Fixing the Game: How Holbrook Auto Parts Reimagined Mechanic Work

Since Detroit became known as the Motor City and started pumping out vehicles from the Big Three, there has always been a strong presence of mechanics, automotive dismantlers, and other similar workers in the city. Unfortunately, even as cars and their production became more clean, slick and modern, the dirty, unwelcoming mechanic and auto-service stereotype that surrounds the people that service the cars never left. It was here that Holbrook Auto Parts saw a divide in the vehicle repair market; Drivers want the clean professionalism they find in the repair centers at dealerships, but they don’t like having to schedule appointments way in advance and the inflated service prices at said dealerships. On the other hand, local service shops offered more affordable and faster service, but they were dark, dirty and unwelcoming. Holbrook Auto Parts was set on filling this gap and providing fast, high-quality local service and repairs in a clean, professional environment that would rival a dealership’s service bay.

First things first, the waiting areas and sales counters at Holbrook Auto Parts got a fresh coat of paint and the walls were decorated with automotive memorabilia that pays homage to the city of Detroit. Once the customers had a clean, updated area to be served in, the renovations really kicked off out in the service bays and salvage yard.

Breaking the Stereotypes

It’s a sad truth that a staggering number of mechanics, automotive dismantlers, and other such industry workers have to perform their daily duties in old buildings, dirty warehouses, run-down salvage yards or even their driveways. The first step in Holbrook’s renovations was to provide its repair and dismantling crew with a properly enclosed building for them to work in year-round and stay safe from the elements. The work bays at Holbrook Auto Parts’ salvage and repair yards not only provide doors, walls and a roof to give shelter to the employees, but the buildings, especially in and around entryways, are insulated to help regulate the temperature inside to protect from intense and uncomfortable fluctuations. Further, heat and air conditioning systems were put in place in order to really maintain a consistent, comfortable environment to work in.

Although Holbrook sees its employees as a closely-knit team rather than just laborers, ensuring they have a clean, comfortable work environment wasn’t the only reason for the changes Holbrook Auto Parts brought to the industry; Renovations were made that actually helped Holbrook Auto Parts boost their quality of work and service, as well as pass savings along to customers and help keep the environment clean. All the work stations at Holbrook Auto Parts are equipped with bright, high-efficiency lighting systems to not only cut back on business electrical costs, but to provide the best possible lighting for our technicians, allowing them to more thoroughly and accurately check, test, clean and rate the parts and vehicles that come in. The clean, well-lit work environment helps the Holbrook team to access and check more parts on salvaged vehicles, allowing for more usable parts to be pulled from them. Increasing the amount of tested, usable parts taken from each vehicle not only provides a larger inventory selection of pre-owned parts to customers but getting more parts from one vehicle lowers costs, and the savings can then get passed on to the drivers buying the parts.

Clean Service

Holbrook Auto Parts also renovated their yards in order to do their part in keeping the environment clean, which also saves a little extra money for the community. By buying up scrap cars that otherwise would be left on the streets, in empty lots, or in people’s driveways to break down, rust and leak fluids into the environment, Holbrook Auto Parts is helping to remove harmful debris and clutter from the community. Equipped with new, up-to-code fluid drainage and disposal systems, in house recycling and an industrial crusher, Holbrook Auto Parts is able to dispose of automotive waste quickly, safely, and in compliance with local and federal laws. Further, since a large portion of materials and parts on a vehicle can be reused or recycled into new vehicle production, Holbrook Auto Parts is helping the community cut back on pollution and lower production costs on the vehicles they drive and parts they need. Finally, by reducing the amount of space salvaged cars take up and recycling scrap metal and parts on site, Holbrook is lowering emissions and saving taxpayer dollars from being collected and spent on vehicle waste removal in the community.

Overall, Holbrook Auto Parts knows that its dedicated team of employees is the backbone of their business, and they made drastic changes to the perceived mechanic’s workspace in hopes of changing the way the industry and the world view automotive service. Further, by operating according to environmental code and taking extra efforts to clean, test and recycle parts and vehicles, Holbrook Auto Parts is able to give back to the community that has shown it support for decades by providing them high-quality parts at discounted prices, as well as by providing the community with a clean environment to live and work in.

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