By Courtney Dimpel
My first experience with this shop was with Tyler. I had a slow leak in one of my front tires, and finally got tired of filling it up every other day at the Chevron off State Park Drive. Admittedly, I wasn’t happy about making a visit to the tire shop. Spending money and time on car repair is not my most favorite thing to do in my free time. But, sometimes when life gives you lemons, the lemonade is pretty darn sweet.
When I walked in, the first thing I saw was Tyler’s friendly face. His enthusiasm at 8 a.m. that morning was contagious and quickly relieved some of the stress I had about my tire. In a matter of 20 minutes, he diagnosed the problem and had a cost effective solution lined up. Problem solved. And, one of the greatest parts about his location, is the people watching you can do while you wait! I was able to wave to at least a half-dozen friends who passed by the shop while Luiz, slapped on a new tire for me.
Audi’s are no easy task when it comes to maintenance. They took care of my 30k maintenance check-up quickly, and at an unbeatable price. Aptos Tire has all the special equipment needed to tackle your service needs when it comes to maintenance check-ups, oil and air filter changes, air conditioning repair, and more. You need it, they can do it.
Tyler and Luiz chose to open the shop in Aptos because of the small town feel and sense of community this area offers. “We love the community and are honored to work on their cars,” said Tyler. Within nine months of opening in 2011 the dynamic brother-in-law duo hit over 500 customers, and continue to see growth in their clientele.
“We continue to expand the products and services Aptos Tire offers, and are fully capable of fixing, maintaining and servicing anything under your hood,” said Luiz. We love our location, and enjoy helping the residents of Aptos. It’s really fun to see kids grow up, help their parents fix up their first car, or get it ready for them to go off to college,” said Tyler who is a family man himself with four children. “Aptos is a unique place, and we really enjoy getting to know members of the community as time rolls on.”
Tyler became a certified WyoTech technician in 2006, and began his automotive repair career in Half Moon Bay where he worked in a shop servicing a wide range of vehicles. The Aptos Tire idea was born in 2010 over Thanksgiving dinner. Both Tyler and Luiz had been working for several shops, and decided that night they would give running their own shop a try. Things quickly fell into place for the two. After laying out a business plan, they signed a lease for the space they currently reside in. Before they knew it, they were running their own shop and calling the shots. “We opened during a tough economic time, and for us to be here two years later speaks to our client satisfaction and bodes well for the future of Aptos Tire,” said Tyler.
While tires are their main gig, this duo and their team of highly trained staff can tackle just about any problem you’re having with you auto, including Audi, Mercedes, Porche, BMW, and Jaguar, and all domestic cars including electric! They also have a great website where you can get an instant quote on any tires and wheels. They offer competitive prices, and are tough to beat with their service cost.
These guys are personable, and know their stuff. Check them out if you need something fixed on your car, want to put a set of sweet wheels on your rig, just want to talk tech, or shamelessly people watch and wave to friends you see driving by the shop. Either way, good mechanics are hard to find; unless, of course you live in Aptos. Then it’s easy — they’re at Aptos Tire!
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Aptos Tire & Auto Care 8028 Soquel Drive. Tel # 831-708-2093. Website: www.aptostire.com • Hours: M-F 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sat & Sun 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.