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316 East Taylor DeKalb, IL
(815) 206-8908
Monday – Friday 8:00am – 5:30pm
 |  Saturday & Sunday Closed

Martin Fay

Martin Fay

Hiya all. Way back in March of 1984, just after the dinosaurs perished from a meteor strike, I opened a small one man automotive repair shop called Motor Works. Being one nervous puppy, for the first month the shop bought engine oil by the individual can for our customer’s oil changes. Interesting note: today we buy oil in 500 gallon lots.

If a crystal ball had been available to ease my shaky nerves, it would have told me between 1984 and 2021 Motor Works would experience four major expansions, the last of which was the addition of a second building. No less important, our one man staff grew to eleven with more coming.

Thirty-seven years would see a clairvoyant sphere predict heartache and triumph. But in no way would we have believed its most recent prediction. It was just too good to be true!

(Forgive me but I must borrow a phrase I wrote in another bio.)

On April 1st, 2021, I passed the keys and the torch of ownership to Meghan Huber my daughter. Never has a decision felt so right. My daughter is now President of The Motor Works of DeKalb, Inc. Fireworks and Bottle Rockets…!!! Please see Meghan Huber’s bio.

Although semi-retired, I’m still around, now in the role of shop advisor. What’s an advisor do? Well, bunches and gobs to be honest. I began working at Southtown Service on South 4th Street in DeKalb in 1970. That means I bring 51 years of automotive repair wisdom to the Motor Works table when important decisions are made.

In addition, I still handle the marketing, financials, business reporting, and major equipment purchase research. On occasion I will even clean a toilet or a window when everybody else is too busy. Yeah, old habits die hard. ????

It would be a boost to my tired ego to say I also advise on the difficult technical problems some cars present to the technicians at the shop. I have hundreds of hours of instruction under my belt with the finest trainers in the nation. These include John Thornton, Louis Nelson, Scot Shotton, Eric Zeigler, Scot Manna and many more.

But I can’t say I advise on technical problems because four of our technicians sat right next to me in those same classes. Our techs are all younger, think quicker, and are as well trained as I am. All I can do is watch them with pride knowing I had a hand in training them too. Man, what a team!

Ok, it’s time to wind this down with a couple of thoughts:

  1. In my previous bio’s I used to list my major credentials like classes taught, national awards won, technical articles written for industry magazines, videos produced and loads more. In the interest of everybody getting home to dinner on time, why don’t I just make that list go “poof” into the ionosphere.
  2. My final thought is a thank you to my dear wife Anita; the light of my life. You have been a work widow for far too many years. It’s time to start changing that!
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