FORT CARSON, Colo. -- As Spc. Jesse Clavette stands underneath his Jeep Cherokee inspecting his work, he hears what sounds like a NASCAR pit stop. The whistle of air wrenches and crackle of welders supply the white noise while in the distance an engine roars to life. A few seconds later, a hub cap crashes to the floor and a voice shouts, "clear."
Clavette, 230th Finance Company, 43rd Special Troops Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, is in the midst of a suspension modification, a project he started months ago. A few bays down, Retired Sgt. 1st Class Jose Murguia is welding parts for his retrofit project and less than 30 feet away a pair of Soldiers rebuild a small-block Chevy engine.
March 6 was a typical weekday afternoon at Fort Carson's Auto Skills Center. Every one of the shop's 32 bays was occupied. Soldiers and other DOD card holders were busy replacing brake rotors, doing oil changes or fastening muffler clamps. Meanwhile, the shop's staff mechanics were busy helping, teaching and advising their clientele.
The Auto Skills Center is managed by the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation. It provides a place where Soldiers, retirees, Family members and DOD civilians can repair their cars for a fraction of the cost a traditional auto repair shop would charge.
"It's important to understand that Soldiers feel safe here," said Tom Woditch, Auto Skills Center director. "They know we're not in business to make a profit off of them. We're not going to tell them they need to replace parts unnecessarily as a means for jacking up the cost of repairs. Our paychecks are the same every month."
The center provides a unique service to Fort Carson users, in manpower, equipment, tools and diagnostic machines. Every car repair tool imaginable is held in the center's equipment bay, which users can check out after attending a safety briefing and earning their shop card. The center also sells motor oil and filters, and every auto fluid someone may need, as well as clamps, fuses, bulbs and hardware.
What's also important, Woditch explained, is the wide range of service offered by the staff members and the focus and positive attitude they display.
"We get complete beginners who come in and need to fix something on their car, but have little to no knowledge," he said. "So we assign an instructor to that person. Our instructors can determine how much help they may need pretty quickly, then guide them through their work. Sometimes that means getting in there and turning the wrench. Other times, it means starting something and providing guidance the rest of the way. The idea is not to fix their vehicle for them, but provide the knowledge so they can do it."
On the other end of the spectrum, these same staff members can also assist the advanced hobbyist.
Murguia has been using the shop since his active-duty days back in the 1990s. He was busy retrofitting a 1960 Lincoln sedan with modern day suspension, steering and fuel injection systems March 6, 2015.
"I've restored a countless number of cars here," he said. "One of the biggest features of this garage is they have heat, so I can work on my projects during the winter months. Plus, I can rely on these guys for expert advice. It's nice to have another set of eyes."
The shop doesn't skimp on diagnostic tools either and boasts one of the finest repair information computers in the industry.
"Many self-repairers are used to thumbing through the old car repair manuals, which don't always have pertinent information in one place," said shop mechanic Matthew Schellenger. "But, with our onsite computer, we can print out diagrams and how-to instructions for pretty much any job. With the click of a button, you can pull up specifications, too. Those aren't always easy to find in the manuals."
The Auto Skill Center has a veteran staff and many of these services have been offered for years, but Woditch started as director a few months ago and brought a new vision and excitement level to the operation.
"We've started some new services and will continue to introduce more during the coming months," he said.
The shop began offering spray-on bed lining service March 6, 2015, and will begin instructional classes starting with brake systems and engine repair in April.
"My goal here is to bring a modern attitude to the way the Auto Skills Center is managed," Woditch said. "We're bringing new programs in, and we're trying to add things that might interest the Soldiers, things that are creative and provide an opportunity for them to have fun."
The Auto Skills Center is operated in a first-come, first-served manner and is open Wednesday-Friday from noon to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Woditch also plans to sponsor a monthly (except August) car show beginning in April. The monthly shows will lead up to a large car show in September that will include judging and trophies.
The Auto Skills Center is in building 2427, located off of Wetzel Avenue. Call 526-2147 for more information.
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