Celebrating 20 Years!

“Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

– Albert Schweitzer

Today I walked into the bank and was greeted with lots of congratulations and handshakes.  Our local paper ran a press release regarding Holzhauser’s Auto’s 20^th Anniversary.  I never really gave it much thought as I am not the “pomp and circumstance” type so I was caught off guard at first.  After accepting the congratulations, it sank in what we have accomplished over the years. Twenty years in business is something to celebrate.  Joe and I have put out hearts and souls into our business, but a business isn’t just comprised of that.  Without all the folks who help us daily, especially our employees, we wouldn’t be where we are today.  Our employees are the best in the business and we consider them a part of our family.  Our parts vendors, drivers, uniform delivery service, tool trucks and everyone else who is involved with our business on a daily basis must be thanked for helping us reach this monumental milestone.  We are truly blessed to be celebrating our 20 year anniversary.  Most of all we are truly thankful for all of our wonderful customers who patronize us each and every day, some who have been with us since we opened our doors in 1995.  We have watched their families grow up throughout the years and some of their children are now our customers.  Likewise, they have watched our children grow up and begin families of their own.  Joe and I love doing what we do and still believe, “the best is yet to come!”

Keep checking our blog for the latest news and tips from Holzhauser’s Auto!

Why We Do What We Do

A German walks into a bar and asks for a martini. The bartender asks, “Dry?”

The German replies, “Nein, just one.”

(“Drei”—pronounced “dry”—is German for “three”. “Nein”—pronounced “nine”—is German for “No”. Yes … I know - “Dieser Witz stinkt” is German for “This joke stinks.”)

Many people don’t know why they are in business.   Yes, of course they know what they do in their business.   In our business, for example, we fix cars.   It’s what we do.

However, I’ve recently been asked, “Why did you start a business?   Why do you do what you do?”   That is a really good question and made me think long and hard.

We started our business because Joe and I felt like we could provide a quality of care and service for what we believe auto repair should be.  We are concerned about safety issues and to address that, we believe cars should be maintained to run properly and be dependable.   We also want our customers to receive the respect and individualized attention they deserve.

Yes we fix cars, but we’re also in the maintenance business – trying to keep your car on the road as long as possible.   Most importantly though, we are in the customer satisfaction business.  One of our goals is to have every customer leave our shop feeling satisfied that we fixed or maintained their car exactly the way they wanted it done.   We also, want customers to feel that they can call us anytime with questions concerning their vehicle.   This all ties in to quality of care, what we believe in.

We love providing top-notch auto repair as is expected.   Thank you for trusting in our service for the past 20 years.  We couldn’t have done it without you.

My question is, why is that German drinking martinis?   Shouldn’t he be having a big stein of beer, nein?

Keep checking our blog for the latest news and tips from Holzhauser’s Auto!

Car Maintenance and Maryland State Inspections

If you're looking for a reliable Maryland State Inspection for passenger cars, light trucks, and SUVs with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less or for trailers 20 feet in length or less, without air brakes, you need look no further than Holzhauser’s auto repair shop.

Periodic inspections are required by law; plus they help you preserve your car's value, lowering chances of breakdowns, and other problems. Not having your vehicle inspected may open you up to penalties mandated by law.

As an experienced and reliable auto repair facility, we at Holzhauser’s are fully equipped and qualified to perform the requisite checks on your vehicle to certify its safety and road worthiness. You can rest assured your vehicle will be thoroughly inspected for all the checks required by law such as:

·         GVWR Equal to or Less Than 10,000 Pounds — steering, wheels, tires, suspension, exhaust and fuel system, electrical and light system, bumpers, glazing, mirrors, all safety equipment, speedometer /odometer, glazing, wipers, Universal and CV (constant velocity) joints, and other checks

·         GVWR Over 10,000 Pounds  — steering, wheels, tires, suspension, exhaust and fuel system, electrical and light system, bumpers, hood or hatches, door handle latches, floor or trunk pans, and speedometer /odometer

·         Trailer — hitches, suspension, emergency brakes, tires, rear metal frame, rear wheel flaps, lights, electrical system, and fenders

After receiving an accurate assessment for your vehicle, you can be rest assured of the safety and road worthiness of your vehicle. In the event of your vehicle not passing the inspection, you have the option of repairing the problems with us, or another shop, and then try to have your vehicle re-certified. 

