Honest Garage Podcast

Priscilla Vera did not come into automotive through the traditional technician path. She came in as an entrepreneur with a business background, saw a growing need in hybrid and EV repair, and helped turn a side hustle rebuilding hybrid batteries into a specialized shop serving Tucson drivers. In this episode, Priscilla shares how Tucson Hybrids began in 2016 when her husband, David, started rebuil...

Matt May did not come into auto repair as a technician. He came in as a businessman with a background in science, manufacturing, and the pharmaceutical industry. That outside perspective changed the way he looked at the shop from day one. Matt is the owner of Village Motor Works in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, operating out of a historic building that dates back to the 1940s. The shop focuses...

Abraham Chavez grew up in the family shop, learning the business from the ground up. Sweeping floors, cleaning parts, helping in the shop, moving into sales and service advising, then eventually stepping into ownership. But his story did not stop with one location. Today, Abraham owns Griffin's Auto Repair, Dieter's European Auto Repair, and Joe Jr's in San Diego, California. In this episode, he s...

Brian Weeks grew up inside the automotive business. His grandfather was building transmissions in the 1950s, the family business started in 1972, and Brian was around cars, racing, and the shop long before he ever became an owner. But the real leadership story starts in 1998, when Brian, his brother Chris, and their cousin walked into work on a Monday morning and realized the previous generation w...

Coralee Zueff knows the service advisor role from the inside. She has lived the pressure of the counter, the technician handoffs, the customer questions, the price objections, the phones, the texts, the parts delays, and the constant juggling act that most shop owners do not always see. In this Expert Spotlight episode, David and Paul sit down with Coralee Zueff, award-winning master service advis...

Trent Sweitzer and Noah Warner are not trying to prove that one honest repair shop can survive. They are trying to prove that an automotive company can grow to serious scale without pressure selling, unnecessary repairs, or the kind of upselling that has damaged trust in the industry for years. Trent and Noah are co-owners of Summit Integrity Auto Repair, serving the Kansas City Metro through loca...

Todd Compton's path into the automotive industry started long before he opened his own shop. His dad worked around racing fuel, Todd grew up wrenching on go-karts and C10s, and by high school he was already getting his hands dirty in shops and community college automotive classes. In this episode, Todd shares how that early exposure turned into a career through the dealership world, including GM t...

Marshall Atkinson's story is a reminder that a great operator does not always start as the owner. Sometimes they grow into the role by caring enough to take ownership before the title ever catches up. Marshall manages Neal's Garage in Durham, North Carolina, a long-standing independent shop that has served the community since 1950. After serving in the Air Force, Marshall came into the business th...

Most shop owners ask whether their marketing is working. Jay Power wants them to ask a sharper question: is the shop actually catching the opportunity that marketing already created? In this Expert Spotlight episode, David and Paul sit down with Jay Power, CEO of Oktorocket, to talk about one of the most expensive blind spots in auto repair: what happens between the phone ringing, the advisor answ...

EVs are already showing up in independent repair shops, but Tom Pacheco is not here to scare owners into becoming an EV specialty shop overnight. His message is more practical than that: start with safety, train your people, and build readiness before the wrong vehicle rolls into the bay. In this Expert Spotlight episode, David and Paul sit down with Tom Pacheco, founder of ZEVTech Consulting and...

Shawn Gilfillan's story is not polished, easy, or overnight. It is busted knuckles, hard lessons, bad hires, a major injury, personal setbacks, and the decision to keep growing anyway. Shawn is the owner of Automotive Magic and Magic Lube and Rubber in New Jersey. Together, the two businesses create a smart split. Automotive Magic handles the heavier repair work, while Magic Lube and Rubber focuse...

Eric Newton is a second generation shop owner, but his story is not about being handed a business. It is about earning a seat at the table, surviving hard seasons, and then stepping into leadership at the exact moment the shop entered a new chapter. Eric is the second generation owner at Curt's Auto Repair in Phoenix, Arizona, a long standing shop known for honest diagnostics, diesel work, brakes,...

