Loyalty makes Mr. Lube No. 1

WASILLA — There are few people customers trust more than their auto mechanic.

At Mr. Lube in Wasilla, owner and mechanic Andy George just may be one of the most trustworthy people in the Mat-Su. George has been voted Best Mechanic and his business as Best Auto Repair in the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman’s annual Best of the Valley voting.

Since 1994, George has been fixing just about anything with wheels with a philosophy of honesty and quality work, said Margaret Keene, executive assistant for Mr. Lube.

When asked why Mr. Lube customers would think enough of the business to vote it the best, Keene said the answer is simple.

“I think it’s Andy,” she said. “When he started this business, his belief was — and still is — that you can make a profit without taking advantage of people. Our mechanics don’t work on commission, so they’re not going to replace things that don’t need it. Andy’s an honest, hard-working guy and customers know they can trust him. This Valley’s a small place and word-of-mouth goes a long way.”

While Mr. Lube can fix just about anything that ails your vehicle, it’s preventative maintenance that’s the mantra at the shop. Keeping up with regular oil changes and scheduled maintenance can save customers a lot of money down the road, Keene said. Lately, people have been coming in to change out oil and filters because of the increased levels of volcanic ash in the air.

“That ash is like fiberglass, and you definitely don’t want that getting into your engine,” she said. “We haven’t seen any that have been real bad, but when you’re driving a $40,000 or $50,000 car, a little maintenance goes a long way. … If you’re using quality grade motor oil and changing the oil every 3,000 miles, we have customers with more than 300,000 miles on their vehicles that all they’ve really done is kept up with the maintenance.”

When he’s not working on cars, George is a champion snowmachine racer. He won the Iron Dog in 2006 and finished eighth in this year’s race.

At Mr. Lube, the newest addition is a state-of-the-art car wash, Keene said.

“Our car wash is the latest technology, so your car is going to come out 100 percent clean,” she said.

While George sets the tone at Mr. Lube, the high quality of employees is the backbone of the business, Keene said. Many have been with the company for several years.

That readers would recognize Mr. Lube and George as Best of the Valley is humbling, she said.

“We appreciate our customers as much as they appreciate us. We really appreciate the loyal customers who come back every time. I’m always surprised how many people come here every day and tell us ‘thank you.’”

Mr. Lube is located at 721 West Point Drive in Wasilla and can be contacted at 373-4645.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.