My Biz: Big Jim’s Extreme Auto’s philosophy of car maintenance ‘Do the whole thing’

CEDAR RAPIDS - When Jim Reiner opened his southwest Cedar Rapids shop, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera was among the most popular new cars. You can't buy a new Cutlass - or any Oldsmobile - anymore, but Reiner and his four employees will still fix your car - even if it's an Olds.

'My philosophy is, as long as you maintain them, do the oil changes, do the maintenance on them and everything else, they'll last a long time,” Reiner said last week in his office at Big Jim's Extreme Auto.

After working as a service manager at a Colorado truck dealership, Reiner, 61, opened his own shop in 1989. That was a franchised outlet of a regional chain specializing in mufflers and brakes, but Reiner wanted to take a more holistic approach.

'My philosophy is, when I get a car in, do the whole thing” to get it running properly, he said. With the franchise, 'it was just undercar, brakes and oil changes. When a car comes in, there's probably other things wrong. So I couldn't do the whole job.”

So when his franchise contract ended in 2004, Reiner went independent, launching Big Jim's at its present location. Over the years he's expanded the shop, adding three service bays - one for large trucks.

Cars have changed dramatically, but his philosophy hasn't.

'A lot of our customers are good customers, repeat customers,” he said. 'I've been here almost 28 years now. You had a customer way back, they were young, their parents brought their vehicle, then they passed away.

'Now they're bringing their vehicle in, and now their kids are bringing their vehicles in. You kind of know their history, you know the problems they have.”

Reiner's daughter Elizabeth Reiner staffs the front desk and keeps the workflow smooth.

'She came in the business five years ago, so I can try to exit out of the business,” he said, laughing. 'That hasn't happened.”

Keeping up with automotive technology is a constant challenge, but that same technology means vehicles are far more reliable.

'My dad, he bought a car brand-new, but he only had it until 60,000 (miles)” Reiner recalled. 'He figured at 100,000, that car was shot. Nowadays, so many people are buying a car at 100, 150,000, and they're driving them until they drop.

'I have one customer here, he's a salesman, and he has over 550,000 on his car. So you maintain them, they'll run.

That's changed the shop's relationship with its customers.

'You used to see a customer three or four times a year,” he said. 'Now you see a customer, it depends how often they need oil changes. You might see them two, three times a year and that's about it and it's just for an oil change.

'By far, the cars are a lot better. The only problem is, when something goes wrong it's more expensive.”

It's not just cars that have changed. Technology has altered how Reiner markets his business.

Big Jim's maintains a professionally designed and maintained website, and Reiner tracks Big Jim's mentions on social media.

But it's the medium, not Reiner's approach, that's changed.

'The Cedar Rapids community has been a very good community to me,” he said. 'I'd never say I got rich off of it, but I made a good living. As long as you're honest and straightforward, there's a lot of work out there.

'You don't have to cheat somebody because there's so much work out there. If you're honest with them, treat them like human beings, they'll come back again.”

l Know a business in operation for more than a year we should consider for 'My Biz”? Contact michaelchevy.castranova@thegazette.com.

AT A GLANCE

l Owner: Jim Reiner

l Business: Big Jim's Extreme Auto

l Address: 1600 Sixth St. SW, Cedar Rapids

l Phone: (319) 261-0999

l Website: www.bigjimsautomotive.com