Give us a call to learn more about our car maintenance in Aberdeen, MD, and our highly competitive and reasonable rates. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and can schedule a mutually convenient appointment if you’d like to bring your vehicle in for an inspection to our facility.

Who’s Job Is It Anyway?

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have.

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At some point or another in your job, you have been faced with a situation that “somebody” didn’t know who was supposed to do something.  The main goal, I believe, of every organization is for everyone to work together to have the business or organization run cohesively.  That is what we strive for here at Holzhauser’s.   That is why we make such a great team.  Let me tell you how we work together.

Joe and I own the business, but we don’t feel we are above our employees.   After all, employees are what keep our business running.   Without them, well, we would be working our butts off or out of business altogether.  Joe knows how to run the counter and speak with customers, as well as fixing cars and helping with marketing.

I can speak with customers and schedule appointments.   My main job is bookkeeping, keeping the paperwork in order and keeping customers coming through the door using marketing strategies.

Andres’ job is building great customer relationships, but he also helps me with the paperwork, marketing and is the liaison to the techs.  He also worked on cars in the past so, if that was necessary, he could jump in to help.  Andres also speaks Spanish, which is a great asset to our Spanish-speaking customers.

Tim and Nick’s job is to fix cars.  They also can explain to customers in person or on the phone about a problem or repair that a car needs.  They coordinate with Andres to get the job done.

So, now that you know what we all do, if you have a problem, anyone here at Holzhauser’s can help you or get you the help that you need.  Working together is what makes us a team and I wouldn’t trade our team for the world!

Keep checking our blog for the latest news and tips from Holzhauser’s Auto!

Q: What do you call a couple of women in the front seat of a car?

A: Air Bags.

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Oh, this is outrageous and my intention was not to offend anyone but to relate it to a story of how times have changed and how we do business here at Holzhauser’s.

One rainy morning back in the early 1980s I was driving to work when a tractor trailer pulled out on me and cut me off.   I had two choices – either hit the tractor trailer or swerve to the left and hit a curb.   Since my car was a compact, I figured the lesser of the two evils was to hit the curb.   The tractor trailer driver went on his merry way and I ended up with a bent lower control arm and shifted subframe.

Fortunately, I had just began dating Joe several months before.   I took my car to the dealership where I purchased it to get it repaired.  Back then, being young (just barely 20) it was a whole different environment when it came to women and car repair.   I was totally intimidated by the service manager who was old enough to be my father.  He assured me they would “take care of me.”   After a couple of days in the shop, I picked up my vehicle and it didn’t feel just quite right.  Joe drove it and put it up on the lift at the shop where he worked.  He told me they did replace the control arm but that was it!   They did not pull the subframe or align the car to make the vehicle drive straight down the road.

Being armed with this information, I went back and told them that the subframe had shifted and the car was still drifting to one side.   They assured me that they knew what they were doing and, in no uncertain terms, told me that I did not know what I was talking about.  After I began explaining to them the problem in more “technical terms” thanks to Joe’s Auto 101 Crash Course, they finally listened to me and fixed the car properly. 

When Joe and I opened Holzhauser’s Auto in 1995, that scenario played over and over in my head.   I vowed to never treat anyone, particularly women, who came in to have their car repaired with such disrespect.  It was an unwritten rule in our shop then and now that everyone, male or female, would be educated in lay terms on what the problem was with their car, given an explanation on the best way to fix it and any questions they had were answered.

Now that we are celebrating our 20^th Anniversary in business, I believe that my experience has made a difference in the way we do business.  We appreciate all of our customers - young, old, male or female -and we do our very best to make you comfortable when you come in for service.  After all, you are what keep us going and we hope for another 20 years of serving you!

Keep checking our blog for the latest news and tips from Holzhauser’s Auto!

