Shop Talk- Dave Gettman says goodbye

Our Holiday Schedule

We want our people to spend time with their families and friends during the Holidays, and fortunately the oddities of the calendar mean we don’t have to close the shop very much to do it this year.  Our Holiday schedule is…

OPEN on Fri, Dec 23

CLOSED Sat, Dec 24 to Mon, Dec 26

OPEN Tue, Dec 27 to Fri, Dec 30

CLOSED on Sat, Dec 31

OPEN on Mon, Jan 2 and on into a brand new year!

Dave Gettmann is moving on down the road

We have a good news bad news situation to share with you.  It’s bad news for us as we say goodbye to a good friend, but great news for Dave Gettmann as he hangs up his wrench after years of spectacular service to our company and clients.  Dave has over 40 years’ experience in all aspects of auto repair but we had the benefit of his last 16 years with us as our go-to guy for undercar work like brakes, shocks, and alignments.  Technicians can tend toward the curmudgeonly, especially with years of service, but Dave comes in each day with a REAL smile and a positive, can-do, service-centered attitude that was not only a pleasure to work with but slowed the slide into curmudgeonliness for the rest of the team.  He won’t be slowing down after leaving us, on the contrary his wife, children, and grandchildren, as well as his hobbies of gun collecting, gardening, and home improvement will keep him busier than ever (now that he has the time to spend on them!)  Surprisingly, Dave is the first Technician to actually retire from Tom Dwyer Automotive in our 30-year history so we’ll be doing something special for him… we’ll take his last Technician shirt and raise it up into the rafters over his repair rack, retiring his number for future techs.  From now on, any “Dave’s” we hire will be “Dave R.” or “Dave H.” or whatever, but the only “Dave-with-no-last-initial” will be our friend for many years, Dave Gettmann. As a final gift to Dave we’ll do something that’s only possible if you’ve known for 16 years… show embarrassing photos of him from back-in-the-day, with our apologies that none of these pictures capture the care and preening Dave put into his ever-changing beard and moustache choices.

Here’s Dave from 2001, near the start of his time with us

Mister Gettmann from about 2008. NOT a mug shot!

Here’s Dave from about 5 years ago

Congratulations, Dave, on decades of service, and thank you from Tom Dwyer Automotive Services and all the clients you’ve helped through the years.  On behalf of all of us, we wish you every success and happiness in the many joyous years to come!

Comment of the Month

This month’s Comment comes from client Paula E. who said…

“I was very pleased that Josh was able to show me where my coolant overflow bottle was so that I won’t let it run out of fluid again.  Thank you so much for the great service!”

Glad to do it Paula!  We don’t just want to help you when things go wrong, we want to help you prevent vehicle problems in the first place!  Staying aware of things like fluid levels, tire pressures, or drips on your driveway between services can give you warnings of serious problems, but only if you know how to check them.  Our educated clients get the most value from our services, so Josh (or any of our other Techs or Advisors) are always available to educate you on any vehicle issues you may have!

Referral Reward Program

Maybe it’s the spirit of the season, but November was a very big month for our Referral Reward program… we were privileged to make 15 donations totalling $644 to 13 deserving groups!  If you haven’t heard about this unique way to help the non-profits you care about, our Referral Reward Program says “thanks” for referring new clients to our shop by making donations to the non-profit group of your choice whenever a new client gives your name as a referral source.   Donations vary from $10 to $50 based on the new client’s initial purchases.  Here are the groups we donated to this month, along with the clients who made it possible.  And from all of us and all of the groups who benefited, THANK YOU!

Sage Metro PDX by Emily Z.            Sacred Stone Defense Fund by Jennifer T.

Doctors Without Borders by June D.            Common Cause Oregon by Liz B.

Sellwood Jr. Baseball by Dawn M.          Oregon Humane Society by Angela M. & Jaiya C.

Scrap PDX by Kay B.            Doernbecher Childrens Hospital by Marya W.

Greater Portland Bible Church by Mitch L.            Oregon Food Bank by Angie W.

ARC of Multnomah County by Roy Soards           P:EAR by Emily O.

Planned Parenthood of Columbia/Willamette by Margie F. & Rob C.

Your reviews and referrals matter

We are constantly grateful for the supportive and loyal clients we have developed over the years.  Your comments and appreciation keep us on the right road to providing the superior automotive service you deserve.  Your reviews and referrals are not only the highest compliments we can receive, but they’re the lifeblood of our new business.  If you like what you’ve found at Tom Dwyer Automotive Services, please tell a friend or take a minute to write a review on Yelp, Angieslist, Google, or the review site of your choice. Thank you!

Latest Automotive Recalls  

Automobiles are just like any other product; occasional flaws in manufacture or design can cause problems once they leave the factory.  When an issue is identified the manufacturers and government work hard to bring the vehicles back in for refit or repair, but not all recalls make the front pages.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains a constantly updated list of recalls from every manufacturer.  The last month’s recalls are below, but clicking the button at right will take you to the full list at the NHTSA website.