Advice for all you car people!

I'm also a self taught learned the hard way old school backyard mechanic. While I did work in the trade for a number of years, I never got licensed or took an apprenticeship. The shop I worked in had NO special factory tools, we figured **** out for ourselves, and we shared our knowledge with each other, much like so many members here do. I remember when we got our first code reader, and how expensive it was, but it was necessary if we wanted to stay in business and service the newer vehicles that our clientele was beginning to bring in.