South Hill Muffler & Brake Shop Ltd.

When Jack Torrens bought South-Hill Muffler & Brake Shop in 1995, it was the only undercar shop on the south side of Red Deer, Alberta. All the other shops were on the north side of the western Canadian city of about 74,000 people.

To serve his client base more effectively, the North-Hill Muffler & Brake Shop was opened 10 years later, in 2005.

According to Jack, most of his peers thought he had made a big mistake, especially since the shop sat back off the highway. But he had been involved in auto repairs for 25 years. He explained that even in junior high and high school, he found himself fixing his friends' bicycles. He had more than 21 years' experience specializing in the undercar business, 13 of which was working for one of the biggest independent undercar shops in western Canada.

The shop was only 11 months old when he bought it from Red Deer Exhaust owners Don and Kim Schumacher. Jack knew the shortcomings of the shop - mainly that it was new. But he also knew the advantages. Growth would take place in a matter of time. Although the five-bay building was more than a hundred yards off the highway, a major shopping mall was across the street and several new businesses were under construction near his shop. He knew his location was better than what some thought, and he knew he would win customers over with honest repair work and good service.

Today, Jack believes his shop does more business than any other undercar shop in town. The shop emphasizes its expertise in undercar services, but when Jack first took over he did all he could to please the customers.

Although the posted hours are 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, if somebody came in at 4:30 pm needing a brake job by the end of the day, Jack and his technicians would stay late and get the job done. In addition, during the winter, when undercar work is slow, Jack would take on a transmission R&R or other services not normally performed.

"No matter how you slice the pie at the end of the day, we are licensed mechanics and we can get the job done," he said.

Jack explained that all shops in Alberta are required to have technicians certified by the provincial government. The certification requires a four-year apprenticeship and then testing. If test scores are high enough, the technician also receives a "Red-Seal" certification, which enables him to be certified in all the Canadian provinces. Jack holds a Red-Seal certification. The other technicians are in the journeyman and apprenticeship stages.

During the peak season, Jack sticks to the undercar service. He'll turn down timing belts, engine overhauls and the like, because exhaust, brake and chassis services are far more in demand.

"Half of our work now is exhaust, with about 20% brakes, 10% shocks, 10% front end and the final 10% in starters, alternators, belts, hoses, tires, batteries and oil changes, etc."

In early March 1999, when Undercar Digest visited the shop, there was 14 inches of show on the ground, and daytime temperatures were about 10^o F.

"Spring is just around the corner," he said. Because of the severe winters, Jack decided to buy a tow truck and add battery starter and alternator service early on.

"If we get a call on a car that won't start, we tow it in and we can usually find one of these parts with a problem. We get them up and running in no time. Rather than lay our staff off in the wintertime, we can retain them and just flip our service over to a different area."

Custom exhaust work, including dual exhaust from the engine back, has always been popular. Jack said there are no regulations prohibiting the removal of catalytic converters in Alberta, although the practice of installing dual exhaust behind the catalytic converter is just starting to catch on - not because of emissions regulations, but because of the design of exhaust systems on 1995 and newer vehicles.

Because of the extra oxygen sensor included with the converter, removing the converter would require an additional computer chip to make the vehicle operate properly, Jack said. Customers with these vehicles are now asking for catback systems.

"So it looks like the vehicle manufacturers are taking care of the problem of keeping the converters on the vehicles, not regulations of the provincial government. Typically, just like what happened in the States, it's probably going to take eight to 10 years for a lot of these vehicles without converters to phase in.

Performance is strong with pickup owners, especially the younger ones who want big-diameter exhaust pipes and low-restriction mufflers. As a result, Jack advertises MAGNAFLOW Big Bore Exhausts for $349.95 on a portable sign outside of his shop.

One service that would be considered unusual at many shops in the southern half of the United States is quite profitable for South-Hill Muffler & Brake - installation of engine block heaters. Jack noted that almost every vehicle in his community requires one during the winter if it sits outside. Even the hotels have plug-ins for their guests to keep the radiator and engine block from freezing.

Jack added tires to keep from losing business from customers who needed steering and suspension parts replaced and also required tires as part of the service. He carries the Auto Par line, which is made by Michelin. "It's a top line, and the customers really like them."

"Service is key," he said. "We do our best to get the cars in and out as quickly as possible for our customers. Half of our customers generally drop off their vehicles and go to work or go to the mall across the street." When they drop the car off, Jack makes sure they get a ride to work and pickup at the end of the day.

"We work hard at pleasing the customer," Jack said, "and it's really paid off."
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