A B737-300 OVERNIGHT LAYOVER HAD A LOG RPT ON AUTOSLAT FAIL. ITEM WAS DEFERRED PER MAINT CTLR INCORRECTLY. DID NOT INDICATE WHAT SYS FAILED #1 OR #2.

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I DEADHEADED WITH MY FO ON FLT ZZZ-ZZZ1 TO OPERATE FLT ZZZ1-ZZZ THE FOLLOWING MORNING. UPON OUR ARR IN ZZZ1; WE WENT TO THE HOTEL VAN TO WAIT FOR THE CREW. THE CAPT WAS THE LAST TO SHOW UP AND THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS SAID HE WAS WRITING UP A MAINT ITEM. THEIR CAPT SHOWED UP AND SAID HE WROTE UP THE AUTOSLAT SYS. WE WOULD BE TAKING THAT ACFT IN THE MORNING. WE THEN WENT TO THE HOTEL. THE FOLLOWING MORNING WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE ACFT; I NOTICED ON PREFLT THAT THE PRIOR CAPT HAD ENTERED THE MEL INCORRECTLY IN THE LOGBOOK; AND IMPROPERLY DONE THE CORRECTIVE MAINT PROC. THE PRIOR CAPT DID NOT IDENT WHICH HALF OF THE AUTOSLAT SYS WAS INOP. HE ALSO DID NOT GO THROUGH THE COMPLETE MAINT PROC AND COLLAR THE DC CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE APPROPRIATE SIDE. THIS ALSO MEANS THAT THE MAINT TECHNICIAN HE RECEIVED THE SIGNOFF FROM IN ZZZ CTL DID NOTHING TO DIAGNOSE OR VERIFY THE CORRECT HALF OF THE SYS WITH HIM EITHER. WE WERE ON A DELAY FOR CREW REST; AND I CALLED MAINT CTL VIA ACR NET AND ADVISED THEM OF THE SIT. THEY CALLED A CONTRACT MAINT TECHNICIAN WHO CAME OUT TO SOLVE THE PROB. WHEN THE CONTRACT TECHNICIAN ARRIVED; WE WERE ABOUT 30 MINS PRIOR TO DEP AND 1/2 WAY THROUGH BOARDING. THE CONTRACT TECHNICIAN DID NOT SEEM TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS THERE TO FIX; SO I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD EVER WORKED ON BOEING ACFT BEFORE. HE REPLIED THAT HE HAD WORKED FOR ACR Y AIRLINES FOR 30 YRS. I STILL HAD MY DOUBTS WHEN HE HAD TO GET SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FROM ACR MAINT ON HIS CELL PHONE. HE COMPLETED THE PROC AND TESTED THE SYS. WE OBTAINED OUR FLOW TIME AND PUSHED BACK FOR START AND TAXI. PERFORMING OUR TAXI FLOW AND CHKS; WE NOTED THAT THE AUTOSLAT LIGHT ON THE OVERHEAD PANEL DID NOT EXTINGUISH WHEN THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT WAS PRESSED INDICATING THAT BOTH CHANNELS OF THE AUTOSLAT SYS WERE INOP. WE STOPPED ON THE TXWY AND CONTACTED MAINT CTL AGAIN. WE WENT THROUGH THE PROC WITH HIM AND FOUND THAT THE CONTRACT TECHNICIAN HAD COLLARED THE AUTOSLAT #2 DC CIRCUIT BREAKER BY MISTAKE. WE IDENTED THE #1 DC CIRCUIT BREAKERS AS THE INOP CHANNEL AND COLLARED INSTEAD AND CLRED THIS WITH MAINT. CONCLUSIONS: 1) THE PREVIOUS CAPT OF FLT SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN UP THE PROB AND NOTIFIED ACR MAINT PERIOD. HE HAD NO BUSINESS TRYING TO HAPHAZARDLY RUN THROUGH A PROC LIKE THAT AND RACE TO THE HOTEL VAN. HE UNNECESSARILY DELAYED AND JEOPARDIZED OUR OP THE NEXT DAY. MAINT WOULD HAVE HAD ALL NIGHT TO CORRECTLY DIAGNOSE THE PROB; WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE THEIR JOB. 2) THE MAINT TECHNICIAN THE PRIOR CAPT RECEIVED THE SIGNOFF FROM DID NOT PROPERLY GO THROUGH THE PROC WITH THE CAPT. IT GIVES A VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN MAINT CTL IF YOU ARE NOT SURE YOU ARE EVEN TALKING WITH A REAL MECH OR JUST SOMEONE WHO READS A FEW LINES FROM AN MEL BOOK AND PARROTS BACK THAT YOU CAN PASTE A COLORED STICKER OVER THE INDICATOR! THE RATIONAL ASSUMPTION IS THAT YOU CONTACT MAINT TO TALK TO A TECHNICIAN.