Melvin Sexton took over the DeWilde Auto Service three years ago, July 1. He bought out his partner, Tom DeWilde. The DeWilde name has remained on the business. “DeWilde has a good name, a good reputation, and a good clientele, it would be damaging to the business to change it.” says Sexton. “I have only had one other job besides working here, and that was back in my High School days. I have enjoyed working here since I graduated and I’m proud to be the owner.”|Melvin Sexton took over the DeWilde Auto Service three years ago, July 1. He bought out his partner, Tom DeWilde. The DeWilde name has remained on the business. “DeWilde has a good name, a good reputation, and a good clientele, it would be damaging to the business to change it.” says Sexton. “I have only had one other job besides working here, and that was back in my High School days. I have enjoyed working here since I graduated and I’m proud to be the owner.”
But Sexton didn’t have to worry about that. In the past three years, the shop has stayed steadily busy, with new clients as well as old. “With the economy the way it is, I’m happy and sad at the same time. I’m sad for all the people that the economic problems has hurt, but because of the problem, people are not buying new cars. They are fixing the ones that they have, and that’s what keeping us busy.”
Sexton has two mechanics that work for him, Aaron and Marty. Stan recently retired but said, “I told Melvin that if he was ever in a jam, to call me and I’d be happy to help him out.” Marty is his new employee. “He has 26 years of experience working on cars, and will be a good replacement for Stan.”
When you walk into DeWilde’s, it’s not like most other auto repair shops. The front lobby is spacious and clean. Not full of clutter and the chairs offered to people waiting aren’t ripped or full of grease. And, yes ladies, the restrooms are sanitized and approachable. The garage is the same way. It is organized and picked up. The tools are in the toolbox and the floors are swept.
Melvin is very good with public relations, he likes to talk and to get to know people. He isn’t after every penny he can get and is trustworthy on his estimates and quotes. He will offer his advice, and try to figure out the best and least expensive way to get your vehicle fixed. He takes his time and gets the job done right. If for any reason you are not completely happy with his service, he asks his customers, “Give me a call, let me know what’s wrong and I’ll see what I can do about the problem. I would rather have someone call and let me know if something needs to be redone or if the service wasn’t up to the customer’s satisfaction, rather than have them be upset and not come back. I stand behind our work, but mistakes can be made, and I will correct any that is made here. Word of mouth, you can’t buy better advertisement, and I would like that word to be good and complimentary. Taking a little loss, isn’t worth losing future business.”
DeWilde Auto Service, owned by Melvin and his wife Kim, is located at 10 6Th St N.E. The phone number there is (641) 423-8842 and the FAX number is (641) 380-0270. The shop is open Monday thru Friday 8am to 5 pm and on Saturday mornings 8 am until whatever needs to be done, gets done. During the week, you can usually find Melvin coming in early and staying late.
Owner Melvin Sexton tells about DeWilde Auto Service:
