New upgrades make for a nicer auto shop

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christopher Gross
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Recently the Auto Hobby Shop here, located on 11th Street across from the Kashim Club, has made some nice upgrades. 

After receiving some money from their end-of-year fund last year, the auto shop invested in some new completely outfitted tool boxes, which includes some power tools and air ratchets. Each station in the "do it yourself" section has its own assigned box which should limit the number of trips the customer should have to make to the tool counter, said William Mesowitz, the shop manager. 

Mesowitz, who has been with the shop since 1995 after spending 26 years in the Air Force, said "This is kind of a parting grace, seeing these boxes finally get on the floor," as he gets ready to retire next month. 

The shop has been trying to get these boxes for the past 10 years and this year they came through and it was all done for customer satisfaction, said Mesowitz. 

Mesowitz said that he has noticed an improved appreciation for the tools since the new boxes have came in. He said that customers have even came up to the counter asking for more paper towels to wipe down tools that they didn't even use. 

The new tool boxes aren't the only improvement the Auto Hobby Shop has seen. In the past 15 years the shop has gone from operating out of three stalls to eight stalls. Just about everything can be taken care of in these eight stalls, from oil changes to fixing hard parts, everything except for body work, said Mesowitz. 

The next improvement the shop hopes to make is a new facility when joint basing taking effect next year but this wouldn't take place for several years, said Mesowitz. 

The shop offers a "do it yourself" section, which allows customers to rent out a stall and, with assistance from the staff, make repairs to their vehicle. This portion of the shop is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

If someone is not quite the handy man, the shop also has four certified auto technicians that can make general repairs to a car, when making an appointment during the weekdays from 9:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. 

For more information, visit the shop or call 552-3473.