In all business, trust is the best business!
Finally, I have a trusted mechanic. How bad does it suck when all of the sudden your car is making some outlandish sound similar to a garbage disposal, and you have no idea where to go? If you are like me, you can't trust a mechanic because they will overcharge you for work that you do NOT need, and they will charge you a ton of money for labor because the mechanics work off of commission.
Well, if you live anywhere near Dayton, OH, your worries are OVER! I found out last minute that I had to drive over five hours for a business meeting, and my car was in serious need of an oil change. Usually, I just go to Walmart, but their shop wasn't operating today, "CRAP!" So I Google shops around me, and I find this small little shop right up the street with great reviews: Kettering-Oakwood Automotive!
Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator
Let's start with the phone call. I call the shop, after reading some immaculate reviews, and Terry (who also happens to be the owner) greets me with a calm and attentive greeting. I am not sure what he said, but what I heard was this, "Hello there, I am here to help you with whatever you need, and I will do it with a smile." I literally thanked him immediately for such great service and scheduled an appointment. He made sure to get me in the same day so I was set for my trip. I immediately called my girlfriend to tell her about how pumped I was to meet this guy (not my usual reaction to getting work done on my car)!
A few hours later, I get to the shop, meet Terry (yes, he is awesome!), and they get to work on my car right away. I decided that I would wait on the car so that I could observe what goes on and see if I would want to come back in the future. I will definitely be back. First, I talked with Terry about how he acquired the shop. Come to find out, Terry has only had the place for two years. Before that he was working at a dealership (which is how he knows they charge way too much) and was also running a shop out of his house. The guy worked over 16 hours a day to get his own shop, you bet he wants to do a good job!
But Terry's story wasn't what hooked me. In the course of a little over a half-hour (way faster than Walmart), I got all of my fluids topped off, my tires filled with air and a full car inspection. But even better, I saw something I would never expect, the reason why I will always trust this shop. One of the mechanics walks into the room, and says to Terry, "I know it took a little extra time, but I found a way that we can fix this guys wiring. We can save him at least a couple hundred."
At this point, I am mind-blown that a shop is trying their best to save the customers money. Then, as I am sitting there in awe, a lady walks in and asks if the shop had an air pump so she could put air in her tires. Terry politely responds by saying "Just pull up to the third garage, and we will fill them up for you, no charge." Wow, she didn't even have to get out of the car. Is this place too good to be true?
I thought, maybe they don't have enough work or something. So I ask Terry how the business is going, and the guy has tons of business; he just knows how to effectively manage his time, keeps an awesome team of mechanics and genuinely cares about his customers. This guy is the best!
To sum it up, Kettering-Oakwood Automotive is a gem. As a writer, I feel personally responsible to inform our local community about such a valuable resource. Their prices are competitive, they only use the best products (full synthetic oil & fluids) and they even LOAN YOU A CAR while your work is being done. I now have a trustworthy mechanic, and nothing tops that peace of mind!
