Earning the title of Automotive Service Excellence World-Class Technician** is no small accomplishment. To be recognized as World Class, these individuals have obtained ASE certification in 22 specialty areas: A1-A8 (automotive), T1-T8 (medium/heavy truck), B2-B5 (collision repair), and L1-L2 (advanced).
Not only is achieving certification in these areas impressive, but as of 2026, only 2,000 technicians have achieved World Class status.
In this Q&A, Motor Age sat down with Jeremy Stillman—an ASE World Class technician at Andrews Cadillac in Brentwood, Tennessee—to learn more about his journey in the automotive industry and how gaining World-Class status has helped advance his career.
Motor Age: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your experience in the automotive industry.
Jeremy Stillman: I worked at an independent shop for seven years before transitioning to a General Motor (GM) dealership. I went after GM training aggressively and became GM World Class certified within a year.
I have spent over 14 years in automotive repair, specializing in electric vehicles, diesel, and electrical diagnosis. I have worked on everything from race cars and rock crawlers to fully electric Escalades. I achieved ASE World Class status at age 34 in 2025.
Motor Age: What's the most memorable repair you've ever completed?
Stillman: I had a brand-new Escalade that was setting communication codes, and the vehicle would go idle while driving. I monitored the high-speed data voltages and noticed them under load. While driving, the voltages would go to zero.
After testing all the circuits, I eventually found that the terminating resistor was not properly installed in its push-pin location. It was hanging down about five inches near the spare tire. When under load, the exhaust would touch the high-speed data wires at the terminating resistor and ground out the data line. After repairing the wires and securing the terminating resistor in its location, the issue was rectified.
Motor Age: Tell us one thing about you that we can't guess from your certifications.
Stillman: I road course race my 2019 Camaro ZL1. I race it at tracks like Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
I love tinkering and have always enjoyed building computers or guns. When I was a kid, I would build remote-controlled helicopters and would participate in competitions for flying them.
Motor Age: What automotive technology trend are you most excited about/ most concerned about?
Stillman: I transitioned to the dealership world because I love new technology in vehicles. I personally drive an electric Cadillac Escalade IQ that has 500 miles of range and is self-driving. The tech behind it is amazing.
I'm most concerned about losing high-horsepower gasoline-powered vehicles. This is because most manufacturers are transitioning to blended hybrid powertrains. The industry is evolving to more computers and software controlling these systems. In other words, this is better for comforts and conveniences, but it can also be extremely complex to diagnose.
Motor Age: How has ASE certification helped advance your career?
Stillman: ASE certifications have given me something to strive towards and further my education. ASE World Class was not a requirement at my dealership; however, I’ve always loved pushing myself, so I decided to go after it.
Being certified has made me a shop leader and a person that people come to. There is more customer trust when an advisor can tell the customer that a World Class technician worked on their vehicle.
