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State puts brakes on Wyoming auto repair shop

Posted at 11:22 PM, Feb 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-09 23:22:03-05

WYOMING, Mich. – The Michigan Secretary of State put the brakes on an auto repair shop in Wyoming. They say Blackwood Auto Repair was illegally operating without a certified mechanic along with other violations.

But the manager at that repair shop says what the Secretary of State’s office is saying isn’t exactly true.

"Secretary of State Ruth Johnson has issued a cease and desist order against Blackwood Auto Repair in Wyoming because it was illegally operating without certified mechanics, and there were a number of other record keeping violations," says Secretary of State spokesperson Fred Woodhams.

Blackwood Auto was given a cease and desist order last Friday, but the manager says they weren't shut down because they decided to surrender their license.

“By signing this and surrendering on our own, the state didn't actually shut us down,” says Christopher Blackwood, manager at Blackwood Auto. "We have the option to come back once we have a full mechanic employed.”

Blackwood says they have a licensed mechanic, but he only works part time and wasn’t there during the inspection. That’s why he says they failed state compliance.

“He works here part time he also has another full-time job that he's under contract for,” says Blackwood. “So rather than break that, we were just trying to keep him on part time until that contract’s up and then bring him on full time.”

Other state violations include not having a proper sign informing customers of their right to replace parts, and not providing customers with proper invoices. Blackwood says he has a sign, but didn't know it had to be a certain size.

The state says they’re just trying to protect customers and that there were enough concerns with the inspection to warrant Blackwood Auto being shut down.

"Repair shops that are in compliance with state law have been very supportive of our efforts to crack down on unlicensed shops or shops that don't have the correct certified mechanics," says Woodhams.

Blackwood Auto’s manager says they want to get their license back and will do what the state requires.

“We do want to follow state laws,” says Blackwood. “We want to make sure it’s a business that can last a long time."