Last updated: November 7, 2026 – By Eddie Brennan
November 2026 update: confirmed current ASE certification areas and refreshed the shop-history details behind the diagnostic guides.
I spent eleven years on my back under other people’s cars, and most of that time was spent chasing noises. A clunk that only shows up over speed bumps, a check-engine light that clears itself, a shimmy at 60 that’s gone by 65. That’s the work I write about here – not what a repair should cost, but what’s actually wrong and why the shop is telling you what they’re telling you.
From 2012 to 2023 I worked as a technician at an independent multi-bay shop in Columbus, Ohio. Brakes, suspension, alignment, and electrical diagnostics were my bread and butter – the check-engine-light jobs nobody else in the bay wanted because they take patience instead of muscle. I’m ASE Master Certified, and the certs that matter most for what I write here are A1 (Engine Repair), A4 (Suspension & Steering), A5 (Brakes), and A6 (Electrical/Electronic Systems).
In 2023 my back finally told me it was done. Years of leaning over fenders and wrestling seized bolts on a creeper made full days under a car something I couldn’t keep up, so I moved into writing full time. I miss the bay more than I expected to. What I don’t miss is the rust.
The clunk I misdiagnosed for three months
Here’s the one I lead with, because a certified tech isn’t supposed to whiff this. My Outback had a click that only showed up in hard left turns, and I blamed a loose heat shield for three months. It was a CV joint. By the time I actually pulled the wheel and looked, the play had worked its way into the wheel bearing too, so a $200 job became a much longer weekend. That’s why I push people to get odd noises looked at early instead of explaining them away – even the guy who’s supposed to know can talk himself out of the obvious answer when the symptom only shows up sideways.
What I drive
My high-mileage teacher is a 2015 Subaru Outback with over 250,000 miles on it. It’s the car I reach for whenever I’m writing about wear items – CV joints, wheel bearings, control-arm bushings – because it has failed just about all of them on schedule. My daily and tow rig is a 2020 Ford F-150, which is my domestic-truck counterpoint whenever a topic splits differently for body-on-frame trucks than it does for a unibody wagon.
How I keep this honest
I take no referral fees and have no advertising relationship with any shop, chain, or parts brand I write about. When I tell you a symptom usually points to one part, it’s because I’ve replaced that part a hundred times, not because someone’s paying for the mention. And when a diagnosis really could go two ways, I say so – half of good diagnostic writing is admitting where the easy answer might be wrong.
I handle the repair and diagnostic side of this site: brakes, suspension, alignment, check-engine-light and electrical work, and the “why is this more expensive than the quote next door” technical explanations. For the pricing, coupon, and chain-comparison pages, that’s my colleague Diane Holcomb, who came up through the service desk and handles the money side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Eddie Brennan’s qualifications?
I worked 11 years (2012–2023) as a technician at an independent multi-bay shop in Columbus, Ohio, focused on brakes, suspension, alignment, and electrical diagnostics. I’m ASE Master Certified, holding A1 (Engine Repair), A4 (Suspension & Steering), A5 (Brakes), and A6 (Electrical/Electronic Systems) among my certifications. That’s hands-on repair experience backed by formal certification, which is why I write the diagnostic and repair-technique pages rather than the pricing ones.
What does ASE Master Certified actually mean?
ASE stands for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, and its certifications are earned by passing standardized exams and proving hands-on work experience. “Master” status means passing the full series of core automobile tests – A1 through A8 – not just one. Certifications also have to be renewed periodically, so they reflect current knowledge rather than a one-time pass. It’s the closest thing the trade has to a recognized credential, and it’s why I can put specific cert areas next to the topics I cover.
Why does Eddie write repairs but not prices?
Diagnosis and pricing are truly different skills. I spent my career figuring out what’s wrong and fixing it, so I write the pages about symptoms, diagnostics, and repair technique. Diane Holcomb spent hers writing estimates and delivering them to customers, so she handles the cost and chain-comparison pages. Keeping each of us to what we actually did day to day means you’re reading someone who’s done the specific thing, not a generalist guessing at both.
Does Eddie take money from parts brands or shops?
No. I take no referral fees and have no advertising or affiliate arrangement with any shop, chain, or parts manufacturer I mention. When I say a symptom usually means a specific part, that’s from replacing it repeatedly in the bay, not from a sponsorship. It also means I’ll tell you when a repair is one you can reasonably do yourself and skip the shop entirely.
Can a certified technician still misdiagnose a car?
Absolutely, and I lead my About page with a time I did exactly that – I blamed a heat shield for three months when it was a failing CV joint, and the delay let a wheel bearing go too. Intermittent symptoms that only appear under specific conditions are the hardest to pin down, even with training. That experience is the whole reason I tell readers to get strange noises checked early rather than rationalizing them away, and why my diagnostic pages always list the second and third likeliest causes, not just the obvious one.
What cars does Eddie drive?
A 2015 Subaru Outback with over 250,000 miles, which is my go-to example for wear items because it has worn out nearly all of them, and a 2020 Ford F-150 that’s my daily driver and tow vehicle. The Subaru covers the unibody, high-mileage angle and the F-150 covers body-on-frame trucks, so between them I can speak to how a repair differs across two very different platforms.
How do I reach Eddie or ask about a specific noise?
Use the contact page. If you can describe when the symptom happens – which speed, which direction, cold or warm, braking or coasting – that detail is usually what separates a good guess from a bad one, and it’s often what turns into the next diagnostic article here.
Sources
Author background and certification areas verified and current as of November 7, 2026. Technical claims on individual articles are supported by the sources linked on each page.
- National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) – certification standards
- Your Best Deals editorial standards and no-referral-fee policy
Related Guides
- About Diane Holcomb – cost and pricing author
- About Your Best Deals – how we verify our work
- Contact us or describe a symptom
Eddie Brennan is an ASE Master Certified technician who spent 11 years at an independent shop in Columbus, OH, working brakes, suspension, and electrical diagnostics before moving to writing full time in 2023. He writes the repair and diagnostic guides on Your Best Deals and takes no referral fees. He drives a 250,000-mile 2015 Subaru Outback and a 2020 Ford F-150.