The Master Installation Technician Study Guide

The much-anticipated MECP Master Installation Technician Study Guide is here! Check out our new informational video highlighting the Study Guide.

To order a Master Installation Technician Study Guide, visit www.MECP.com today! Remember that to take the Master exam: you need at least three years of hands-on, documented experience and an existing MECP Advanced Installation Technician certificate. Even if you are just interested in a comprehensive shop reference manual, you will find the MECP Master Installation Technician Study Guide to be an invaluable resource.

What's in the Study Guide?

Chapter One - Electrical
The first chapter, like all MECP technician study guides, is on electrical topics including components and vehicle electrical applications. Zener diodes, transistors, FETs, op-amp ICs, logic gates, and switching power supplies are part of the components in this guide. These are all important elements found in our aftermarket equipment and in modern vehicles. Since ASE’s A6 electrical exam has many of these topics as well, MECP felt that our industry’s technicians should have at least as much knowledge as those individuals because you work on so many different types of vehicles and the Master Certified Installation Technician credential is one way to demonstrate that knowledge to employers, vendors and especially retail customers.

Other topics in chapter one include data bus and multimedia networks, hybrid gas-electric vehicles, drive by wire technologies, and reading/understanding vehicle service manuals (with a focus on reading schematics and diagnosing vehicle electrical problems). Many people in the industry say that installation and troubleshooting on the electrical side of the business has not advanced at the pace of the fabrication, so this and other topic specific areas of other chapters were created to address that.

Chapter Two – Installation Knowledge and Technique
The second chapter is perhaps one of the largest chapters, mainly because there is so much to cover in this area. Safety is a big part of the Master level, particularly because Master level technicians are called upon not only to do top notch work, but also to monitor other technicians on a day-to-day basis. Good examples should be set and maintained by the Master Certified Installation Technician. There is high value to the retailer in that part alone. The technical contributors have included many best practices that are either OSHA compliant or simply good work habits for today’s retailers.

A very comprehensive section on plastics and integration of plastics is part of this chapter as well as covering all of the fabrication tools and supplies in a Master level shop in detail. Vehicle electrical measurements with a DMM, oscilloscope, and Hall-Effect current clamp as well as vehicle construction methods and the related hardware or engineering are also part of this chapter. This is the chapter where the “rubber meets the road” so to speak.

Chapter Three – Mobile Audio/Video Systems
The third chapter focuses heavily on the core of what our industry is about, making technology entertaining for the user. A heavy emphasis on the components of sound is part of this chapter including the placement and tuning of those components in the vehicle. What speaker and measurement parameters actually mean and how to interpret them for system design and/or improvement is key to making entertainment improvements for the customer’s vehicle.

OEM integration has become an important part of the Master Level Technician’s job so you will find extensive information about this topic in Chapter Three. Everything from a general overview of different integration device categories to a breakdown of audio and video integration challenges are presented. No matter how much you know or how long you have been in the industry, this section will remind you why you call yourself a specialist.

In addition to these topics, there is also coverage of new media formats (including Digital Rights Management schemes), portable media devices, and even and in-car computing section. Anyone at the Master level needs to have a command of these topics to truly enhance the entertainment value of their customer’s vehicles. Just “bolting the stuff in” anymore, even if it looks pretty, is just not enough to be considered a Master.

Chapter Four – Security and Convenience Systems
The fourth chapter in this study guide is focused on transponder systems, advanced circuit applications, and the mess of quirky things any Master Installation Technician has had to learn and figure out. This section also contains key troubleshooting subjects for many of the topics covered throughout the chapter. Needless to say, exam contents heavily rely upon someone’s actual experience in the installation bay.

Chapter Five – In-Vehicle Information Systems
The fifth and final chapter is chocked full of the things that make our business both exciting and legitimate to a broad range of consumers. From national FMVSS standards that affect our installation policies to new technologies like Bluetooth, HD Radio, and satellite delivered traffic services, chapter five is the important part of our business that fuels diversity, understanding, and future growth opportunity. The professional workforce with MECP Master level credentials should also be able to take us there!