'Nuts and bolts' of the Auto Hobby Shop

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Siuta Ika
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
Clangs, creaks and clicks filled the air in garage four as mechanic, Bill Wade, worked on the 1990 Buick Electra.

Mr. Wade, who has been working at the Auto Hobby Shop for less than a month, is very impressed with the shop, its mechanics and how it runs.

"When I first got here, I couldn't believe how smoothly everything at the shop ran, considering how many services we offer," he said.

Air-conditioning services, tire rotations, fluid flushes and the ever-popular oil change is just a tidbit of services offered by the shop, said Buddy Ward, the shop manager.

The shop also allows people to bring in their cars and use the lift to work on them for an hourly charge. Tool sets are also available, free of charge, to whoever is working in the shop.

"A lot of people bring their vehicles in and use the lifts and even though we have a few mechanics here, mostly everyone here, including me, is here to maintain the facility," said Mr. Ward. "On the weekends it gets really busy with people using the lifts. Typically all 16 lifts are occupied from the time we open until the time we close."

The shop, which has been around since the early 1980s, opens its doors six days a week, with Mondays being open for appointments only. The Privately Owned Vehicle lot, along with the car wash, is also run and maintained by the Auto Hobby Shop. All facilities, including the Auto Hobby Shop, are open to anyone that can get on base.

"I think the shop is a great tool for [Holloman personnel] to use. I've seen many garages on military installations and this is up at the top of the list," said Mr. Wade. "It's really nice to give people here a place to take their car instead of taking it all the way downtown."

The shop is also accommodating to Holloman personnel and their schedules, said Mr. Ward.

"A lot of times we get people to drop off their vehicles with us early in the morning and they come back and get them when they get off work," he said.

The shop also offers free how-to classes the second Wednesday of every month and programs like Car Care, which helps the spouses of deployed members by giving them vouchers for free oil changes while the member is deployed.

"We also work with the folks at Outdoor Recreation and the Airman Family and Readiness Center to put on activities like car-shows, chili cook-offs and various other activities," said Mr. Ward. "We're all a pretty tight community and we've put on some really nice activities in the past."

For information regarding the Auto Hobby Shop and services they offer or for information regarding upcoming Auto Hobby Shop sponsored events call 572-7463.