Taking Care of Business for 30 Years

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
Taking care of business for 30 years Sil’s service keeps customers coming back

MIKE BEGGS
Mar 19, 2007

"I don’t like to sidetrack on the truth of their vehicle," says Silvano Sabucco, owner of Sil’s Auto Diagnostic Centre, in Clarkson.

And while the truth may hurt sometimes, it’s that reputation as a straight shooter, combined with quality service, that has kept him thriving for the past three decades.
At this point, Sabucco’s trade is about 80 per cent repeat business, and referrals. No less than 75 of those regulars turned out when Sil’s hosted its 30th anniversary party.

"(That turnout) makes me feel that I’ve done something right," he says. "I feel I’ve been fair and honest with them right through. If not, they wouldn’t (stand behind me)."

Such recognition hasn’t come only from customers, but from his peers.
In 2003, Sil’s became the first Toronto area shop to be named Garage of the Year by Service Station and Garage Management magazine. And, as a CAA-approved facility, it was the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Customer Service Award recipient for Mississauga.

Suggesting that, "the majority of consumers feel they’ve been overcharged for a repair or charged for something that wasn’t done," Sabucco posts all his prices on the wall in the reception area.

Next to that is his mission statement: We are here to help you manage your vehicle as efficiently as possible.
"It’s important (for them) to find someone who can tell it the way it is about their vehicle," he says. "You have to care about the job, and care about the client."

The family-run operation finds Sabucco’s son, Carlo, capably managing the shop, and his wife, Anna, taking care of the books.

A native of northern Italy, Sabucco launched Sil’s in 1976 at Clarkson and Lakeshore Rds. He has moved along this competitive strip over the years, before settling into his current location, at 2133 Royal Windsor Dr., Unit 29, in 2003.

For a small, five-bay garage, the biggest challenge has been keeping up with ever-changing technology. The diagnostic reference in Sil’s shop name is well-chosen. As Carlo explains, in today’s high-tech environment, "it’s 80 per cent figuring the problem out, and 20 per cent fixing the problem."

"The high-tech end of it has gone wild," Sabucco comments. "Technology changes a little too quickly. And it seems there’s no end to training anymore."
Carlo feels educating clients is key.

"It’s the place (of your service centre) to slow you down and talk to you," he says. "It’s a personal touch, that’s what makes the difference these days. You go to mass merchandisers, there’s four levels of management, and you never actually see the technician."

They offer an informative web site, and free quarterly newsletter.
Also, things are unusually clean for a garage -- from reception, right through the bays.

"The first impression is what they size you up by," says Carlo who, in time, will take over the business. "If the shop is clean like this, (people will think), ’they must be doing the same thing in my car -- there’s no grease on the steering wheel.’"

At 63, Sabucco figures he has a couple of years left before retirement.
"(It’s a business) that’s for some people," he says. "It’s sort of in your blood and it’s hard not to enjoy.

"(But) this is a very demanding trade. It can take a lot out of you."