Training and Resources

Sign up for Scott Brown’s in-person training today!

June 2, 2022

Scott Brown will present on ENGINE CONTROLLER CALIBRATIONS at the Motor Age Accelerate event on Oct.15. Be sure to get signed up!

Brandon Steckler

Contrary to popular belief, computers are not at all smart. They are simply very efficient at processing a lot of data swiftly and are simply programmed to respond with a specific output or multiple outputs. Join Scott Brown, as he takes us deep inside the ECUs of today’s modern vehicles, all the way down to the software level.

Scott will be using sophisticated, high-performance tuner software and tooling. This will allow him to demonstrate and share examples of how the calibration tables, functions, and constants within the software can provide a deeper understanding for the diagnostician, of how the calibration engineer uses the controller. Functions like the management of air-fuel ratio, torque output, catalyst warm-up, noise/vibration/harshness, power enrichment, emissions, boost, and overall driveability will be explored heavily.

This deeper level of understanding will serve driveability technicians well and will provide insight into the strategies in place, in the modern vehicles we are now challenged with. The driveability technicians will realize how much of an asset it is, to have access to this information and especially those who have come to appreciate charting and plotting data and documenting their work.

Register today for the Motor Age Accelerate in-person training event to hear from Brown, Pete Meier, Brandon Steckler, and other industry experts. The event is taking place Oct.15 in Rosemont, Ill.

Make sure to register before June 30 to get the early bird rate!

About the Author

Brandon Steckler | Technical Editor | Motor Age

Brandon began his career in Northampton County Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was a student of GM’s Automotive Service Educational program. In 2001, he graduated top of his class and earned the GM Leadership award for his efforts. He later began working as a technician at a Saturn dealership in Reading, Pennsylvania, where he quickly attained Master Technician status. He later transitioned to working with Hondas, where he aggressively worked to attain another Master Technician status.

Always having a passion for a full understanding of system/component functionality, he rapidly earned a reputation for deciphering strange failures at an efficient pace and became known as an information specialist among the staff and peers at the dealership. In search of new challenges, he transitioned away from the dealership and to the independent world, where he specialized in diagnostics and driveability.

Today, he is an instructor with both Carquest Technical Institute and Worldpac Training Institute. Along with beta testing for Automotive Test Solutions, he develops curriculum/submits case studies for educational purposes. Through Steckler Automotive Technical Services, LLC., Brandon also provides telephone and live technical support, as well as private training, for technicians all across the world.

Brandon holds ASE certifications A1-A9 as well as C1 (Service Consultant). He is certified as an Advanced Level Specialist in L1 (Advanced Engine Performance), L2 (Advanced Diesel Engine Performance), L3 (Hybrid/EV Specialist), L4 (ADAS) and xEV-Level 2 (Technician electrical safety).

He contributes weekly to Facebook automotive chat groups, has authored several books and classes, and truly enjoys traveling across the globe to help other technicians attain a level of understanding that will serve them well throughout their careers.