Old fashioned service in the Driftless
Today, house calls seem a thing of the past, though there may be a few services far and few between available. Car Medic owner Joseph Alves and manager Chris Miller, are bringing some of that back.
Based out of Portage, Wisconsin, Car Medic sets them self apart from any other car repair service by providing automotive repair house calls. House calls you say, well, they go above and beyond that idea.
Started on August 1, 2018, Joe started Car Medic for some personal reasons. “The reason why I started the business is, some mechanics nowadays have a really bad reputation for ripping people off,” Alves said referring to some backyard mechanics and repair garages. “I decided to come up with the idea that’s sort of in between like how the old doctors used to provide their service and come out to their patients, and go directly to the house.” Alves pointed out that by going to a customer’s house, the customer in turn will have more time for their family and not worrying about being at a shop and wasting time being somewhere they don’t want to be.
Another benefit that Car Medic affords their customers are their hours of business. They are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays. Although Alves did stress that holiday service prices differ.
While Alves and his ‘right hand man’ and manager Miller handle many of the calls, he noted that they have a few other mechanics that are on standby to meet demand.
Both Alves and Miller have a background in auto mechanics. Alves was a District Manager for Jiffy Lube on the west coast for 15 years and ran 35 stores that received four customer service awards three years in a row. Alves recruited Miller who had been working for the Walmart corporation as an automotive Technician.
Alves stated that their mission is as ASE Certified mechanics, they take pride in their extensive knowledge of general automotive repair, and strive to provide superior customer service. Simply put Alves said, “We're not satisfied until you're satisfied.”
Miller shared he is passionate on quality and convenient service, and added that he enjoys each new job and the opportunity to make genuine and honest connections with their customers.
Although warmer weather brings a majority of their service calls, Alves admitted their slower months are November through December due to the holidays. “Everyone is saving up for the holidays. Between January and February when it is extremely cold, we start picking back up. After tax season, it’s usually non-stop until after Labor Day,” he said.
Covering a large area including the Driftless Area, Alves said that Car Medic will come to your home, place of employment, or wherever you find yourself needing emergency/immediate car repair. Their services include tune-ups, brakes, fuel systems, suspensions, electrical, heating and cooling, batteries, pumps, hoses, belts, plugs, radiators, alternators, diagnostics and any other general automotive problems. They also offer vehicle inspections to help you avoid buying a lemon from the private market.
As for the future, Alves said Car Medics goal in the next five years is to open a second location outside of Wisconsin.
With cold weather hitting the state earlier than normal, Alves and Miller stressed a few preventative measures car owners can be vigilant with. “The two best things I would say in the winter weather are, to make sure that your coolant temperature and level is normal, that will stop you from having engine problems, and never let your gas get below a quarter tank. When your gas tank gets that low, it builds up a lot of moisture inside of your tank and will cause your car to start acting up. If you let it get too low, it can actually freeze up the fuel line,” Alves said. They also recommend starting your car every day, even if you don’t drive it, so your battery doesn’t die, and you give the engine a chance to run. Alves and Miller said they post car maintenance tips from time to time on their Facebook page as well
For more information on Car Medic’s services, visit them at http://www.carmedic.org, or on Facebook at Car Medic.
