St. Joseph Automotive & Diesel

Monday, October 24, 2011

Hold On (Just one minute please)

There has been quite a lot going on these last few days. We are getting ready to expand at the shop, and are looking for an A level flat rate technician. We keep gaining momentum in the community from the quality of work we do and the satisfied customers we produce. All that being said,  I regretfully had to push back my blog schedule. As of right now I have the first installment, of the "Get to Know Your Vehicle" series, on the books for next Monday, October 30, 2011. The first post will be all about the most important feature of your vehicle, the brakes, after all what good is driving if you can't stop once you reach your destination? Can't wait to see you there.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Let's Get Started, Shall We

I will start off by telling a little bit about myself. I was born and raised in Indiana where my father owned and operated a small automotive shop. He was pretty successful and did something he loved to do. Eventually the shop had to be closed down, because the family started growing and dad needed to spend more time with us and less time in the shop. I've wanted to work on cars ever since I can remember because of the shop, so I started out as the typical high school kid/shade tree mechanic. Doing side jobs was a great way to make a little cash, but, ultimately, I had to put that career on hold to make a steady paycheck after high school as a fabricator and welder at a local steel shop. It took me a while to realize, but I finally decided I wanted to be more than a slightly above minimum wage guy. At that point I took off for Chicago, Illinois to attend Universal Technical Institute so I could take my shade tree knowledge to the professional level. UTI is a technical school that offers courses that don't take a long time to finish, however I was there for two years. I figured that I was already there, and I probably would not have a chance to go back if I graduated and started a good career. So I signed up for every single class that they offered. In the end I graduated at the very top of the class with quite a few awards and accomplishments. From there I landed a job at a Ford Dealership in Champaign, Illinois on a recommendation from a very good instructor. During my time at Ford I became Senior Master Certified (almost, I needed one more certification which happened to be a class that they rarely offered anymore), and ASE Master Certified. The dealer that I worked for got bought out by a local business man. A select few people, including myself,  were transferred to the new facility to work with the other dealership that was already owned by that business man. After a few years my service advisor and myself found the politics of the new dealership to be too much to handle, and they sure didn't like me because I did not get involved in it, I just kept my head under the hood of the car I was working on and did my job. At that point we set out to open our own shop in Champaign, IL. so we could take care of our customers the way we knew they should be taken care of. Our shop is Midwest Automotive & Diesel and is located at 1306 North Prospect Ave. (217)352-7343. One Year after we opened Midwest Automotive & Diesel we had a slow day so we decided to diversify a little. Pro Computer Solutions was born. Jason and I opened the first Pro Computer Solutions Store at 12 E. Washington Street in Champaign, IL 61820 (phone: 217-607-2494) with the same drive and determination as Midwest. We employed James Wang to manage the store and currently have two other employees. You can stay up to date with Pro Computer Solutions at Procomputersol.com, on our Facebook page, on Twitter (@procosolutions,  or on our Pro Computer Solutions Blog.  I started these blogs in order to keep our customers informed so they can ultimately make better decisions about the repairs that they need for their vehicles and their computers. So please, sign up for our RSS feed or email. and like us on Facebook and follow me on Twitter (@matthewjphillip).

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Midwest Automotive & Diesel: The New Blog

Midwest Automotive & Diesel: The New Blog

The New Blog

This is my first time writing a blog, so please bare with me until I get in the groove. My first go at this will be a multiple part series on the different vehicle systems---brakes, transmission, engine, etc. So stay tuned for some really valuable information. Who knows this info may even save your life!