“That’s one of the things I like most about the automotive industry” explains Bill Nalu, owner of Interstate Auto Care in Madison Heights, Michigan. “You get the opportunity to break something in an attempt to fix it. That’s something you don’t always hear about today.”
In fact, it was a failed attempt in buying a car that propelled Bill into the automotive industry.
“The week of my 16th birthday, my father and I went shopping at a used car lot. He knew nothing about cars and I knew even less than that, but I had two cars to choose from within my $1,500 budget: a ‘74 Ford Pinto or a ‘75 Dodge Dart. So I did what any ‘wise’ 16-year-old does and chose the two door.”
More Mechanic Stories:
On the way home, the car broke down, just two miles from their house. And despite eight months of bagging groceries to pay his father back, the car never really ran long enough for him to rely on it. It was a lesson steeped in the value and importance of trust, and what’s led Bill to make trust one of the foundations of his business today.
“Trust is not like baseball. You don’t have 3 strikes and you’re out. Trust is a privilege.” It’s that mentality that’s led to customers returning to his shop for 10, 15, or even 20+ years. “When a customer comes in to just have a cup of coffee and chat because they were in the neighborhood, and they don’t even need work done on their car, that’s the biggest compliment we can get.”
“Customer service is one of the most underutilized talents in the auto service industry."
It’s critical that his customers feel comfortable with him, his staff, and the work they do, which is why Bill takes new patrons on a tour of the garage, introducing them to the team behind the scenes who will be working on their cars, and why he does annual inspections for each of the vehicles they work on.
“Customer service is one of the most underutilized talents in the auto service industry,” says Bill.
“The modern automobile is the most important consumer product in the universe. Everything, from the newest cell phone technology to electronics, is included in today’s modern engines.” Customers should trust that the folks working on their vehicles know how to fix any problems, inside and out, because when it comes to trust, that’s an area where failure is unacceptable. It’s why Bill and his team only use products they, as auto service professionals, trust themselves.
“There’s something to be said about a product that works."
“There’s something to be said about a product that works. You know it worked 30 years ago and you know works now.” Bill trusts Techron to treat his customers’ cars with care and to keep their fuel systems running efficiently. “Preventative maintenance is such an important factor these days,” he explains. “Today’s vehicles are more stingy with fuel, and with the pressure to increase fuel economy standards, decarbonization is so critical. It’s easy fixes like these, and products like Techron, that are so important to the longevity of your car, which is designed to keep you on the road for hundreds of thousands of miles.”
To learn more about Techron, visit www.techronclean.com.