While working as a Subaru dealer technician for over a decade our founder Mike Corbin noticed a disconnect between the customer and their mechanic. Placed between the vehicles owner and him was a sales rep. Often he’d see scenarios where the customer ended up paying for work they didn’t immediately need fixed. While at the same time a generic mechanic’s equipment, talent and parts used often did not meet manufacturer requirements.
Mike and his wife Samantha envisioned a service center of their own. Their shop would do dealership quality work without the pitfalls so many owners have experienced. In 1999 Mike and Samantha were blessed with an opportunity to open their first Subaru Service center in Shoreline Washington. Starting as a one man shop, Mike and Samantha set out with a core goal of restoring the relationship between the customer and their mechanic.
At Smart Service you’re more than just another work order or sales commission. We pay all of our employees for their time, not for how much they sell you. We’ve proudly built a culture of integrity for both our team and valued customers. We’re here for the long-term relationship not the quick sale. We demonstrate our commitment to excellence with our 3-Year 36,000 mile parts and labor warranty.
Our shops are equipped to handle multiple specialties under one roof. We’ve hired a team of ASE certified independent Subaru, Toyota & Honda experts. Who combined have over 100 years experience focusing on car care. All of them maintain the same ASE certifications as their dealership counterparts. We go beyond the industry certs with our own in-house Smart Service Certification program.
We all love working on our own cars too. Mike still has his 1992 Legacy with over 370,000 miles and counting. Purchased when he first opened Smart Service it has become our mascot. He keeps it as a symbol of the value and longevity of properly maintaining your vehicles.
Since we’re an independent service center you’re not locked into using only genuine parts. Over the years we’ve found what OEM parts outperform their genuine ‘cousins’. We’re so confident about our parts we back them with a 3-year 36K parts and labor warranty.
People like our parts so much, in 2018 we decided to launch our online store SmartQualityParts.com. Now DIYs and other independent mechanics around the USA can buy the same parts we trust. We’re planning on growing our online catalog. Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on new parts and sales.
From the first day we opened our owners have set a standard of excellence. We encourage and help our technical team learn to surpass industry norms. In addition to the ASE cert patches our technicians wear you’ll notice an SSC patch. Technicians who wear these patches have passed the Smart Service Certified (SSC) Technician Training Program.
Our senior management team designed and oversee the SSC program. SSC training insures our tech’s skills regularly meet our high standards of service. A total of 15 separate courses focus on Subaru’s operating systems. SSC’s training includes procedures and routines exclusive to Smart Service. We update the courses as new technology and information becomes available. All technicians are recertified annually to keep their cert.
Both of our service centers our outfitted with the latest digital inspections, electronic and mechanical tools. We offer loaner cars for most major services and after hours drop-off. Come by or give us a call and see how we can help.