Great Bear Auto employs five people, boasting specialists in every field including diagnostics, auto body and mechanical repair. The shop utilizes computerized diagnostics and up-to-date equipment throughout its 15,000 square feet including a state of the art alignment machine, chassis cooler, ten lifts as well as modern paint mixers and booths. Great Bear is ASE certified and is currently working on becoming I-CAR certified.
Great Bear does not participate in any direct repair programs as they work for the customer; however, they accept all insurance and are happy to deal directly with the customer’s insurance company. They also accept most extended warranties and offer discount car rentals.
As part of their efforts to sustain the environment, Great Bear Auto recycles tires, metal, anti-freeze, oil and batteries. Additionally, they have recently completed hybrid and alternate fuel training and now service and repair hybrid and electric vehicles. Not only is the work completed at Great Bear Auto fully guaranteed, the customer is also educated about the repairs needed and performed.
In order to better serve their customers, they also boast free Wi-Fi, easy access to shopping and transportation and a children’s play area in the waiting room. English, Greek, Spanish and Korean is spoken in the shop to best serve their cosmopolitan customer base, and the shop sends email reminders to their customers to keep them updated on the status of their repairs.
Seeking to empower women and put control back in the drivers’ hands, Audra also teaches a free monthly workshop: “What Women Auto Know.” Using an analogy to compare parts of the car to parts of the human body, her comprehensive course teaches women about maintenance, safety, tires, brakes, emergencies, power steering, bulbs, coolant, fluids, and wipers, as well as anything her audience may have questions about. Students also learn some easy do-it -yourself car repairs to enable them to save money. The course has recently expanded to include an iPhone app, available through iTunes, as well as clothing and a DVD which are available at www.womenautoknow.com.
Due to her general expertise in the automotive industry, Audra Fordin also sits on a panel of experts which participate in a weekly show, Autolab, on ABC radio. During their show on March 5, 2011, the panel discussed the recent law in England to charge women and men the same insurance premiums, and they responded to a consumer report regarding the reliability of underride guards on big rigs. The panel, as usual, fielded calls from listeners with questions about their vehicles.
According to Audra, “Everything I do is against the stereotype of the way the automotive industry is run.” She cites the rarety of being a woman in charge of an auto shop, her motto to “tell NOT sell,” and her focus on educating the customer about vehicle repairs, safety and after care, as evidence of what shops can do to make themselves stand out amongst the competition.
Great Bear Auto
164-16 Sanford Ave
Flushing, NY 11358
718-762-6212
www.greatbearautoshop.com
