Rad Air Complete Car Care and Tire Center is changing the way people think about auto repairs
By Ken McEntee
Dave George owned his first car when he was 13 years old.
“I wasn’t old enough to drive it, but I was old enough to tinker with it,” recalls Dave, the manager of the Rad Air Complete Car Care and Tire Center, in Fairlawn.
“I wanted to take it apart and put it back together. That’s what old school mechanics like me and the rest of the techs here love to do.”
Fixing cars, Dave insists, isn’t just a job for Rad Air techs.
“It’s our hobby. It’s our life,” he says. “Our guys have show cars they spend their time on when they aren’t in here. Basically, we’re just your friendly neighborhood auto shop.”
November will mark the 11th anniversary of Rad Air’s Fairlawn shop—and Dave has been working with loyal customers there since day one.
“We have families that trust us so much that when their kids have a car problem they call us first, instead of their dad,” Dave chuckles.
One reason for that trust, he says, is the way Rad Air does business. Many auto shops—and virtually all of the larger national and retail chains—pay their techs at least partly on commission, Dave says. That, he cautions, offers a temptation to sell customers parts and services that they may not really need.
“That’s why we pay our technicians by the hour,” Dave explains. “It frees them up to concentrate on fixing the problem, which is our job. No matter how much the final bill is, they aren’t going to make any more or less money.”
The pressure of selling, Dave says, is one reason why many repair shops have such a high turnover among their service techs.
“Whenever you go to some of these places, there are completely different people servicing vehicles,” he says.
“Our guys stay around because they’re happy. We let them do their jobs. When customers see the same familiar faces, they are assured that they are going to continue to get that same outstanding service.”
Rad Air, Dave says, operates under four golden rules:
- Fix the car right the first time.
- Charge a fair price.
- Never recommend a service or repair the client doesn’t really need at that time
- Make sure the client is happy before he or she walks out the door.
That’s the formula that grew Rad Air from a single location in Parma Heights to a family of 11 shops throughout Northeast Ohio, he reveals.
“Communication is the key,” Dave says.
“Before a customer leaves, I always explain the repair—what we did and why. I always explain the bill to them before they are charged. I don’t want anybody to be shocked by the bill when they get here to pick up their car. And I always follow up with customers after their repairs to make sure everything is alright.”
Technology, Dave says, has improved communications with customers.
“We use texting to send estimates to customers, and we’re able to send them photos to show them what needs to be fixed so they can make more informed decisions about what to do,” he says.
“We can text the bill to people who are working and unable to pick their car up during business hours. They can pay and pick up their car later. We do whatever we can to make it convenient for our customers.”
Adding convenience to its service, Dave emphasized, Rad Air pioneered free loaner cars in this area 30 years ago.
“People are too busy today to be without a car for even half a day,” Dave observes.
“That’s why a lot of people delay small repairs until they turn into major problems. That doesn’t have to happen. We have a fleet of 150 loaners among our locations.”
A family operated business, Rad Air started in Parma Heights as a radiator and air conditioning repair shop in 1975. Eleven years later, the company expanded its services to handle everything from preventative maintenance like tire checks and wheel alignments, to more complex repairs, such transmission and engine rebuilds.
Today, Rad Air fixes just about anything on wheels, from cars—including electric cars and hybrids—to trucks to motor homes.
“I am a huge fan of hybrid vehicles,” Dave shares. “I am just interested in them. We even have a hybrid loaner car.”
With winter approaching, this is a good time to be sure your car is ready for cold weather.
“We offer free battery inspections, free tire pressure checks and free fluid level checks all year round,” Dave says.
You can learn more about Rad Air by visiting RadAir.com. The website includes information about each of Rad Air’s 11 locations, customer reviews, special offers and more than a dozen helpful service videos that will help you to understand vehicle operation and service. The Fairlawn Rad Air is located at 3904 Medina Road.You can call Dave at 330-668-1111.