Robert and Debra Elder have seen everything from pickup trucks to a Mach 5 Speed Racer in their auto repair shop, Elder’s Absolutely Cool Automotive. Located at 27431 Hanna Road in Oak Ridge North, the Elders and 10 employees work at the family-owned and operated business that provides a variety of auto care services.
“We do complete auto care, which includes providing specialty hoses and tires, transmissions and [liquid sequential injection] conversions as well,” Robert said. “If a ’69 Camaro, which is an antique, comes in here, we’re able to convert the engine and make them brand new. We have state-of-the-art equipment and the newest technology.”
Debra first got involved in the auto repair industry with her husband in 2010 at a previous shop they had in Hanna Road Business Park, while Robert has worked on cars almost all of his life.
“He first started in his garage and helped out neighbors and friends, and then later we rented out a place on Blueberry Hill Drive near Hanna Road,” she said. “We later outgrew that place and rented a second place. And then in 2008, we were in Hanna Road Business Park. Before that I was actually in dentistry. I enjoy it though. [Robert] told me they drill at the dentist, and they drill in the shop too.”
Debra said since opening their new shop last June, business has doubled. She credits the shop’s success to the level of customer service they provide. Robert agreed that customer service is a priority.
“I would say it’s our customer service that keeps bringing people back,” he said. “They know us. Especially with our new facilities, it allows for much better service. It’s been such an improvement since the [number] of cars we can service has grown, and we’ve finally accomplished our goal of becoming a stand-alone shop.”
The Elders provide car delivery service—where customers can drop off their car and have it returned to them. Customers can also receive text messages with car status updates along with pictures sent of the car to show what part of their car is having problems.
“A lot of places don’t offer things like that,” Debra said. “We’re mostly a paperless system, except for receipts.”
Besides servicing cars for residents in the Oak Ridge North, Spring and The Woodlands areas, Debra said they are active in the Oak Ridge North community too.
“We’re big in the Oak Ridge North annual car show each year on the Fourth of July,” she said. “We love Oak Ridge North, and we are getting to know everyone in the area.”
Robert said with more people finding out about the business as well as servicing customers from a car restoration garage—also in Oak Ridge North—many interesting cars have gone through the shop.
“We’ve had so many interesting cars here,” he said. “We had the Speed Racer Mach 5, we had the Ronald McDonald shoe car, and then we’ve had a lot of high-performance cars, such as Lamborghinis and Porsches.”
Auto brands serviced
- Acura
- Audi
- BMW
- Buick
- Cadillac
- Chevrolet
- Dodge
- Ford
- GMC
- Honda
- Hyundai
- Infiniti
- Jeep
- Land Rover
- Lexus
- Lincoln
- Mercedes-Benz
- Mercury
- Mini
- Mitsubishi
- Nissan
- Porsche
- Scion
- Toyota
- Volkswagen
Auto repairs:
- Major and minor repairs
- Air conditioning services
- Suspension
- Brakes
- Emissions, mufflers, exhaust
- Tube and hose repairs
- Electrical and diagnostics
- Wheels and tires
- Transmission
- State inspection sticker
Elder’s Absolutely Cool Automotive, 27431 Hanna Road, Oak Ridge North, 281-367-4814, www.elderautomotive.com
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
