Company History

High Tech Auto and Farm Repair was started in 2007 by Steve and Jessica Porter, and Steve’s father, Gene Porter. They recognized a need in the area for a repair facility that could repair new, computerized vehicles as well as farm equipment. Their goals are to bring quality work and honesty with competitive prices to the Christmas Valley area.

Our Staff

Gene Porter is the owner of High Tech Auto and Farm Repair. Gene has owned and operated The Porter Ranch for more that 20 years. He spends most of his time on his semi truck hauling hay to customers all over the Pacific Northwest.

Steve Porter is the head technician and shop manager at High Tech. He has experience as a technician in the industry as well as a shop manager and enjoys the challenge of diagnosing today’s vehicles. Steve is an ASE certified Master Automotive Technician (See below to find out what the means), and has been certified by the E.P.A. to perform air conditioning service work. He has recently become an Accredited Automotive Manager certified by the Automotive Management Institute. Steve has also been trained in beginning hybrid service and maintenance.

Jessica Porter is the office manager, accountant, and webmaster. Jessica has owned her own business and has worked in the graphic/web design industry, and enjoys working with her husband, Steve (See above!).

Certifications

ASE is an organization that certifies automotive technicians to help ensure that they are qualified to diagnose and repair today’s advanced cars. In order to be ASE certified a technician must complete over 3500 hours of training as well as pass tests developed by ASE. After a technician has met the training requirements and have passed the eight ASE tests covering the different areas of automotive repair, they then become a Master Technician. Steve has earned his Master Certification. Click for more information about ASE certification.

The Environmental Protection Agency requires that any person involved with servicing and/or repairing air conditioning systems be trained and pass a test proctored by the EPA. This ensures that they are qualified to service and repair a/c systems, and handle the refrigerants. Steve has been trained in this area, and has passed the test to become certified by the EPA to service and repair A/C systems. Click here for more information about EPA certification.

The Automotive Management Institute is an organization that provides information and training to today’s automotive managers. To become an Accredited Automotive Manager one must complete 120 credits of training provided by AMI. Steve has completed the requirements and become and Accredited Automotive Manager. For more information click here http://www.amionline.org/.

Craig Van Batenburg is the industry leader in hybrid training and the founder of AC/DC, which is a hybrid training school. Craig offers several classes dealing with hybrid service and maintenance. Steve has attended the first class and plans to attend the others. For more information click here http://www.auto-careers.org/.

Education

Our shop manager and head technician has an A.S. degree in Automotive Technology from Walla Walla College and has taken two additional years of business classes. This gives him an edge when it comes to diagnosing and repairing modern vehicles as well as running a business and dealing with customers.

Equipment

High Tech Auto and Farm Repair uses the newest technology to diagnose and repair today’s computerized vehicles. Here are just a few of our specialized tools:

OTC Scan Tool
With this tool we can read engine, transmission, abs, and airbag codes, look at each individual sensor and it’s values to see whether they are within range, and various other functions to help us diagnose computer and sensor problems

OTC 4 Channel Lab Scope
We can hook this tool into almost any sensor on a vehicle to see if it is functioning properly by reading waveforms, checking voltages, amperages, and ohms as well as analyzing ignition systems and other electrical problems.

Vehicle Information Systems
We have access to factory repair manuals for every vehicle from 1982 until now. This makes it easy to find wiring diagrams, specifications ranging from brake rotor thickness to bolt torque on any bolt on the car. We can also get Technical Service Bulletins and recall information on any car within their range.

Brake Lathe
We have the ability to resurface virtually any rotor or drum available in a matter of minutes. This machine will resurface rotors by shaving off thousandths of an inch of material at a time, taking off only as much as needed to give you the smoothest of braking.

Hand Tools
Most vehicles require various specialized tools for servicing the particular vehicle. We have these tools available and ready to use.

Fuel Injection Tools
Fuel injection systems are getting more complicated along with everything else on the new cars, this requires extra tools. We have up to date fuel injection testing tools at our finger tips.

Exhaust Gas Analyzer
One of the easiest ways to diagnose many driveability problems is to see what the exhaust gas readings are compared to the specifications. We have the ability to do this using our analyzer.