SPOTLIGHT 2019: A repair shop that puts the customer first

Bobby Farris leads North Bend Automotive team.

By Drew Stuart • January 22, 2019 6:30 am

North Bend Automotive is one of many auto repair shops located along Southeast North Bend Way, just a mile away from downtown. The stretch of road is home to several businesses, including a Les Schwab Tires and a NAPA parts shop to boot. However, North Bend Automotive aims to fix your existing car parts, instead of replacing them with new ones, as many modern car shops do.

The team at North Bend Automotive is led by Bobby Farris, a seasoned mechanic who took over the shop less than two years ago. He runs the shop with his daughter, Jennifer, and lifelong friend, Ed Hoffman, who he met at a Honda dealership in Puyallup three decades ago.

“The money to me is secondary. Just make sure it’s right,” Farris said. “You don’t need to hit a home run on every single car.”

Farris has been repairing things since his childhood in Renton. His first projects started at age 4, where he says he started to fix his toys when they would break. By age 8 he could fix his pedal bike. Farris started working on cars not long after, and soon found a career in the auto repair business.

Farris likened his ability to fix cars to an artists ability to visualize a painting. “When they paint a picture, they look at it and see a picture. When I look at something, I can tell what’s inside, can already work on it just by looking at it,” Farris said.

North Bend Automotive mechanic Josh Shackelford commented on Farris’s knack for fixing cars, saying he hardly even uses his upstairs office to do business.

“He works out of where he’s standing at that moment,” Shackelford said, chuckling.

North Bend Automotive’s small group of mechanics can fix practically all of a cars mechanical issues, from broken head gaskets, to performing routine oil changes. Farris said that most car problems are due to a lack of maintenance, and an event like that allows people to fix their cars before it’s broken.

North Bend Automotive also offers a customer appreciation day in addition to its regular repair services. Customers can come by the shop and get their car inspection while enjoying snacks and refreshments provided for free by North Bend Automotive.

North Bend Automotive is located at 43306 SE North Bend Way and can be reached at (425) 888-4522.