10 • May 22, 2013 • Snoqualmie Valley Record
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Experienced Car Care With Hometown Service
Keep on rolling
How to reduce the cost of owning a car
Some things change, some things stay the same at Fall City’s Model Garage By Seth Truscott Editor
Keeping the Valley’s cars on the road has been the way of things at Fall City’s Model Garage since 1923. Dennis Musga has owned and operated Fall City’s Model Garage, backed up by his manager and a crew of six mechanics, since 1985. The auto repair business is Musga’s career. Out of high school, he attended trade school at Renton Tech, training to be a mechanic. Musga served an apprenticeship at Ford and worked at the Ford dealership at Eastgate for 20 years. Then, he partnered with his Valley-resident brother-in-law to buy the Model Garage when the owners were retiring. Plenty of customers followed from the dealership, Musga said. “It’s always been ‘treat a customer like you want to be treated,’” Musga explains his business philosophy.
Seth Truscott/Staff Photo
Steve Ramsey, Dennis Musga and Dylan Phifer, part of the team at Fall City’s Model Garage, continue the shop’s 90-year tradition of automative service, in a new era. That philosophy has paid off. You can usually find the Model Garage by the many cars lined up outside, awaiting attention. Customers roll in from Issaquah, Redmond, Carnation, North Bend. The team, whose mechanics range from apprentices to 20-year veterans, gets to know many of them pretty well.
“All our customers become our friends,” says Musga. In the old days, all cars, whatever their make, ran on a simple set of systems: distributor, carburator, engine, radiator. A lot of that simplicity has changed. See MODEL GARAGE, 12
Voted Best in the Valley 2012
(StatePoint) The cost of car ownership is on the rise again this year, according to a new report from AAA. And if you’re a family on a budget or a senior on a fixed income, you may feel the impact already. But it doesn’t have to be this way. From avoiding unnecessary insurance costs to reducing pain at the pump, savvy drivers can take practical steps to make driving a more economical mode of transport: • Shop around for better insurance rates. If you have a good driving record, talk to your insurance company about reducing your premium. And if you are a senior and take a refresher course in driver safety specifically designed for seniors, you may be able to negotiate lower insurance rates. • Make sure your tires are inflated to the correct pressure as indicated on the sticker on the inside of your door, not the number on the tire sidewall. Underinflated tires car can increase fuel consumption by up to 3 percent. • Preventive maintenance, such as changing your air filter, can go a long way toward smooth, efficient performance. A clogged air filter can increase fuel consumption by as much as 10 percent. • Keep a record of your vehicle maintenance, including oil changes. Try using a high performance synthetic motor oil, as opposed to conventional oil, to allow for more miles between oil changes. Premium synthetic motor oil, such as Royal Purple, can reduce maintenance costs and time spent out of service. To learn more about the benefits of using synthetic lubricants in your vehicle visit www.RoyalPurpleConsumer.com. North Bend • Issaquah • Black Diamond Redmond • Seattle • Gold Bar • High Rock
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