MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE -- For years the auto service station aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune has provided car care for service members, their families and other aspects of the military community.
The service station is slated to close Aug. 31, but the closure is not permanent.
The nationally known auto care provider Firestone was contracted to renovate and open at the current auto care center. The contract was developed to provide consistent service across military bases and installations nationwide.
With Firestone taking the reins, the service center will soon be open seven days a week.
Firestone will complete renovations and is scheduled to open in six-to-eight weeks.
On base, Firestone will upgrade the center with brand-new equipment. The station will include its own part departments. The station will also sell tires and complete everything from tune-ups to oil changes.
Carlton Mencer, director of the retail division of Marine Corps Community Services aboard the base, said the auto care center currently charges prices relative to any other station out in town. Prices are not expected to change much with Firestone taking over.
In order to make the transition easier on customers, the auto hobby shop on base plans to take over some of the jobs of the service center while it’s undergoing renovations. The hobby shop will offer simple services including oil changes, tire rotation and minor brake work.
Mencer said although the service center is leaving and Firestone is taking over, the flow through the center is expected to increase, because Firestone is a well known company.