About The Braselton news. (Jefferson, Ga) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 2008)
Page 8A The Braselton News Wednesday, March 26, 2008 Social Automotive services comes closer to home Standridge, Mitchell to say vows NEW WAYS TO FIX VEHICLES Auto technician Sterling Brooks (left) shows customer Mark Anthony how a scanner helps to diagnose mechanical problems on a variety of vehicle makes and models. W ith so many people mov ing from more densely populated areas to the less congested Braselton- Hoschton area, it’s only natu ral for newcomers to miss a lot of the close-by service providers they previously uti lized in their former locales. And from my personal perspec tive, the scarcity of convenient full- service automotive shops was espe cially disappointing until Hamilton Mill Automotive changed its name and relocated last April to Spout Springs Road, just a few blocks west of Duncan Comers. Like many other vehicle owners, prior to this I had to travel much further than in the past for routine auto maintenance as basic as tire rotation and an oil change. That usually involved the sacrifice of just two to three hours of my work day, including the drive-time from Braselton to Oakwood or Winder. But when some mechanical problem required complete diagnostic testing and lengthy repairs, leaving my car overnight, and having to pay pretty much whatever the few available service shops wanted to charge me was almost as stressful as an IRS audit. Add to this the fact that I know about as much about automotive mechanics as Fred Flintstone knows about a computer, and you’ll under stand why I'd rather go through a root canal than take my car in for repairs. And I often procrastinate when either one of our two fam ily vehicles is overdue for standard maintenance work. This personal experience in mind, I was inspired to check out our area’s newest full-service automo tive care outlet, Elite Tire and Auto Service, less than 10 minutes from my Braselton home off Ga. Hwy. 211. It was late Friday afternoon, and my investigative timing was perfect. Co-owner and manager, Tim Jones, mechanic Sterling Brooks and repeating customer Mark Anthony were taking a break together and easy to interview about this busi ness. I first introduced myself to Jones In Focus with Fil Fil Jessee filwrites@aol.com who shares ownership of Elite (for merly Hamilton Mill Automotive) with Keith Fuller. “I write for The Braselton News, and would like to feature your busi ness in my column. Have a few minutes to talk to me?” “Well, okay. But what’s this going to cost me?” he asked. “Nothing, sir. Just a little of your time and maybe a complimentary cup of coffee,” I replied. “Great! You’re the first non-cus tomer in here today who hasn’t asked me for money,” he answered and, thereafter, seemed both com fortable and informative. Jones told me that he and his part ner successfully operated Hamilton Mill Automotive for 11 years, but had to close that shop when their landlord opted to sell the property to the developer of an office high-rise. The two then decided not to rent again but, instead, to build their own facility in the Braselton-Flowery Branch area, where they would be accessible to existing customers and attract new ones from the growing population here. Their present Spout Springs service center incorporates 4,800 square feet and sports a cozy lobby and waiting room area plus a six-bay service garage. “We service and repair anything your car or light truck needs,” Jones said. These needs, I learned, cover just about everything from air-condition ing problems to difficulties with brakes, belts, transmission, tires, engine timing, and electrical work. On the other hand, Elite does not address body or manufacturer’s war ranty work. In addition to personal vehicles, Braselton Police Department cruis ers are routinely serviced there, as well fleet vans and trucks for a num ber of businesses. And Elite main tains a staff of four full-time certi fied mechanics to keep customer waiting time to a minimum. But according to automotive technician Sterling Brooks, “the mechanics of both repairs and gen eral maintenance have changed so much in recent years, we have to keep pace with new engineering. Problems we used to be able to spot just by sight and sound we now have to identify with a scanner. This is a device that pulls codes from individual vehicles, and tells us the manufacture’s recommended range for voltage, revolutions per minute, fuel pressures, timing, and electrical voltage,” he explained. Brooks further pointed out that many late-model cars don’t even require routine lubrication. “They aren’t even made with grease fittings for this purpose any more. So, when friction wears out something, a customer’s only option may be to replace that part,” he added. Better that happen to your Lexus than your own knees. I’d say. But human joint pain is undoubtedly a lot easier to describe to a physician than the source of a car’s problem to a mechanic. “That’s why, before we began any work on a car with a strange noise. we like to take a vehicle for a test drive with the owner who reported it,” Brooks said. Brake problems and flat tire repairs are among the most common car ailments which bring in Elite’s customers, I was told. As for what keeps them coming back for future automotive service, a