(Updated June 29, 2012)
I was taught to care for my possessions. And the more expensive they are to obtain it makes sense to make those possessions last as long as possible.
Vehicles; cars, trucks, vans, etc. are costly to us common folks. The rich can afford to replace a vehicle with little thought.
I have to make my “rides” last as long as I can.
Here is the pride of my personal fleet of one vehicle; my 2004 Chevy Silverado.
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The only vehicle I have purchased new. I need to make it last ten or more years for various reasons. Twenty years would be best. Economics and common-sense requires me to make the truck last as long as possible.
One way to do that is by proper maintenance. Keep the oil changed when needed. Replace various fluids when required. Mostly simple things but there IS a right way to perform those tasks.
I used to be able to do the basic stuff myself but as I age it becomes more physically difficult to do and my present living quarters, my beloved shanty, lacks a garage or a concrete pad that would allow access to that needed to make those efforts possible.
So, with decades of experience under my belt, who do I trust to perform that needed maintenance?
Not just anybody!!! My decades of life experience has taught me much about the auto repair and maintenance industry and what constitutes a good shop.
Midwest Auto has proven to me, repeatedly, that not only do the folks there know what they are doing they DO IT!!!
I trust them with my truck.
Midwest Auto does all my maintenance and when repairs are needed they also perform those tasks.
Repeated experiences with Midwest Auto has proven to me that they are knowledgeable and want to ensure my truck is kept on the road and do so reliably and honestly.
For that reason I decided that Midwest Auto deserves recognition; a reward for regularly and constantly providing the service and customer satisfaction ALL such firms should provide.
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Midwest Auto is not a big shop. Maybe that helps account for the quality of their service. They are not overwhelmed by sheer numbers of customers and can provide real service instead of rushing just another customer order number through the system.
When I asked permission to take some pictures of the one place I trust my truck the owner and employees agreed. For various reasons I decided to leave out names; you can learn that yourself if you visit the one place I trust my truck with!!!
Above is the resident GMC vehicle expert whose vast knowledge of GMC vehicles is just what I need for my Chevy pick-up.
The most recent maintenance session led to flushing the brake fluid and replacing it with synthetic fluid.
I was shown the test instrument that indicated water contamination at a high level. Replacing the brake fluid now likely prevented a much more costly repair later and ensured my ability to stop when my foot presses down on the stop pedal.
Of course the technicians are busy but they do have the time to explain to their customers what needs done and why. No “sneakiness” at Midwest Auto. They are upfront with all they do. I typically wait in the customer waiting area and read. Unlike other facilities in the past I feel no need to hover close to my truck, watching to ensure nothing is being done to make the maintenance or repair more costly or that a “needed repair” was not actually created so as to increase revenue! That does happen in SOME places but I have seen NO evidence in ANY way of that ever happening at Midwest Auto.
That is one of many reasons I recommend to others to use the services of Midwest Auto.
Oh, for the record, I have no financial interests with Midwest Auto. I am not a personal friend with any of the employees nor the owner. I am friendly with all the folks there but our interactions are at the firm only and those are professional-interactions that are worker and/or owner/customer based.
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Above is a picture of a “project car” one of the technicians is working on.
On my most recent visit for maintenance (May 7, 2012) I was shown the new V8 engine inside.
It started immediately and the power of the all-aluminum engine could be felt as much as heard.
I will make a return trip in the near future to get some pictures of the engine and the interior.
I have noticed in the past that shops with the most talented technicians often have a nearby vehicle that is a personal project of one of the employees.
My last maintenance visit included viewing some pictures of a 1963 Chevy Impala restored by one of the technicians. It was a beauty receiving a super-high score by judges at a car show.
The shop is obviously a work-place but not slovenly or unkempt as some I have seen.
Here he is; the owner/manager of Midwest Auto.
He coordinates activities, ensures the needed parts, when actually needed, are ordered and all the other tasks that running a successful business requires.
He is often found out in the shop. I have noticed excellent communication between the technicians and the “captain of the ship”. That surely helps ensure the continued quality work of the entire firm.
And here’s my “farewell” picture as I return to my well-maintained truck which I readily entrust to Midwest Auto.
If you live in the Springfield/Nixa/Ozark area or nearby environs I highly recommend Midwest Auto.
They are located at the north-east corner of the Tracker Road/Hwy 160 interchange.
Hwy US 160 is also known as Missouri route 13 and, locally, as Massey Blvd.
How many names does one road need?
535 West Tracker Road, Nixa, Missouri.
(417) 725-1010
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(Begin Update)
Friday morning June 29, 2012. Another hot day atop the Ozark Plateau.
I jumped into the 2004 Chevy Silverado and headed for the grocery store to buy donuts.
Yummy donuts of many different shapes and topping and flavors.
A box of 12 was quickly reduced to a box of 11 as I munched on one while headed for Midwest Auto in Nixa, Missouri.
The truck did not need repair or maintained. Nope.
It was simply time to show some appreciation to the often under-appreciate vital people in the USA; the folks that keep the USA running.
Technicians of all types are critical to keeping our modern USA operating on a daily basis.
Folks who work on cars and trucks of many types and sizes. Aircraft mechanics and the folks who work on those massive locomotives.
Ships and appliances and electricians wiring a house.
A HUGE number of trades with working folks whose efforts make life better for all of us.
I believe more folks should drop by a job site where technicians do their job and often with little to no thanks.
I hereby proclaim June 29, 2012 as……..
Donuts for the Dudes Day
While at Midwest Auto I took some more pictures of the ongoing project. Keep scrolling for the latest about the official project car.
Next visit I will take a pen and paper and get the details such as model year, engine specs, etc.
My aging withered brain does not remember stuff like it used to.
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As the awesome project advances more pictures will be posted here.
