Johnson said he founded Kirkland Transmission in 1975 in downtown but outgrew that facility. He said he moved to his current location in 1981, a 3,480-square-foot shop with seven hoists and 10 bays.

The shop has seven employees, all ASE certified and all substantially trained through the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association (ATRA) and Automatic Transmission Group (ATSG), said General Manager Tony Wood, a 24-year veteran at the store.

At one point, Johnson said he had six transmission repair shops but sold them to employees and concentrated on his original facility. He said he also owned Northwest Differential at one time and invented various tooling for differential and transmission service work.

Some time ago, Johnson said he began operating Doctor Injector Eastside, a fuel-injection cleaning service, in conjunction with the original Doctor Injector in Federal Way.

"It was natural fit for us on the Eastside and a good mix of business. We operate the service in a room at the back of the shop," he said, adding that the shop performs a great deal of fuel-injection work for other shops. "One day in June, we did 40 injector units in one day; that was very unusual," he said.

"The injector service is profitable for us, and our customers like the final process of increased performance," Wood said.

Transmission and affiliated service and repair work is still the major focus of the shop, Wood said. "We work on import and domestic cars as well as light- and medium-duty trucks," he said, adding that the firm has a sizable fleet business from Auburn to Ellensburg. Vehicle counts per month range up to 75 cars and trucks depending on the number of major repairs and overhauls the shop performs, he said.

The firm also does some specialty and restoration work and in 2006 received a certificate of appreciation from the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum for their efforts, in conjunction with other area shops, for restoring an original King County Sheriff's car, Johnson said. The 1967 Plymouth Fury had been found out of state in a scrap yard, he said.

"It was a fun project, and one of our customers actually drove that vehicle as a deputy sheriff when it was in service 40 years ago," Johnson said. The shop is currently restoring a 1962 Chevrolet Impala, he added.

Johnson said the shop does some special R&D work, rebuilds show-car transmissions, and does special finishes for various projects. He said the shop is also a Compushift transmission controller kit dealer, providing special programming systems for several models of cars.

 
While the shop performs major overhauls on automatic and manual transmissions, it also performs drive axle, differential, clutch, and complete drivetrain services, Wood said.

"With today's computerized systems, we do a lot of diagnostic work and scan tools are vital to our operation," he said, adding that with proper diagnosis, the shop's technicians may determine that a simple $40 sensor repair is needed rather than a complete overhaul that may cost $3,500.

"We like to promote preventive maintenance to our customers and do a lot of service and flush work," Wood said. But no matter what the service, Wood said the shop likes to make the customer experience pleasant. "We have been a AAA-Approved shop for many years, and we have a 100 percent CSI."

Johnson attributed the shop's high customer service ratings to simple communication. "From 1975 on, communication has been imperative. Customers have expectations, and we need to communicate with them fully to meet those expectations," he said, adding that both communication and business skills are vital to any shop's success in today's marketplace.

Employee training is an important part of Kirkland Transmission's ongoing process, Wood said, as the entire staff has to comprehend and work with increased technology issues. "Everyone goes to training on a quarterly basis, mainly ASTG and ATRA classes held in the region, as well as online training courses."

He said the firm pays for all training and affiliated costs. The firm also uses sources such as Alldata and iATN for technical data and information, he added.

With a staff that has long tenure with the shop, Wood said they have a great deal of talent at the facility. "We have two R&R specialists and a machinist, so we can do just about anything that comes to us."

Wood said the shop used to stock a variety of complete units, but only a few are inventoried today. "We work on more than 250 models of vehicles, so custom rebuild is the focus today. We do stock a few complete units, including some popular GM transmissions."

Over the years, Johnson and Wood said that some transmissions have become lighter, but some truck units are heavier. "Parts are generally lighter and somewhat cheaper," Johnson said.

Johnson and Wood said there will be more CVTs in the future, diagnostics will continue to be a major issue due to technology advances, and customer service will remain their key focus. "We may not see the iron we see today," Johnson said. "With hydrogen, electric, and other (new types) of vehicles, transmissions may go away, but not soon."

Johnson said he bought lunch for his employees every Friday since opening and 20 years ago began the barbecuing. In that time he said he has gone through a number of cookers. During our recent visit, an exotic enclosed cooker was preparing several chickens and pounds of ribs for the crew and neighbors. "Our barbecue is pretty popular around here," he said.