By Dave Ficere
April is National Car Care Month, a time for vehicle owners to begin thinking about how their vehicles will perform during the upcoming hot summer months. Especially here in the Valley of the Sun!
One Deer Valley business helping car owners keep their vehicles at peak performance is National Automotive Repair (NAR), located at 2723 W. Sweetwater Avenue, right off of I-17 between Cactus and Thunderbird.
“We like our location,” (where they’ve been since 2000), owner Randy McLaughlin says, “because it is centrally located and our friends in the Deer Valley area are only 5-10 minutes from our shop.”
McLaughlin has been in the automotive repair business for more than 35 years, beginning by working out of his garage at home, turning that into a mobile auto repair business and then eventually a full-service shop.
“Our motto is simple,” he says. “National Automotive Repair promises to provide honest, economical and quality auto repair to the public while building strong customer and community relationships.”
“We are not a shop about upselling,” McLaughlin adds. “It’s about taking care of the customer by giving them needed repairs or safety issues only after bringing them to the attention of the customer and getting their approval.”
NAR strikes the rare balance of having a “mom and pop” friendly feel while at the same time being credentialed as a NAPA auto repair center, an affiliation they’ve enjoyed since 2001.
“Being able to offer quality products through NAPA and affordable labor has made it much easier for our customers to maintain their vehicles,” McLaughlin notes. “We stress the warranty NAPA offers to our customers for their piece of mind and satisfaction. NAPA auto care centers offer a 12,000 mile/12 month warranty on all parts nationwide.”
Customers appreciate the quality service and staff going the extra mile, as reflected in a testimonial from Larry and Ann, who said:
“My truck has over 300,000 miles on it and when it failed emissions I thought we’d be saying our last farewell to the truck,” they wrote. “But not Randy, who said ‘Bring in it and we’ll see what we can do.’ When I picked up my truck, he had already [fixed and] taken it through emissions successfully. You can’t do better than that!”
Providing quality parts, great service and peace of mind has certainly paid off. NAR has been rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau since 2001 and in 2012 was a finalist for the Business Ethics award. NAR is also a member of the Automotive Service Association and the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and was recently nominated for the Chambers Impact Award.
In addition, NAR is marking their fifth year as an Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Blue Seal of Excellence shop. All four mechanics working there are ASE certified, and McLaughlin himself holds the highest ASE credential of Master Technician. “I believe so strongly in building and maintaining my staff’s ASE credentials that I pay for all registration and test fees for every employee, every year,” McLaughlin says.
As part of National Car Care month, NAR is running a special consisting of a free oil change with $100 worth of repairs anytime during April. The shop also offers a
“Preferred Customer Card” that credits a certain percentage of a customer’s repair bill on the card to accumulate and use in the future.
“Honest, Trustworthy and Dependable” and “our family taking care of yours” aren’t just slogans at National Automotive Repair, but a way of doing business. They’re open Monday-Friday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and are closed weekends. To schedule service, call them at (602) 978-3278 or visit their website at narepair.com.
