Calgary tech wins his second Subaru competition in three years.

Lee Harrison, a technician with Subaru of Calgary, was recently named the winner of Subaru Canada’s 2010 Technician Recognition Competition, which took place at the company’s Mississauga, Ont. Canadian headquarters.

Harrison – a grand master technician and winner of the 2007 competition – was awarded $2,000, a Dell Mini 10 Netbook and an OTC Video Scope from SPX Canada.

Finishing second was Chris Grewcutt of Don Docksteader Motors Ltd. in Vancouver. In his debut appearance at the competition, Gewcutt received $1,000 and the designation of Master Technician.

Third was Steven Smale from Fox Subaru Fredericton. Smale is another competition veteran, having finished in first place in 2008. He took home $500.

“Subaru has worked hard to provide an effective combination of online and classroom learning opportunities for our technicians, says Dean Phillips, manager, technical training, aftersales. “The technicians are clearly taking full advantage of the training, and that’s excellent news for our customers from coast to coast.” The 12 finalists earned the right to take part in this year’s competition by receiving top marks in a series of written tests. They were then invited to Toronto to compete head-to-head in a hands-on competition in which each had to diagnose and correct identical malfunctions installed on identical vehicles. The pre-installed faults included difficulties from the full range of vehicle operating systems: starting, charging, ignition, fuel and emissions control system, engine management, brakes, electrical, and HVAC.

“The written tests are an important first step in establishing who might have the right to claim Master Technician status,” says Shiro Ohta, chairman, president and CEO of Subaru Canada “But the true test comes during the half-day trouble-shooting competition in which they face a series of real problems on a real car with limited time. It’s the kind of challenge they face every day in the dealership.”

In addition to the contestants’ success in finding and repairing the faults in the allotted time, the judges awarded points based on their workmanship, speed, accuracy, neatness, and safety practices. All competitors received an Ingersoll Rand titanium impact wrench worth $400.