"I heard you're having a kid!"
"Well, actually its going to be a grandchild. I can't wait!"
"How's your family been?"
"Oh they're doing fine. Thanks for asking. ... Do you want me to show you your old broken auto parts?"
This doesn't seem like the typical conversation you'd have with your auto repair guy but that is what I observed while waiting to speak with Martin Nunez, the owner of Chino Valley Auto Repair on Las Flores Street in Chino. I've always been suspicious of auto repair shops. I have bad memories of bringing my car in for an oil change and coming out two days later with a new credit card and a full balance.
I first did business with Martin in 2005. The first time I met Martin, the price he quoted me was the price I got and he showed me the old broken part that he had replaced on my way out. He was also quite honest and open about what I should not spend money on. I have more than one instance with him where I expected a large repair and came out with much less of a bill than I thought. As far as I can tell, he's an honest mechanic and I have a saying; "An honest mechanic is like money in the bank."
You can tell Martin is a family man. His air conditioned office has live turtles on one of the shelves. In the summer, his 13 year old daughter is often there with him helping wherever she can (and of course taking care of the turtles). Martin took over Chino Valley Auto Repair from Chester, who retired after 10 years of fixing cars. Martin worked for a neighboring auto repair shop for eight years and became friends with Chester and helped him during Chester's retirement transition period. He didn't realize that his actions would end up making him the new owner of Chino Valley Auto Repair.
Martin learned his craft 15 years ago attending the automotive training courses at the Phoenix Institute of Technology. He specializes in any Japanese car including Toyota, Nissan, Infiniti, Lexus, Honda, and Acura and thinks that its not a good idea to have someone work on your car unless they are a specialist because they won't have access to all the best OEM parts and services as a specialist. Of course he says, "Some customers still want me to work on their other types of cars. I always do my best.
When asked his advice on how to find a good mechanic, Martin stated flatly, "Make sure they show you the old parts". and ask them to buy OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) parts when they can; and of course" he throws in, "Make sure to do your regular auto maintenance first. That will always go the longest to save you money on auto repairs.
I also spoke with Pete Duran, the manager of Scher Tire, a Goodyear branded tire shop in Chino Hills. I've had work done here too. They are good and they are always open on Sunday's. That's nice to know in an emergency. This auto repair shop has been here for over 12 years and has been run by Scher for the last five. Pete stated, "The Goodyear Tire brand speaks for itself". Our focus is on tires, maintenance, and alignment. We are all about trust and honesty. We are fixing the cars of our customer's grandchildren nowadays. It's pretty cool to see."
Pete also talked about making sure that you see your old auto parts when you have service done. I'm sensing that this is a good practice that we should all follow.
There are still lots of new auto repair shops cropping up in and around Chino Hills and they are quite needed. I spied a new Firestone Auto Repair shop being built on Soquel Canyon and Butterfield Ranch Road in the new shopping center across from the Albertsons. It looks like it is going to be a full service facility with plenty of bays and I'll bet it won't be long before they are all full.
Smog Checks
What prompted me to do this article today was a visit to EZ Smog to get a smog check on my van. I was referred to EZ Smog by Martin and was greeted there by gruff looking Viet Nam Veteran named Nick Randazzo, who has a great sense of humor. I made a mistake by asking him about his "Vietnam Veteran" hat. He gave me a short look and said "I better not be wearing this if I wasn't there. I was at the Tet Offensive". His look actually gave me a short lived scare. But within a minute his joking relieved my emotion.. He does his work fast and matter-of-factly but seems to enjoy joking around with his customers. Working with him is a refreshing change from the modern but very clinical atmosphere at the Smog Only shop on Pipeline Avenue in another part of Chino.
Its great that now you can get your smog certificate AND your stickers, immediately. Just pay the fees to the smog check station and they will print your California smog check certificate on the spot right along with your license sticker. No more having to send away your smog test results to the state and waiting for your smog test certificate.
Truthfully it has become difficult to get your smog tests. I thought that this was only around Chino Hills but it seems to be a problem all over the state of California. Nowadays, there are mostly "Smog Test Only" stations. They don't do the repairs like they used to. It is a little inconvenient to have to go to another auto repair shop to get a repair but that is most often what you have to do today.
Automobile Dealerships & Other Automotive Services
There really is no auto dealership in the city of Chino Hills. There is an old Ford Dealer called Chino Hills Ford. They were there before Chino Hills became a city, but they are not actually located in Chino Hills, they are located in Chino (just across the border). I met the owner once and he seemed like a great guy. He is a big Nascar fan and actually is involved in some sort of racing endeavor as well. There are efforts to bring in more car dealerships to the Chino / Chino Hills area soon. There's even a "Chino Auto Center" right off the 71 Freeway, but it seems that Chino Hills Ford is the only dealership in the Center so far.
My last stop today was the Chino Hills Car Wash off of pipeline. They are an old business that has been located in Chino Hills for many years and they've changed owners several times. The owners didn't have any time to talk to me as of this writing, but I wanted to include them in my article. They wash cars by hand and they have a slew of extra car washing and car care services available. They can be a bit expensive but I get the impression that they do a pretty good job for the citizens of Chino & Chino Hills.
and is not a part of nor affiliated with the City of Chino Hills.