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| Jeff Freeman, (left) and Charles Bowman, both of Bowling Green, Ky., re-attach wheels to a car after completing a brake job at the Bring Your Own Parts repair shop, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013, in Bowling Green, Ky. Photo by (Alex Slitz/Daily News) |
The name of a new auto repair business on Old Louisville Road doubles as a standing invitation.
Bring Your Own Parts asks customers to do just that – if a customer comes to the business with a part bought from another store to replace a defective auto part, the mechanics at Bring Your Own Parts will do the replacement work.
Jeff Johnson owns the business, which opened earlier this year..
A U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Germany, Johnson worked in a number of different fields before studying the automotive technology program at what is now Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College.
He said he was motivated by some car troubles of his own to take the path toward an automotive apprenticeship.
“My car was broken, and I honestly didn’t know where to go get it fixed,” Johnson said. “I thought that was an opportunity to learn about cars.”
Johnson then worked as a technician, first at dealerships and then for about 10 years at his own business, Automotive Technology Center.
When that shop closed in 2008, Johnson paused before sketching out two models for a new auto repair business.
He considered establishing a shop that would be open after normal business hours before opting for Bring Your Own Parts, a choice he said he made to help customers save money on parts markups at other repair shops.
It doesn’t seem like anybody has any money left anymore, and if you are making it, you’re just socking it away,” Johnson said. “With no parts markup, that adds up to quite a bit of savings.”
With three employees, including Johnson, the business also does full-service repair and diagnostic work, most customers are bringing in parts for the mechanics to install.
Major repair jobs involving blown head gaskets or transmission problems are avoided, with Johnson suggesting other businesses for those sorts of jobs.
Johnson said he enjoys the challenge of finding out where in a vehicle a repair is warranted and making repairs quickly.
“I’m not putting in a part that shouldn’t go in a person’s car,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to get you fixed ... if I can find out what’s wrong with your car quickly, that’s no skin off you.”
Bring Your Own Parts, 1490 Old Louisville Road, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The business accepts cash payments only.