tomer confidence, and the Bosch Service credit card that allows them to offer their ­customers convenient, deferred interest payment terms on repairs and maintenance.

Excellence In Customer Care
“Overall, the program has supported us in our ­efforts to embrace the relationship between the ­customer and the repair facility,” said Andy. “The partnership with Bosch has been pivotal in helping realize my father’s belief, which is to ‘take care of the customer first.’ If we can do that, the customer will not want to go anywhere else.”

So what exactly does Curt mean when he says, “the customer comes first”?

“If I focus on catering to my customer’s needs, I’ll probably be taking care of all the cars he or she will own, including those several years down the road,” Curt explained. In his 30-plus years in the business, Curt’s customer service acumen has led him to take care of several generations within a family. “Some of my current customers were in baby seats when I first began working on their parent’s car,” he says with some degree of pride and amusement. “The point is, we always strive to be honest, trustworthy, friendly and understanding of an individual ­customer’s needs.”

For example, if a customer has moved out of state, their car needs some work and they wish to contact a shop, Curt’s Service helps them find a local service center, preferably a Bosch Car Service center. Curt checks out the service center’s website to determine its suitability to the customer’s needs, and sometimes even gets on the phone to discuss the repair. Curt’s Service keeps all service records, and can supply any information that’s needed to complete the repair efficiently and successfully at another BCS facility. So, it all boils down to catering to your customers’ needs, Curt advises.

How Curt’s Service Came To Be
Curt started out as an experimental build-up technician at Chrysler Engineering in Detroit. Years later, he was laid off during the recession and attempted to get a job at one of several local repair centers, but had no luck. Curt started working on family and friends’ vehicles out of his home until it became much more than what a side business could ­support.

In February 1981, he leased a Sunoco, then a Mobil gas and service station, where he worked for five years. When Mobil Oil Corp. wanted to get out of the service side of the business and convert service bays to a Mini Mart store, Curt saw it as a perfect opportunity to make a career change.

It was in 1986 that Curt’s Service made the move to its current location in Oak Park, MI. It was here that an existing building was converted into a six-bay repair shop. A year later, Curt realized that if he wanted to grow his business, he needed a strong partner that could provide him with the tools they needed, and he joined the Bosch Car Service network. 

Driving Into The Future
When Curt joined the Bosch Car Service program in August 1987, he was one of the first shops to see the benefits associated with it. The technical information and training package, in particular, was very attractive.

Many years later, when Bosch introduced the Bosch Service credit card, Curt’s Service saw how deferred interest financing would help customers opt to have more services done in a ­single visit, and would increase repair and maintenance efficiency for the shop.

Knowing he had the help and support of his sons, Keith and Andy, in March 2012 Curt purchased the property next door and built an 8,000-sq.-ft. addition, to give him a total of 15 service bays including two alignment racks. Currently, he employs seven full-time, certified technicians and a total of 15 people. The shop services all makes and models and has three divisions — European Import, Asian ­Import and Domestic/Fleet.

“No matter what you drive or what your fleet is comprised of, we have the specialized tools and technicians that allow us to efficiently take care of your vehicle,” Andy said confidently.

What It Takes
To a young entrepreneur who wants to break into the auto repair business, Curt’s advice is, “Fixing cars today is not what it was 20 years ago. Modern vehicles are rolling computers and modules that require an immense amount of training and specialized tools to perform standard repairs. To be successful you have to deliver the complete package of customer care and find a partner like Bosch that can give you the support you will need. If done well, it can be immensely gratifying.”

For information on the Bosch Service network, visit www.boschcarservice.us.