Chris Keefer did not grow up planning to be a career tech or a shop owner. He was a BMW enthusiast who knew enough HTML in the early 2000s to make a trade with a local BMW shop. Let him work on his car a few days a week, and he would build them a website. He never left. In this episode, Chris shares how a German trained mentor shaped his standards, including a lesson that still drives his leadersh...

Brandon Stapley started where a lot of real shop stories start, turning wrenches in his dad's backyard, then grinding through side work and a rough two bay setup tied to a construction yard in the Arizona heat. When that yard went away, Brandon had to make a decision. Fade out or build something real. Today Brandon runs multiple brands in Arizona, including Stapley's Garage in Mesa and Stapley Car...

Todd Santos did not take the typical straight line into shop leadership. He learned the trade, learned the front counter, and learned what a shop should never feel like for a customer. That mix shaped how he runs the day to day at Ken's Auto Center in San Diego, serving the Mira Mesa and Miramar area since 1999. In this episode, Todd gets specific about what changed everything for their customer e...

Julio Campos has built Dragonfly Automotive in San Diego by obsessing over the things most shops treat as "extras." Communication that is clear. A customer experience that feels intentional. A team that is trained and developed, not just thrown into the fire. In this episode, Julio shares what has actually helped Dragonfly grow in a competitive market like San Diego. He talks about creating a prem...

Alex Rodriguez built Euro Cars Southend around a clear promise. If you own a European vehicle and you want it serviced the right way, you should not have to settle for guesswork, vague answers, or a rushed experience.   In this episode, Alex shares how he developed a specialist mindset and why focusing on European platforms changes everything. The tooling, the training, the diagnostic approach, an...

Brian Parada did not grow up thinking he would own an auto repair shop. He came in through business school, lawnmower engines, corporate tire stores, and a long stretch of learning how the industry really works when you are the one responsible for the customer and the outcome. Today Brian leads AutoTek Automotive Service and Repair in Raleigh, North Carolina, and in this conversation he gets real...

Brandon Todd built his entire brand around a promise most shops are afraid to make out loud. Be the honest mechanic people hope they find when they are stressed, busy, and do not know who to trust. Brandon is the owner of My Honest Mechanic in Concord, North Carolina, and in this episode he shares how the name became a mission, not a slogan. He talks about seeing corruption in the industry and ref...

Curt Morgan started Shadow Mountain Auto Service in Phoenix in 2008 with a simple motto: Character counts. In this episode, Curt explains how he has spent nearly two decades proving that character, kindness, and profitability can live in the same shop. This conversation goes deeper than tactics. Curt shares how emotional intelligence shows up in leadership, how to build a team where people actuall...

Greg Miller knows something most shops learn the hard way, fixing cars is only half the job. The other half is building a customer experience that earns the next appointment. Greg is the owner of Figs Auto Repair in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in this episode he breaks down the practical habits that turn one time callers into long term regulars. He talks about why they do a full inspection on e...

Les Aliff has the kind of story shop owners respect because it is built on reps, not hype. He came up through the work, learned what customers actually need when they are stressed and confused, and built Youngsville Auto Care into a shop that wins through clarity, consistency, and doing the right thing when it would be easier to rush. In this episode, Les shares what he believes separates a good s...

Michael Grueneich built Providence Auto Care with a clear mission: take care of people, not just vehicles. In this episode, Michael shares how his faith and family values shape the way the shop operates day to day, from how they communicate, to how they handle tough conversations, to how they train the team to do what is right even when it is inconvenient. He talks about building trust the slow wa...

Mitch Krstovski did not enter this industry through the usual path. He studied business, lived abroad, spent time in New Zealand, and earned an MBA through MIT while based in Shanghai. He was on track for a corporate career in China until life pulled him back home fast. His dad was fighting cancer, his brother was overwhelmed running the family dealership, and Mitch stepped in to help carry the lo...

Marcus McFall grew up in a tire store. He was the kid stacking inventory in the back, watching customers roll in for tires, and learning what makes a shop survive when the market shifts. Today Marcus owns McFall Tire and Auto Repair in the West Valley of Arizona, with two locations serving Goodyear, Avondale, and the surrounding communities. In this episode, he tells the real story behind keeping...