C4
Lynden Tribune | Wednesday, March 15, 2017 | Ferndale Record
Spring Drive Whatcom
Computers make cars more complex than before Lynden Service Center advice: ‘Look under the hood once in awhile’ By Ashley Hiruko reporter@lyndentribune.com
LYNDEN — For the last 33 years, Ken VanMersbergen and Jerry Brann have owned Lynden Service Center and worked on cars of various makes and models. And a lot has changed since first starting back in 1984. “Traffic is a lot worse and I don’t know everybody in town anymore like I used to,” co-owner VanMersbergen joked. “But it’s good for business. There’s a lot more cars on the road and a lot more cars need fixing.” VanMersbergen and Brann met while working at Hinton Motors in downtown Lynden, before the car dealership relocated to its current location on the Guide Meridian. At the time, Brann and VanMersbergen decided to break out on their own. The pair already had years of experience under their belt. It was in 1971 that VanMersbergen first began his long career in cars. He was a senior in high school. “Cars weren’t very complicated in 1970 and cars are now,” VanMersbergen said, “with all their computers talking to each other. Everything is computerized, it seems like.” The computerization of cars has led to a decline in people’s general interest in cars,
Jerry Brann (left) and Ken VanMersbergen have owned Lynden Service Center for 33 years. (Ashley Hiruko/Lynden Tribune) he said. People are no longer working on their own cars like they used to when VanMersbergen’s interest was first piqued. In turn, this has led to a shortage of mechanics, one the Lynden Service Center has felt. “You can’t soup up (cars) or anything like that because immediately you’ll end up with the ‘check engine’ light on,” he said. “Subtle changes every year happen and you learn those changes, but for a guy to just step into the field right now — it’s so complicated. He can’t just do that.” VanMersbergen, who is 63 and not far from retiring, still works on a regular basis at the service center. He has plans of retiring someday soon, but the shortage of mechanics puts his retirement up in the air. “I can’t retire because I can’t find someone to replace me,” he said. “I don’t want to do this all my life. I want to take some time off to travel and see some
things. Right now, it’s like I live here.” But VanMersbergen isn’t complaining. He thrives in the car environment. For years he and Brann have helped numerous customers, lending advice in car purchasing and maintenance. There’s one bit of advice VanMersbergen would like to offer the average car consumer, one that doesn’t require a lengthy background in vehicles: “Look under the hood once in awhile.” “Customers come in here and we’re changing the oil and there’s nothing reading on the dipstick,” he said. “They are in the process of ruining their car, and they don’t even realize it. “Check under your hood once in awhile and make sure your fluid levels are where they should be.” This, he said, will make all the difference when it comes to maintaining your car.