For over 30 years, the Thibeault family operated Ed's Automotive at our present location. Ed's was known and trusted in the community for having the highest standards of integrity. Their reputation was well-known and every bay was filled all the time. Then in 2016, motivated by health issues, the family sold the business to someone that owned and operated multiple Midas franchises in Florida.
Unfortunately, under the new ownership, all of Ed's long-time employees moved on and with them their expertise and integrity. The new Midas quickly developed a reputation in the community for shoddy workmanship and questionable business practices. As a result, the local community lost trust and took their business elsewhere. Also, the new owner paid little attention to ensuring that the facility was well-maintained and did not have the proper equipment necessary to accurately diagnose and repair the increasingly sophisticated technology found in 20th century vehicles.
Motivated mainly by financial pressure, and lackluster business, the people that bought the shop from the Thibeault family, and converted it to a Midas, sold the shop to Bruce and Brian in late 2020. Due to contractual considerations at the time, Bruce and Brian had to assume operation of the shop as a Midas franchise (on January 2, 2021).
What we inherited was nothing short of a disaster. Three of the 8 lifts did not work; there was no air-conditioning machine (to service vehicle A/C systems), no engine analyzer, most of the light bulbs in the garage area were not working, the computers were old and slow, the phone system was a residential type, paint was peeling off the walls, the air-compressor would not shut off and would overheat, and on and on. And more importantly, we quickly learned from the community that the shop had a reputation for unsavory business practices and poor workmanship.
We invested more than $100K to clean up and modernize the shop with new technology, dual air-compressors, new lifts, LED Lighting, new paint, custom tire racks so we can inventory over 200 tires, and many other things that are must-haves to service our customers efficiently.
Just as importantly, it was critical that we recruit new staff as no shop is worth anything without knowledgeable and dedicated professionals. To be sure, we had to hire 3 or 4 people to find a "keeper" - we had little tolerance for anyone that could not add something to the business, that was not capable of servicing the customers in a way that will build trust. It was not easy, but we now have 5 remarkably talented technicians that have been with us for over one year. Brian has been a mechanic for almost 40 years and there is no one better to help the less experienced staff learn and improve their skill-set.
After the Covid crisis, and the resulting inflationary pressures in the economy, we came to realize that we could not continue to offer our customers competitive pricing if we remained part of a large franchise system that demands royalty payments and certain other protocols that restricted our business flexibility.
We successfully, and amicably, negotiated with Midas to terminate the franchise agreement. On November 1, 2022 we opened the doors as Bisbee Automotive & Tire. Bruce, Brian and all of our incredibly talented technicians remain. Our goals remain unchanged - to build the business by always being honest with our customers, to stand behind our work and to always offer pricing that is both fair and competitive. We have affiliated the shop with a national warranty system (available at 35,000 shops in the U.S. and Canada) that offers 36 month / 36,000 mile warranty on virtually all repairs and includes free road side assistance to our customers for one year (roadside assistance does not need to be related to the work we did - it could be a flat tire, lock-out, run out of gas, etc.). By comparison, most Midas shops offer a 90-day warranty and no roadside assistance.
We are working towards restoring the outstanding reputation that Ed's Automotive earned with decades of honest and fair dealings and expert workmanship. I believe we are on the right track as our business is up over 40% since when we first took over the operation at the beginning of 2021. The plan is to have Bisbee Automotive & Tire be a family owned and operated business for at least the next 20 years (Brian's son is a young and talented technician that will take over the business when Brian retires in 10 years or so).
When our customers come in for maintenance, or mandatory repairs, we want there to be zero doubt that if we tell them that they need something then they do! No one at Bisbee Automotive & Tire works on commission (most Service Advisors at auto dealers and franchise repair shops do work on commission) and so there is no reason for them to put their personal financial gain ahead of our customer's best interests.
We welcome the opportunity to serve our customers with the best possible service, at fair and competitive pricing, and standing behind our work with the best warranty in the business.