The Flowers

The Flowers

A new business was opening and one of the owner’s friends wanted to send flowers for the occasion. They arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card; it said “Rest in Peace”. The owner was angry and called the florist to complain. After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was, the florist said. “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry you should imagine this: somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying, “Congratulations on your new location!”

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August 1, 1995 was a big day for us!  That was the first day we hung out our shingle and opened for business as Holzhauser’s Foreign Car Service on Rts. 136 and 543.   Let me back up a bit.

We moved to Harford County in 1990.  Our son was a year and a half.  Joe was working at a shop in Essex and I was working in Towson at a law firm.  My parents watched our son and we commuted to work every day, pretty much like most Harford County folks did.  In 1992, our daughter was born.  I transferred to the law firm’s downtown office and Joe took both of our kids to my parents’ house.  Every day it was out of the house at 6:45 a.m., home at 6:00 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., kids in bed at 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. and mom and dad not long after!

Joe always had the idea of owning his own business that was close to home.  Fortunately, a garage not too far from our house had an open lease for August 1^, 1995.   We pooled all of our resources, got Joe’s brother on board as a technician, decided that I should continue working at the law firm (hoping that one steady income would support us while we built up the business) and cleaned up the building to give it a fresh appearance to attract customers.

I remember how exciting it was that first day – Joe’s sister and I were still painting the office when a gentleman pulled up in a little red convertible Mercedes and asked if we could fix a flat tire!  What??? A flat tire?   Of course we could!  After that initial customer, who continued to patronize us until he passed away about 12 years ago, we knew we could do this.

With Joe’s expertise in auto repair (especially air cooled Beetles) and his brother’s help, we began to have a steady stream of customers.  In 1997, I was able to quit my job at the law firm and join Joe in the business.   We made a great team – he remembered the cars and what was done to them and I remembered names and addresses of customers.

In 2006, we purchased the property on Route 40.  In 2007 we started construction on the building and on Labor Day Weekend, we opened the doors and renamed our business Holzhauser’s Auto Service. 

We have built many friendships and relationships over the years and we believe we have the best customer’s in town!  Of course we have had our ups and downs but through perseverance and the right team, we continue to build our business.

I am proud to say that we still have some of the same customers from our first year in business but, whether you are a new or old customer, you are important to us and we appreciate your business!.

Keep checking our blog for the latest news and tips from Holzhauser’s Auto!

Just How Important is Maintaining Your Car

Motorist: When I bought this car you told me it was rust-free, but underneath it's covered with rust.

Dealer: Yes, sir. The car is rust-free. We didn't charge you for it, did we?
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That was a joke we found on the internet but did it make you laugh?   Most people don’t get warm and happy thoughts when they think of having to get their car repaired.  It’s tough when we have to call people to explain costly repairs.   We don’t like doing it and you don’t want to hear it.   Here is a simple thing you can do to avoid getting that “bad news” from us:  Follow your manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule.  It’s as simple as that!

You take care of your body by eating properly, exercising and making good life choices.   So why not do the same thing for your car? 

Maintenance is one of the most important things you can do to keep your car running properly.  The manufacturer provides a maintenance schedule for every vehicle.  Maintenance helps prolong your car’s lifespan, keeps the parts running smoothly, prevents you from breaking down but, most of all, helps preserve your car’s value. 

Here are a few simple things you can do:

•         Change the oil regularly
•       Change fluids – power steering/brake/transmission
•       Rotate tires to promote even wear
•       Check your brakes
•       Check belts and hoses

It is routine, at Holzhauser’s Auto, that we perform a courtesy check each time your car comes in for service.  That means we do a checkup on your car from head to toe (or we should say bumper to bumper) to ward off any future problems and to advise you of something that may need attention.  A lot of times we only see cars in the shop when they are not running properly.  Putting off regular maintenance services may cost you more in the long run.

Educating you on maintenance is what we would rather do to build our relationship.  After all, we want you to come into our shop with happy thoughts!

Keep checking our blog for the latest news and tips from Holzhauser’s Auto!