the turbocharger. What seemed like a simple job (only the dump valve had to be replaced), took over 2 hours as we quickly found out that the turbocharger’s chutes were leaking and the entire thing needed replacing. Fortunately, the car was still under warranty, else it would have cost the owner a pretty penny. So, I replaced the dump valve while Sixen performed the more complex repairs and we were good to go by around 12.00 noon. We then filled out the particulars of the repairs performed on the vehicle’s job card and soon left for our lunch break.

We returned an hour later to find a Peugeot 307 requiring our attention. We quickly repaired the car’s radio and moved on to the other repairs. Soon, we realized that this car required a complete BSI checkup and fault diagnosis. So, I brought the repairs laptop along and off we were. By about 3 pm, we were done. Soon after, my father arrived and I left with him.

Here are a couple of pictures from today.

Automobile Internship – 04/04/2013

Today was a mild day at work. Thursday being a half day, I got off early at around 1.oo pm. However, today marked a landmark in my internship experience. It was the first time that I was allowed to do unsupervised work.

A Peugeot 206 required an AC repair and this called for the dashboard to be removed from the car. Fresh from my experience of opening the dashboard of another 206 yesterday, I volunteered to do the job. Sure, I exceeded the 40 minute time limit allowed for preliminary repairs, but I was allowed to go on since it was my first solo experience. I really enjoyed doing it and I leave you now with some pictures from the job.

Friday is an off day for work so I will see you all on Saturday!

The untouched dash.

My tools.

Work in progress. Detaching the center console.

Without the dashboard and steering wheel.

My handiwork! The detached dashboard is on the bottom right.

Automobile Internship – 04/03/2013

3.2.1. I am back!

My board examinations have ended and I am done with school!

Recently, I have begun an internship at the service center of one of the largest automobile dealership in the UAE, which primarily sells Peugeot cars. However, the service center also operates on most major European cars.

Through this internship, I aim to gain experience in working with vehicles so that I am better prepared for automobile related projects that I plan to undertake in college, such as FSAE and renewable energy related ventures.

Starting today, I have decided to post daily updates of the work I do at the service center. I do all my work under supervision of technicians and mechanics at the facility.

So here goes…

DAY 1

I started at 9.30 this morning with a simple fuel pump replacement on a 2009 Peugeot 206.

Second, we received a Peugeot 508 sedan with a litany of repairs to be performed. My assigned technician, Sixen, and I replaced the leaking water pump and installed a new fuse box as the previous one was smoked.

At a few minutes to 12.00 noon, I went over to another part of the workshop and observed a mechanic perform a rather tedious clutch repair on a bulletproof Peugeot Boxcar. It was fascinating to lift the car and get under the engine. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to physically take part in such a complex operation.

After lunch, I began some real work. Sixen and I opened up the dashboard of a 2008 Peugeot 206 to fish for a parking card lost by the owner inside the dash. It was fascinating to actually put myself to work on such a project and I learnt a lot by way of practice. Sixen made me do most of the work and explained the use of each tool while I did so. After taking out the card, I put the dash back on and left soon after, around 3.30 pm. I took some pictures during the work, and have posted them below.

Hope you enjoyed this first post and stay tuned for daily updates through April and May.

The bare front of the car without the dashboard.

The detached dashboard.

The detached steering wheel.