February 6, 2006
Fairfield boasts county's only Meineke location
By Christine Cube
Mechanics from Meineke Car Care Center show off their strength. (Photo by Christine Baker)
FAIRFIELD - When manager Vivian Yung opened her new store late last year, there's no way she could foresee the rain that fell around New Year's.
The sparkling Meineke Car Care Center became less-than-shiny, and officials there spent a couple days mopping up before reopening for business.
But it was a challenge - complete with lots of murky water and buckled concrete outside the storefront.
"It was pretty gnarly," Yung said.
Today, the Meineke Car Care Center enjoys being the only Meineke location in Solano County.
Loyal customers come from as far away as Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton and Antioch to get their cars serviced. (The closest Meineke location to the Fairfield store, located at 1525 B Holiday Lane, are centers in Sacramento and Santa Rosa.)
"We wanted to provide a low-cost quality car maintenance shop for the residents of Fairfield and the surrounding areas," she said.
North Carolina-based Meineke has a familiar face and new spokesman - former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, who's also widely known for his popular grill.
Yung's franchise venture with Meineke Car Care Center began more than a year ago, when she was looking for a business opportunity.
Having friends and family with a vast knowledge of business and automotives solidified her direction. After that, it came down to finding the right location for a shop.
"I really wanted to provide low-cost and quality service on the west side of Travis (Boulevard) and service those people out there," she said. "Most of Fairfield's car shops are on West Texas or North Texas."
Yung worked closely with the city to make sure the new shop met every standard and requirement. The process was further extended with the installation and set up of the equipment there.
"It's a pretty long process because you want to make sure everything is right," Yung said.
The Meineke Car Care Center opened in November and picks up new customers every day.
The center offers everything from oil changes - which run about $19.95 and include a free, 29-point visual inspection - to tuneups, brake service and alignment.
The most expensive service usually involves customization or ordering quality parts like ceramic brake pads. Because Meineke prides itself on offering low-cost service, at the highest end, services like this would run a max of about $1,500.
The Meineke Car Care Center joined the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce last month and is working out the details for a new patch program with the local Girl Scouts.
"I'm trying to find ways that I can get involved in the community," Yung said. "It is a community-based business. You start with one car and you eventually meet everyone in the whole family."
Reach Christine Cube at 427-6934 or ccube@dailyrepublic.net.
Meineke Car Care Center
Manager: Vivian Yung
Address: 1525 B Holiday Lane
Date opened: Nov. 19, 2005
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday
Phone: 429-8900
Web site: www.meineke.com
