To work on modern vehicles, a shop must make substantial investments in the tools, Sullivan said, adding that many motorists don't realize this associated cost of doing business, nor do they understand the complexities of their vehicle.  Sullivan's son-in-law and Service Writer Joe Gillam works with many customers in this capacity.

"It's a matter of educating the customer on how sophisticated their cars are," he said.  Some big-box parts retailers perpetuate the problem by pulling codes with scanners in the parking lot and suggest parts replacement to solve a problem, such as an oxygen sensor.

Sullivan pointed to tire rotations as an example of needed consumer education.  That once simple, free service has become complex on vehicles equipped with a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS), he said.

"It's a another service that people don't realize there's a cost associated with it," he said, adding that if a wheel equipped with a sensor is rotated, the TPMS computer has to be reset to recognize that the left rear wheel is actually the left rear wheel, he said.  That added time translates into more cost.

Conveying that information to a customer is a lot easier when you have their trust, Sullivan said.  "You have to build the trust," he said.  "If you're honest over time, selling services is really easy.  It's much easier to tell them what they need when they believe you."

Trust is at the core of Sullivan's business philosophy, which he said he learned from his father, Red Sullivan, who began servicing motorists in the North County area at his service station in 1953.

Sullivan said his father emphasized to him early on that there's enough wrong with a car that a shop owner can make an honest living fixing those problems, a lesson learned from the person he admires the most.

"My dad taught me that you can't always rely on one thing," he said, which is why he said also owns a towing business, a snow-plowing business, and serves as his own landlord by owning the building his shop operates out of.  "He wanted to be his own boss," he said of his father.  "I guess that's where I get it."

Sullivan said he has aligned his shop with the ACDelco's Total Service Support (TSS) program, NAPA's Auto Care Center program, and Community Wholesale Tire's Independent Tire Dealer (ITD) Buying Group to achieve volume purchasing discounts as if his shop were a large tire retailer, while maintaining independent status.  The ITD group also conducts co-op advertising in print newspaper, radio, and cable TV, he said.

Sullivan said he obtains 100 percent of his tires from Community Wholesale Tire, which has its Hazelwood warehouse only two miles away.  "They're a tremendous supplier," he said, that over the years has assisted him in opening other tire stores that have since been sold.  "They've always been a big help in getting my stores off the ground."

Community's breadth of brand choices allow him to sell most OE replacement tires, such as Goodyear, Firestone, Bridgestone, Michelin, Uni-Royal, and many more, he said.  "Say a customer blows a single tire off a new car, most people want the same one that it came with."

The shop recommends alignments with every tire purchase, Sullivan said.  Many larger-size, low-profile tires popular with truck and SUV owners are expensive, he said.  "It's important to get the maximum wear from those tires."

The shop is equipped with two alignment racks and a single Hunter alignment machine that can be moved between the two, Sullivan said, adding that he will soon purchase a second Hunter machine for the second rack.  Other Hunter equipment in the shop includes a TC3500 tire changer and a DSP9600 balancer.

Moog is the brand of preference when it comes to installing needed replacement suspension parts, Sullivan said, adding that he makes his first call for parts to S&S Automotive and NAPA.

When it comes to choosing between aftermarket and OE brands, he said there are some applications where the shop will use only OE replacement parts.

OEM replacement parts are used for fuel pumps, computers, and all electronic parts, he said.  "We've found they work better and fit better."  The dealers he said he relies on are Pundmann Ford, Weber Chevrolet, and Feld Chevrolet.

The same is true for exhaust replacements, Sullivan said, where he mainly installs direct-fit systems that include everything from the catalytic converter back.  His main source for exhaust systems is U.S. AutoForce, formerly known as U.S. Tire & Exahust, he said.