Fred Donovan’s auto repair shop is a one-man operation. But he has plenty of friends. And they’re all available at the push of a button. Donovan is part of the International Automotive Technician’s Network, a computer network of mechanics from more than 132 countries and more than 13,000 mechanics who can respond to a question at a moment’s notice.
“Let’s say a car comes in here and has a symptom I’ve never seen before,” he said. “I can go through the network and hear from people around the world about how they’ve seen that symptom and how they fixed it.”
Donovan opened his shop, “Red Light Automotive Diagnostics and Repair,” on Burnham Drive last September. He named the shop for the red “check engine” light that comes on when a car’s sensors detect a problem.
Donovan, who has been a car and plane mechanic for about 30 years, said he wanted a catchy name — he thought the red light on the dashboard would make it easy for people to remember.
Donovan was in the business the very first year mechanics were required to take the Automotive Service Excellence test, and he said he passed it with flying colors.
Donovan also flew crop dusters in Fresno and learned the specifics of working on that type of plane.
“I’ve always been a mechanic,” he said. “I enjoy working on mechanical things. I got the flying bug because I married the crop duster’s daughter.”
The Donovans moved to Gig Harbor in 2002, and he said he’s not going anywhere.
“This is home,” he said. “We love Gig Harbor.”
He’s the “sole practitioner” in his business, he added.
“I do everything except front-end alignments and tire replacement,” he said. “When people come here, they won’t have an apprentice working on their car. I work on foreigns and domestics and do everything from transmissions, to engines, to electrical diagnosis. Most of the cars I see have electronic issues.”
State-of-the-art computer technology is the name of the game in the auto repair business today, Donovan said.
“Even though I’m one man, I have access to thousands of other shops and information,” he said. “The big difference between now and the 1970s is that I spend more time in front of a computer than with a wrench in my hand.”
Cars are much more expensive than they used to be, but they also last a lot longer now, Donovan said.
“Cars used to be done at 100,000 miles,” he said. “Now people are driving them to 200,000 to 250,000 miles.
“When I was a kid, we all knew people that died in car accidents. Now we have air bags and all that. In the old days, cars cost a lot more to maintain.”
The good news for mechanics, Donovan said, is that, because of the recession, more people are hanging onto their cars instead of selling them.
“People are finding it’s less expensive to keep up a 5- to 6-year-old car than to buy a new one and pay all that tax and depreciation,” he said. “People are spending more money to keep their cars.”
Business at Red Light has been increasing every month since it opened, Donovan said.
“I’m getting most of my business through word of mouth right now,” he said.
The shop’s location, next to Conan Fuel, also is a plus.
“All of the police cars come through here to get their fuel,” Donovan said. “I have the safest place in town — the cops are here 24/7.”
Address: 10320 Burnham Drive, Gig Harbor.
Phone: 253-858-3014.
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; Saturdays by appointment.
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