Blue Springs, Mo. -- While OK Wheel Alignment performs other maintenance and light repair work, Owner Jeff McNew said undercar work continues to make up more than 70 percent of his business. The focus on alignment is a natural, McNew said, noting that he rents space from his father, Lee, who runs Lee's OK Tire Store in the same building. "Tires, alignments, and front-end work go hand in hand."
Lee McNew said the tire store is 47 years old, while the repair shop got its start in 1978 when he partnered with Rodney Kern and added an alignment rack to the business.
Jeff McNew said he had worked in his father's business for about 12 years when he left in 1993 to work as a mechanic for a construction company. He said he returned seven years ago when his father asked him to take over the repair business. "I think Dad always had a plan for me," he said.
Since then, McNew said, his father has helped him learn the financial and management ropes. "I thought I knew a lot about business, but I learned real fast that I didn't," he said. "My dad taught me about the bookkeeping and the accounting. I kind of think he's been teaching me to do this since I was a little kid."
Both businesses remain a family affair, McNew said, with his brother, Walt, managing the tire business and his sister, Sharon, running the office for both businesses.
The repair business has six bays with three technicians, including McNew, he said, adding that the facility has an older John Bean Visualiner and a newer John Bean Visualiner 3D alignment system. Both are very accurate, he said, but the newer machine is faster, so it is used as the primary machine, while the older unit is used to handle overflow.
McNew said he tries to schedule one alignment per hour and is usually booked up two to three days out. He said alignments and the subsequent inspections reveal that about half of vehicles need some type of repair.
"It's primarily worn-out parts," he said. "They don't put grease zerks on anything anymore, which results in worn-out ball joints and tie-rod ends."
Being undercar specialists, McNew said, shop personnel also know to look for certain types of failures on certain models. "For instance, on some models, we see the coil springs break, so we make sure we get in there and 
check."
check." McNew said the shop has a lot of repeat customers but also receives a lot of referrals from the tire store.
"Our guys are trained to watch for suspension and alignment problems," Lee McNew said. "We do it for the safety of our customers. We just suggest it. It's up to them whether they want to get it fixed or not."
Jeff McNew said he likes to show people exactly what the problem is so they can make an informed decision. "Steering and suspension are a big safety issue," he said. "Most people want these things fixed."
McNew said that because of the shop's size and an alignment being scheduled every hour, he chooses suppliers that can offer quality parts quickly. His primary sources are the NAPA store that is a block down from the shop and Factory Motor Parts. In addition, he said, for parts that must be purchased from dealers, he uses Champion Chrysler, Moller Chevrolet, and Blue Springs Ford.
"We need parts quick," McNew said. "The sooner the better. we're a small shop, so we don't have a lot of space. The quicker we can get it back together, the sooner we can get another in."
While speed is critical, McNew said quality is still most important. "We try to save our customers money," he said, "and if you do it one time with a part that will last, it's cheaper than trying to save a few dollars at the time of the repair."
In addition to steering and suspension work, McNew said the shop also does some other light repairs. The shop's Alldata system and an OTC Genisys scan tool help with this, he said. "Our main deal is front end and undercar, but we try to do what the customer needs," he said.
The business has grown by about 5 percent a year since he took it over, McNew said. "I'm pretty happy with where we are right now," he said. "I think you either stay small or you need to get really big."
Comment on this article
Send This Link To Friend