Ontario, Calif.-–A-1 Radiator & Air Conditioning has been in the same location for 46 years and during that time it has become one of the most successful shops of its kind in the Inland Empire for one simple reason: “We’ve always treated customers like family,” A-1 owner Cliff Norman said.
“The shop has always been family-owned and -operated since the original owner and his brother-in-law opened it back in 1963, and now my family and I are continuing that tradition,” Norman said.
The owner said he started working at A-1 after it had passed to the original owner’s son. “Soon after I started working for the shop, my wife, Mandy, my brother Mike, and my daughter Jessica went to work for them, too,” he said.
About eight years ago, the shop became available, Norman said, so he and his family took it over. “As far as our customers were concerned, nothing had changed because we had all worked there for 20 years. Now my son Matt also works with us,” he said.
Norman said he attributes much of his success to the fact that he has been in the same line of work for 31 years, starting when he was only 15 years old. “My dad had always been a heavy-line mechanic, so Mike and I were always around it.
“I didn’t like getting my hands dirty back then,” he said. “I liked working inside the car, doing dash work. It took more time and finesse to take the dash out, remove the parts, repair them, and then put everything back together just right with no rattles.”
Norman said he focused on the kind of work he enjoyed and narrowed it down to heating and air conditioning.
“A-1 is a full-service radiator and air conditioning shop with technicians that are certified through the International Mobile Air Conditioning Association (IMACA) and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), and we provide all of our technicians with the necessary equipment for our line of work,” he said.
The shop has on-site capabilities for repairing, rebuilding, and servicing air conditioning, coolant systems, water pumps, heater cores, and auto, truck, and industrial radiators.
“We also build custom steel-braided lines and hoses for show cars, and we are one of best-known shops in the area for complete custom repair, restoration, and sealing of original automotive gas tanks,” Norman said.
Some of their custom engine and gas tank work has been featured in national magazines, Norman said. A-1 is also a warehouse distributor for Modine (now Proliance) and keeps more than 500 radiators in stock at all times, he said.
“Besides our retail work, we also do a lot of work for the trade, including new- and used-car dealers and independent repair shops,” he said. “We are a specialty shop, and we only do what we know how to do best, and that allows us to do quality work at a reasonable price so the dealer or general repair shop can pass the savings along to their customer.”
Norman gave an example: “Let’s say that a dealer’s repair book shows that R&R on an air-conditioning evaporator is seven or eight hours. Because we’re specialists, we can do the work in three to four hours, including picking up and returning the car. That way the mechanic at the dealership has been able to work all day on other cars instead of being tied up all day on one car—and it’s done right.”
He said he finds that a worse scenario sometimes exists with independent repair shops or used-car mechanics. “We had a customer come in who said their mechanic told them they needed a new compressor, so they had it replaced, and it went out again in three months. That’s because the mechanic just replaced the compressor without properly cleaning and recharging the system, so contaminants got into the compressor and caused it to fail.
“We believe you shouldn’t being doing work you are not trained or certified to do just to make ends meet. It is not fair to the consumer and your business.”
While over-the-counter sales are down slightly, the tight economy has opened up new opportunities on the repair side for this family owned shop, Norman said. “We’ve seen more and more people starting to fix up an old car they’ve had sitting in the driveway or back yard for five or six years. They need the heating and cooling systems fixed and the gas tanks repaired.”
Mandy Norman and Jessica Crowder, both experts in radiator and air-conditioning parts and service, greet A-1 customers at the front counter, Cliff Norman said.
“We have a lot of lady customers that come in, and many of them have a lot of questions, and they feel confident that they’re getting honest knowledgeable answers from Mandy and Jessica,” he said. “Of course, some of the men want to talk to myself or Mike, which is no problem.… We’re all here to help.”
“I recently was in need of an auto repair shop to fix the air conditioning on my Ford truck,” customer Joe M. Conver told Parts & People. “A friend of mine spoke very highly of A-1 and the owners, Cliff and Mandy.
“I felt very comfortable from the moment I met them,” Conver said. “They were very professional and took time to listen to my needs. The repairs were done correctly, in a timely manner, and at a price far less than what a dealer would have charged.
“In today's world of ‘where do I take my vehicle to get repairs done correctly & honestly,’ A-1 Radiator & Air Conditioning is that place. You can feel very confident that your vehicle will be repaired correctly and without being overcharged.”
A-1 even has out of state business, Norman said, and it doesn’t advertise in the yellow pages or run special promotions to get new customers.
“We have been here so long that everyone knows about us and we have a good reputation for treating our customers fairly,” he said. “The only advertising we do is our T-shirts that we give to customers with our slogan: ‘A good place to take a leak!’ We think that says it all.”
