New Firestone Auto Care Center opens in Everett

Published 9:06 am Tuesday, March 30, 2010

February saw the grand opening of a brand new Firestone Complete Auto Care center in south Everett. The store is just one of several new locations planned for Firestone.

While no industry is recession-proof, general manager Dan Kring of Firestone’s new south Everett store believes this company has an edge in an economy where more people are looking to keep their cars longer.

“The company’s philosophy is to make your car run better longer,” Kring said. “Another company philosophy is our promise to care. We want to be a community-type store.”

The Everett community is especially important to Kring. He was raised here and likes to see the company he works for make an investment in the community where he grew up and where his children are now growing up.

When he first took a job with the corporation, he was working out of a Firestone center in Seattle. When Kring heard about the proposed new Everett location, just minutes from his home, he hoped that he could make that store his own.

“As soon as they broke ground for it, I started driving by it,” he said.

To his satisfaction, Kring was made general manager of the new Everett store that features 10 service bays and eight ASC certified technicians.

“It is complete auto care,” Kring said. “You can get anything from wiper blades to an engine. Instead of going to six different shops for different services, you can just come here.”

While the company is probably best known for tires, Firestone also has vehicle service and maintenance. Oil changes can be scheduled along with any other Firestone service. A free battery check-up is available with every visit to the store. The company offers tune-ups, transmission service and radiator care. Customers can sign up for a scheduled maintenance reminder program if they choose.

Firestone also services auto air conditioning systems. A common cause for air conditioner problems in vehicles is a refrigerant leak. The company is one of the limited number of places that can do air conditioning retrofit services on older vehicle systems so that they can use modern refrigerants.

Firestone’s brake service includes routine maintenance such as a brake system flush and the replacement of brake fluid. Technicians can also do brake pad replacement, service rotors or replace brake cylinders as needed.

Steering and alignment services are another area covered by Firestone. Technicians perform a complete steering and suspension system inspection with every alignment. Some repair issues are not quite clear cut. Sometimes a vehicle just won’t start. Other times, overheating could be an issue.

Firestone technicians are able to diagnose and resolve almost any mechanical problem.

Kring believes that Everett customers are going to enjoy his store’s location and the wide variety of services. He recently partnered with a nearby restaurant so that customers can get a discount on their meals while waiting for their vehicle.

He also believes his extended hours will be attractive to customers. Kring’s store is open until 7 p.m. on weekdays to accommodate people’s work schedules and is also open on both Saturday and Sunday.

More information about Firestone Complete Auto Care is available at www.firestonecompleteautocare.com.