In 1977, McKahan said, he started working on cars at his house; in 1982, he purchased a three-bay garage; and today he has a two-story, 5,400-square-foot shop with a repair shop on top and a Valvoline Quick Lube below.

He said the three employees in the quick lube do oil changes, state inspections, and tire rotations, but anything beyond that goes to the four technicians and service writer in the repair shop because of the technological expertise required.

McKahan said the repair shop works on 65 to 70 cars a week, with an average repair order of $310. Last year, his gross sales were $1.1 million between both stores, he said.

McKahan said he attributes much of his success to being an upper-echelon shop that uses the latest in automotive technology to diagnose cars. 

 
"We have always been known as problem solvers," he said, adding that a lot of local shops bring him vehicles that they cannot diagnose or fix. 

 
McKahan said he relies heavily on diagnostic equipment to solve problems and believes in having multiple diagnostic scanners. Currently, he said he uses the Snap-on Modis, GM Tech 2, and OTC Genisys, along with computer diagnostic programs such as Identifix, Mitchell, and iATN. 

 
Although programs such as Identifix can benefit a shop greatly, McKahan said he believes the technology in vehicles today is going to drive a lot of smaller independent repair shops out of business.

"Five years from now it is going to be so technical that it is going to weed out the ma and pa stores who can't keep up both technically and financially, which really go hand in hand."

The early 1980s, he said, was a similar time, when  manufacturers started putting computers in cars, but the technicians didn't have the necessary information to fix the computerized components, and diagnostic machines cost $25,000. Luckily, he said, technology has come a long way, and handheld scanners and readily available vehicle information has made the job easier.

McKahan, who used to also own an automotive part store, said he believes that where a shop purchases parts is an important factor.

"I am a real stickler on quality of parts and pricing--I always say that you don't make money based on the way you sell your parts, you make money where you buy your parts," he said, adding that he buys aftermarket parts from Star Automotive Warehouse (Uni-Select), CARQUEST, and Factory Motor Parts; and OEM parts from Superior Chevrolet, Gladstone Dodge, and Thoroughbred Ford.

For example, McKahan said, a customer can get twice the life expectancy from getting a premium set of brake pads put on his or her car. By using the premium parts, it also alleviates a lot of comebacks, he said.

"Brakes and tires are two of the most important factors on a car regarding safety," he said. "When customers want to go cheap in those areas, I try to educate them on the benefits to installing a quality product rather than a cheap one."

McKahan said he is part of Tire Center's T3 Alliance Program and averages about 200 tire sales a month. For mounting and balancing, he uses an Accu-Turn 5602 tire changer and a Hunter DSP 9,000 balancer.

Service Writer Ed Roith said he is not only worried about customer safety but also keeping them up to date on preventive maintenance.

"We believe in preventative maintenance, and our techs look for it," he said. "We don't follow the book exactly unless the customer has a vehicle under warranty, but we believe in doing the maintenance that is necessary."

McKahan said Roith offers classes to single women to educate them about their vehicles, and said he wants to begin holding classes to teach all his customers about their cars.

"It would be an opportunity to talk about the changes in technology in the automobile and show and tell them why repairs are so much higher now than they used to be," McKahan said. "It would also be a time to promote the importance of preventive maintenance."

McKahan said he always give his customers a detailed report of what services were performed on their cars and added that he will also take customers out to the shop to show and explain why specific repairs are necessary.

 
"I had a woman in the shop one time that needed a CV boot on her car because hers was torn. I told her about the problem and she told me that she would just take my word for it because she didn't know what I was talking about. Instead of just doing the job, I took her out into the shop and showed her the CV boot while her vehicle was up in the air so she could see the torn boot," he said.

After showing the women the torn CV boot, McKahan said she told him that now she knew more about her car than her husband did.

"I want my customers to know what I am doing to their vehicles, and by being up front and honest, we have kept a good rapport with our customers," he said.