Date: Fri 17-Jan-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

business-Foreign-Car-Service

Full Text:

with cut: Foreign Car Service Is In A Period Of Transition

Foreign Car Service of Newtown is in a period of transition - a gradual change

of proprietorship from Bob Schoeck to Jay King.

Until 1995, the repair firm, under the leadership of Mr Schoeck, specialized

in repairing and servicing autos built in northern Europe. Then Mr King came

on board and started fixing autos of the Japanese variety under the name Just

Japanese.

Mr Schoeck and Mr King are now partners at the Route 34 facility doing

business as a limited liability corporation under the name Foreign Car Service

of Newtown. Just Japanese is a division of that business.

Eventually, Mr King plans to become the repair firm's sole proprietor.

The garage repairs the luxury brands Saab, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Porsche

and Jaguar, plus all the Japanese makes including Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda

and Subaru. The company repairs domestic autos on request, Mr King explained

in an interview at the garage's refurbished office.

Foreign Car Service works on mechanical repairs, such as engine rebuilding, Mr

King explained. Transmission work also is accepted.

A large part of the business involves "servicing" autos, Mr King said.

Servicing unlike "tuning-up" involves thoroughly checking out a car's various

systems to learn what work should be done to keep it on the road safely, he

said. "We make sure that the customer is safe on the road."

Mr King explained he likes most to diagnose the various problems that cars

develop. "I love the challenge of a `hard' car," he noted.

Such challenges involve fixing problems with fuel injection systems and

learning the nature of a problem when diagnostic computer equipment doesn't

display any repair codes, he said.

Mr King said he has been around cars since he was age 5; his father is in the

automotive business.

Mr King attended trade school in Ansonia where he studied automotive

technology. He later joined the army where he entered the 101st Airborne and

served as a motor pool sergeant, overseeing 30 mechanics who maintained army

vehicles. He worked at Ridgefield European Motors before starting Just

Japanese on Route 34 in Sandy Hook.

Mr King said if a customer wants to buy a particular car, he can find it for

them, including make, model, year and color.

Mr King, who holds a dealership license, said he plans to bring cars for

resale onto his lot this spring.