A young woman works under a car on a lift while a mechanic stands beside her.
Guide wanted

Weekend Mechanic: Brakes, Fluids and Diagnostics

Teach car owners to do their own maintenance on a real lift, with their own car.

6 weeksOne 3-hour session a weekAlongSide Garages, Southwest Philadelphia4–6 Members, two to a bay
Apply to teach this Course

The Course

Six weeks in a real lift bay, working on the Members' own cars. Each week covers one system end to end: what it does, how it fails, how to check it, and how to do the job right the first time. By the end, Members can handle the maintenance most people pay a shop for, and know which jobs to leave to a shop.

What Members walk away able to do

  • Lift a car safely and read what's under it
  • Change oil and filters, and check and top off every fluid
  • Inspect and replace brake pads and rotors, torqued to spec
  • Read a check engine code and confirm the cause before buying parts
  • Know which jobs to leave to a shop

Draft outline

A starting point. You shape the final version with us.

  1. Week 1 — Shop safety, lifting points, tools, and a full walk-around inspection
  2. Week 2 — Oil, filters and fluids
  3. Week 3 — Brakes I: inspection, pads and hardware
  4. Week 4 — Brakes II: rotors, calipers and bedding in
  5. Week 5 — Diagnostics: OBD2 codes, live data, vacuum and smoke checks
  6. Week 6 — Members bring a real job on their own car

Who we're looking for

  • A working or retired mechanic (ASE certification a plus)
  • Patience with true beginners
  • Comfortable running two bays at once

What AlongSide brings

We build the Course with you

You bring the know-how. We help shape the outline, write the checklists and handouts, and set the pacing.

A place to teach

Where it fits, the Course runs at an AlongSide Space — the Philadelphia garage, or the Linwood kitchen or gym.

Enrollment and payment handled

Members enroll and pay through AlongSide. Reminders and attendance are handled for you.

Members already asking

We promote the Course to people on AlongSide who have asked for this skill.

Already teach it? Bring it here

If you already run a Course on this subject, list it on AlongSide after a short review. It carries the AlongSide name and reaches our Members.

Pay agreed up front

Tuition, schedule and your share are agreed together before the Course launches.

How it works

  1. 1
    Apply

    Tell us about your experience. It takes about five minutes.

  2. 2
    Talk with us

    A short call about the Course, your schedule and how you teach.

  3. 3
    Audition

    Teach a 20-minute sample, either as a short video or live at an AlongSide Space.

  4. 4
    Build and launch

    We finish the Course with you, set the dates, and open enrollment.