Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Long.
Michael, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My passion for cars began at 12 years old. I helped my father, who was a mechanic by trade, by handing him the necessary tools and shining a flashlight. From there, he taught me the basics of car maintenance, oil changes, brakes, and tune up. At 16 years old, I got my first car and I could not stop tinkering with it. This is also when I started gaining personal experience as I helped my friends work on their cars. Soon enough, I became my dad’s assistance and worked part-time.
I became familiar with how German cars were built since my dad’s clients had mainly Mercedes. In college, I bought a Mercedes that was a fixer upper and began working on it during my free time. Soon, my work began to spread through word of mouth and I started having my own clients. The more cars I worked on, the more knowledge I gained. I knew for sure that this was my passion.
I graduated from Cal State Long Beach in 2016 with a BA in Geography but decided to pursue my passion in working on cars. If there was one thing I learned from college, is that you needed to network. I discovered a car group called AMG SOCAL Lounge, a group of car enthusiasts who own Mercedes AMG. I introduced myself and my work and was given the chance to repair, modify, and maintain many of the member’s cars. My clientele grew immensely as clients as far as San Diego would drive to me to fix their car. I hardly ever post my work on social media. It was all because of word of mouth that my skills and abilities became well known.
In 2018, I was given the opportunity to purchase an automotive repair business called Benztec. With the money I saved up and the help of my friends and family, I was able to turn my passion into a business.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I was 24 years old, practically fresh out of college with technically no work experience besides working on cars at home, so the struggle was real during my first year of running Benztec. The main issue I faced was managing a team because my whole life, I have worked alongside my dad. Also, who could take a 24 years old seriously when you have worked on cars for as long as I have been alive.
As an independent Mercedes repair shop, we do not cut corners on repairs because our goal is 100% customer satisfaction which means, the car does not return. I’ve had employees who were careless and didn’t bother to at least double-check their work. This caused customer complaints and having to return their car back after it was supposedly fixed. We lost a few clients because of this. There were also a few projects that were unsuccessful which meant we had to take a loss. The loss meant all the hours, days, and even weeks on working on a single car and not charging for labor because the issue wasn’t solved. Not being able to fix something is one of the worst feelings for me.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Benztec – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Benztec is an independent Mercedes-Benz / European Complete Service & Repair shop. We are known for repairing and maintaining Mercedes-Benz vehicles from basic maintenance to complete engine rebuilds. What we specialize in is modifying Mercedes-Benz AMG models (Mercedes’s high-performance subsidiary) as many of our clients bring their cars in so we can make them louder and faster. We also do custom works such as audio systems, air suspensions systems, and installing carbon fiber body kits so not only do their cars go fast but they’re aesthetically pleasing.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As an entrepreneur, I am always planning for the future. As of now, I am looking to expand. Our current location is getting too small as our clientele is increasing everyday. With three garage bays and limited parking space, we cannot get much done as fast as we would like. Unfortunately, we often take up our neighboring repair shops’ parking spots because our lots get filled quickly and one neighbor specifically is not too happy about that. So now, we are passively looking for a bigger location and hoping to move within a year or two.
In addition to expanding, we plan to collaborate with other companies to design and produce Mercedes-Benz performance parts and accessories with high quality and ease of installation at a competitive price. Working on other vehicle brands such as Porsche and some exotics like Ferrari, Mclaren, and Lamborghini is also part of the plan. Of course, once I have the space for it.
A major goal that I hope to achieve in 3-4 years is to help build a car that will be featured in SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association). SEMA is known to be the largest automotive trade shows/convention in the world. That would definitely put Benztec on the map for car enthusiasts. Once that’s been done, buying a Mercedes-Benz AMG GTR (my dream car) wouldn’t be so bad either, haha!
Contact Info:
- Address: 11606, #C, Garvey Ave, El Monte, CA 91732
- Website: https://www.benztec.com/
- Phone: (626)522-0376
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benz_specialist/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenzSpecialist/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/benztec-el-monte-5?osq=benztec
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