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Fuller’s finding its way in Clarendon Hills
Colin Fuller (left) looks under the hood of a car at Fuller's Tire Center in Clarendon Hills while mechanic Anthony Pelikan works. | Chuck Fieldman—Sun-Times Media
Under the hood
Name: Fuller’s Tire Center
Address: 427 Ogden Ave.
Phone number: 630-654-8900
Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
Updated: February 19, 2013 11:53AM
CLARENDON HILLS — Colin Fuller is still excited about the auto repair/tire business he and his family opened nearly 10 months ago in Clarendon Hills.
The Fullers have been operating an auto repair business in Hinsdale since 1946, Colin, 37, started working there when he was a teenager.
When Fuller’s Tire Center opened last April on Ogden Avenue, it put life back into a vacant building that previously had housed Dragos Auto Service.
“I definitely thought there would be more foot traffic here faster, but things are continuing to get better all the time,” Fuller said. “This building had been empty for a while, but people are starting to realize that we’re here. I’m definitely happy that we opened here.”
Along with selling tires, Fuller’s Tire Center takes on any type of mechanical repair needed.
“About the only thing we really don’t do is body work, unless it’s something very basic,” Fuller said. “Oil changes are the biggest business for us, and we do a lot of repairs, too.”
Repair work is done on the likes of brakes, exhaust, electrical systems, and air conditioning, along with maintenance.
“Tires sales are getting bigger all the time, but you can’t really make much money on that; the mark-up is very small,” Fuller said.
With so many options available in the area when someone needs an oil change, brakes, or repair work done on their vehicle, good service is the key to developing good business, Fuller said.
“It’s all about service,” he said. “Everyone can change oil and do brakes. You have to do everything you can to give your customers great service, and we always work to do that.”
Fuller said he is well aware that many people have little or no trust of those doing mechanical work on their vehicles.
“People are very skeptical because they worry about being told something needs to be fixed when it really doesn’t, or that they’re going to be charged more than they should be,” he said. “You have to earn trust from people. We show them as much as we can and explain what we’re doing and why it needs to be done.”
Fuller said it’s also very important to stand behind the work done at his business.
“Everyone makes mistakes; the key is how you react to the mistakes you make,” he said. “We want people to be satisfied with the work we do. The best compliment is when they come back when they need something else done, or tell others about us.”
