With gloved fingers, Malin Wick, 22, wipes the car hood with a cloth. Black lacquer is mirror-gloss.
– I always get a little pleasure from a freshly washed car, laughs the Ålesund woman.
She really knows her stuff. As one of the first in the country, he took the Diploma in Car Maintenance and scored high marks. Car maintenance is a completely new profession and by 2022 around 100 people will come to the professional test.
Malin polishes the car using a polishing machine.
Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / NRK
They are struggling to get a job
Wike first trained as a car painter, but found work hard to come by. When the opportunity came to earn another vocational certificate, she accepted the challenge.
– I wanted to pursue detailing, polishing and car maintenance all my life. Says the 22-year-old. Detailing is car maintenance at a high level.
Wike has been interested in cars since he was a teenager, and it was common among his group of friends to meet up to clean cars. Then rub, rub and rub and preferably take pictures afterwards.
Raise the level
Car maintenance has become an important part of the car industry, says Bjørn Nybø at the training office in Sunmore.
Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / NRK
John Paulsen, president of the Board of Vocational Education, followed Malin Wyck for three days to evaluate his work. He believes that the level of car maintenance will rise as it now becomes an education in its own right.
– It’s an incredible development with new techniques and products, says Paulsen. Cleaning a car isn’t just about soap and water, it’s about chemicals that meet strict HSE requirements.
– Car maintenance has become an important part of the operation in the car industry. The car dealership is big and all the cars have to be prepared by a car attendant, says Björn Nybo. He is the manager of the training office for automotive lessons in Sunmore. He also believes it is important to have talented people to accomplish this. Car maintenance is about chemistry and different techniques with different tools.
– It’s a big subject and storytelling has become a hobby for many young people, says Nybø.
John Paulson is chairman of the Board of Vocational Education Examinations. He was inspired by Malin Weeke’s work.
Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / NRK
– Do not machine wash
For Malin Weeke, sending his cars through the washing machine was unthinkable. It’s the worst thing you can do, she thinks.
– Instead take a little extra half an hour and go over the car by hand. Then you will save a lot of money and work in the future, says the 22-year-old. All you need at home to wash a wheel rim is a bucket of soapy water, a sponge and a garden hose, Weick says.
He owns two BMW cars. One was for summer use only, which she made and painted herself.
The 22-year-old is proud of his new vocational certificate and is happy to accept the dirtiest cars he can take care of.
– I am happy. I always think of the cars I get into as mine and I want to make them the best they can be,” Vic says.
Malin Vic likes to travel with her car to car shows. Here’s from an event in Chogndal where Vic won the 2000 Model of the Year award.
Photo: John M. Hammerwall
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