repeating patron summed it up pretty well. “In addition to the way I feel treat ed there, I’m confident that I’m never gouged on costs. I got bids on some of my most recent work from two other auto repair shops, and found Elite’s prices on parts and labor to be two to three times cheaper,” Mark Anthony of Braselton claimed. I’m going to remember that the next time my older model vehi cles need mechanical attention. Money may not buy me happiness in general, but spending less of it on automotive repairs certainly will. Meanwhile, I’m very pleased to have experienced car doctors as close as the medical kind who help to keep me from falling apart on life’s highways. Fil Jessee lives in Braselton, where he works as a freelance journalist. He can be reached at filwrites@ aol.com. Cancer society to hold lunch for business leaders on April 1 The American Cancer Society of Jackson County will hold an information luncheon, “Because We Care,” for local business leaders from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, at Community Bank and Trust, 71 Memorial Drive, Jefferson. The program will provide a variety of work place solutions that address employee wellness, volunteerism, community leadership and philan thropy, while advancing the ACS’s mission of eliminating cancer. Lunch will be provided, and those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP Ashley Morrow at 706-549-4893 or amorrow@cancer.org. “The Jackson County community has always been a wonderful supporter of the American Cancer Society and our programs to help cancer survivors and caregivers,” said Ashley Morrow, ACS mission delivery manager. Cleanup Jackson County events planned for next month Keep Jackson County Beautiful will feature two clean-up events in April, the month of the Great American Cleanup. On Saturday, April 12, household hazardous wastes — including elec tronics, aluminum cans, latex and oil paints, plastic bottles, paper recy cling items and bulbs and batteries — will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jackson County landfill. There is a $10 fee for TVs. On Saturday, April 19, a county wide clean-up day will be held. Keep Jackson County Beautiful is now signing up churches, civic groups, clubs and organizations — as well as individuals — who are interested in registering to help or in reporting an extra messy area. Bags, gloves and goodies will be provided. Contact Susan Trepagnier of KJCB, strepagnier@jacksoncounty- gov.com or 706-708-7198. Mickey W. and Tonia Standridge, Pendergrass, announce the engage ment and forthcoming marriage of their daughter, Ginger LaShea Standridge, Buford, to Brandon D. Mitchell, Buford, son of Carol and Dennis Bremer, Lawrenceville, and Gerry Mitchell, Buford. The bride- elect is also the daughter of the late Connie Standridge. Miss Standridge is the grand daughter of Joyce E. Hill and the late Charles Hill and J.B. Jr. and Joyce Standridge, all of Commerce. She is a 1999 graduate of Commerce High School, and a 2004 graduate of North Georgia College and State University, where she received a degree in business mar keting and was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority. She is employed by MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. The future groom is the grandson of Gwen Reagan, Dacula; Jerry and Judy Claborn, Monticello; and Gene Mitchell, Buford, and the late Ruth Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell is a 1999 graduate of Collins Hill High School. He served in the U.S. Air Force for five MR. MITCHELL, MISS STANDRIDGE years of active duty and now serves in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. He is employed by Jackson EMC in Lawrenceville. The wedding is planned for 5 p.m. May 17, 2008, at the Duluth Festival Center, Duluth. Invitations will be sent. The couple became engaged when Mr. Mitchell took Miss Standridge on a surprise trip to New York City. He proposed in Central Park after a morning walk and breakfast. birth announcements Colie Shae Morgan Ian Jared Morgan and Amber Lin Morgan, Gillsville, announce the birth of a daughter, Colie Shae Morgan, on February 27, 2008, at St. Mary’s Hospital, Athens. She weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounc es, and was 20.75 inches long. The grandparents are Wallie and Sabrina Fowler, Athens; Ramona Morgan, Braselton; Henry and Rebecca Morgan, Claxton; and Gary Tootle and Pauline Reeves, Gainesville. The great-grandparents are Alan and Patricia Martyn, MORGAN Athens; Edna Carter, Ila; Joan Bland, Collins, and the late Thomas Bland; and Henry and Willine Morgan and Floyd and Betty Livingston, Daisy. Estelle Carter, Braselton, is the great-great-grandmother. Anna Elizabeth Kurowski Roy and Sharon Kurowski, Hoschton, announce the birth of a daughter, Anna Elizabeth Kurowski, on Feb. 28, 2008, at Gwinnett Medical Center, Lawrenceville. She weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounc es, and was 20-1/2 inches long. The grandparents are Ed and Linda Byczek, Hoschton, and Robert and Patricia Key, Augusta. The great-grandparents are Jane Tiesling, Waukesha, Wis., and the late Art Tiesling; the late John and Stella Byczek, Antioch, Ill.; KUROWSKI and the late Eugene and Betty Edenfield, Augusta. To place a classified ad, call 706-367-5233 1. 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