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Service writers, this piece is aimed squarely at you. You may be aware of many of the costs of doing business. Recognizing potential costs and preventing them from eating into your shop’s productivity is one of the skills that separates a good writer from an...

Sergio Pininfarina: Sculpting Speed and Beauty in Metal (Part 1)

There is little argument that Sergio Pininfarina was a major influence in 20th-century car design. The proof is in the cars … many of them legendary Ferraris. Building on his family’s legacy, he led Carrozzeria Pininfarina into a period where design and engineering...

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There are some items on a maintenance checklist that neither mechanics nor writers will recommend. Sometimes that’s because a visual inspection or assessment seems at odds with an overly rigorous service schedule. Sometimes, the condition of the car or the financial...

Clean It or Crack It

Picture this: You’re installing a cylinder head, you’re tightening a head bolt to spec, and you’re feeling good—until crack! The sound every wrench-turner dreads hearing: your engine block saying goodbye to its structural integrity. So, what happened? Chances are, a...

Set the Toe and Go!

“Oh, and it’s pulling to the right a bit. Can you check that out?” If you run a small shop with just one or two service bays, it’s likely you’ve heard this before, since in a small shop the service writer, mechanic, foreman, parts department, and lube tech are often...

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At The Counter

Commercials That Make Technicians and Dealers the Stars of the Show

by Jonathan Roth | Jun 5, 2025

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Recently, I stumbled across some old TV commercials for a car repair and maintenance shop that took me back. You see, in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, some commercials ran for a local shop called ABE Car Care Center. These commercials featured two gentlemen with thick Pennsylvania Dutch accents. They were supposed to be funny but, well … judge for yourself.

Most memorable TV commercials for car repair shops you’ve seen probably look a lot like this one. They usually include low-quality video, attempts at humor, and/or outlandish costumes and voice-overs. Of course, I still remember the name of the shop 30-some years after I saw the commercials, so I guess they worked.

In a similar vein, here’s a more recent commercial for Arlen’s Transmission in Burbank, CA. However, this one was done for a comedy internet show called “The Mythical Show,” so it’s intentionally cringe-worthy.

On the other side of the coin, here’s a more recent, fairly polished commercial for Manny’s Automotive Repair in Columbus, GA, proving that commercials for car repair and maintenance shops don’t have to be bad.

Of course, we can’t talk about cars and commercials without talking about what are possibly the most ridiculous commercials: those for car dealerships. Here’s a collection of some crazy ‘70s and ‘80s car dealership commercials.

Let’s go even further back and check out this classic commercial for the 1955 “Motoramic” Chevrolets. With its quaint voiceover and black and white video, this spot just screams mid-50s TV commercial.

Has your shop ever made TV commercials? Or do you have any peculiar examples of mechanic or dealership commercials from your neck of the woods?

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