How the largest independent auto repair shop in Monmouth County provides car owners a quality alternative to dealership service
by JENNIFER VIKSE • Photos By Doug Polle
From a young age, Peter Soviero was passionate about two things—cars and cooking. Hailing from a large Italian family in Little Silver, New Jersey, Soviero—one of four boys—was largely influenced by his hardworking father and mother. “When I was young, my dad was an engineer, he worked with his hands. He could build anything. If a store did not have what he needed, he would make it,” Soviero recalled. He spent a lot of time following his father around, watching and learning. “He used to call me his little tick. I was always around asking him questions, and he was always quick to provide answers.”
Having learned how to build things and tinker with parts, Soviero worked for family members and neighbors out of his parents’ garage, taking apart and rebuilding small engines for things like lawnmowers, edgers, and leaf blowers. “I would tear them apart and then figure out the problem, fix them, and put them back together,” he recalled, “…so that they worked even better than before. The entire process intrigued me.”
When it came time for him to get a drivers’ license, Soviero’s passion for cars only grew. At 16, he bought his first Hot Rod. “I stripped this 1967 Firebird down to the ground and rebuilt it back up. By 17, I was driving a car that turned heads and received compliments. I just loved working with cars and knew I had a talent for it,” he said.
Upon graduating from Red Bank Regional High School, Soviero had a decision to make. He considered the culinary arts, having picked up a love of cooking from his mother; he considered college; and considered a career in the automotive industry.
At 19, he opened his first business, a small, two-bay garage and gas station in his hometown.
“People around town knew my family, knew me. That helped when I started, but I quickly realized that I had to set myself apart,” he recounted.
In 1976 in Little Silver, there were seven gas station/general auto repair shops, he recalled. “Everybody was a general repair shop back then, working on Chevys, Fords, and Chryslers. It was difficult to get a piece of that pie. That’s when I started specializing on the import work. Back then, no one was servicing or repairing import cars.”
He and a helper worked seven days a week, and in three years they had outgrown the space. Mayo then moved to a 4,000-square-foot former warehouse in Little Silver, where Soviero operated for the next 25 years. “The business evolved very quickly,” he explained, once he added import cars to the domestics he was already servicing, “The business just took off at that point. Everybody that owned Mercedes, Porsche, or BMW back then were almost forced to go to the dealer. I wanted to offer my customers a choice over going to the dealer and that’s when I became the dealer alternative.”
It was a move that propelled the business to success in the 1980s, one which has now expanded to a 14,000-square-foot facility in Red Bank with 14 service bays and 12 employees. Soviero and his staff service 45 to 50 cars on a daily basis. His philosophy is simple: “I offer dealer quality service for a lot less money.”
Technicians are trained and ASE Certified, specializing in Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, Lexus, Land Rover, Saab, Volvo, all Japanese vehicles, and all domestic cars, vans and trucks.
Soviero attributes the business’ success to his often-obsessive attention to detail and a commitment to keeping up with the latest technology.
“I’m very detail oriented and committed to quality when it comes to the work that I produce. I oversee just about every car that comes in and goes out of my bays. The work must meet my final review and approval,” he explained. “I aim to provide the very best service to my customers. I like things done a certain way, correctly, and with satisfaction. We are always aiming to do the right job at the right price. Do it right the first time, and do it with pride.”
In addition, keeping abreast of technology allows the business to soar.
“That aspect is rapidly changing,” Soviero said, noting that when small repair shops go under, it’s likely because they lack the most current diagnostic equipment and can’t keep up with the every changing technology. “What sets me apart today is that I invest a tremendous amount of money in diagnostic equipment, targeted for the European cars. General repair shops don’t have that type of equipment, so they are forced to turn the work away. My customers feel secure in our expertise and are aware of Mayo Auto Services’ knowledge and stateof-the-art equipment to do the job right.”
In addition to that equipment, his staff is also constantly taking courses on new technologies. “Every year something new develops—cars that self-park…cars that brake on their own. I invest a lot of money, and my technicians spend a lot of time to stay updated. If you don’t stay on top of it, it’s going to pass you by,” he said.
“A majority of the general public is under the false impression that if you don’t go back to the dealer for service while the car is under the new car warranty, you void the warranty. That’s absolutely not true,” Soviero said. “As long as you service the car in accordance with the factory recommended maintenance schedules, the warranty remains valid, no matter where you have your car serviced.”
The large space of his shop allows Soviero to service more cars and do so faster than the average dealership that may only have a few available technicians. Prioritizing the scheduling of a car for service in a day or two as opposed to the week-long waits that some dealers have.
Cost is also a factor.
“Because they are the dealer, they can charge more and get away with it. We offer the same service and parts and we do it for much less,” the owner noted. Now in its 39th year, Mayo Auto Service (originally called the Mayo Clinik, but that’s a story for another day) is now greeting a third generation of car owners. “We are seeing more and more customers and their families. It’s good to see customers who came in with a baby and now those babies are old enough to drive. They are having children themselves. That says something about the work that I do and the trust that my customers have in me.”
While Soviero enjoys a good repertoire with those customers, he also considers his employees to be an extension of his own family.
“Most of them have been with me a long time; one for 33 years; others for anywhere from 12 to 24 years. I have a very low turnover of technicians and service advisors. They build relationships with my customers. They enjoy working here. We’re like one big family. I believe in finding good guys, taking care of them,” he said, adding with a chuckle, “I guess I’m also a pretty good boss.”
The business has grown thanks to good service, customer referrals, and advertising, Soviero, whose formal title is President of Mayo Auto Service, noted, adding that advertising has been key to spreading his reach beyond Little Silver and Red Bank area. Cable TV advertising allows him to flood the market in Ocean and Monmouth counties bringing in new business for both foreign and domestic cars, light trucks, and SUV’s.
When he’s not working alongside his Mayo family, Soviero and his wife Debbie—who have four children and two grandchildren and still live in Little Silver—enjoy the outdoors. He particularly loves fishing, whether it’s at his cabin in upstate New York or at his home on the Gulf in Florida.
“I love boating and I’m an avid fisherman,” said Soviero, who not only catches the fish (tarpon, redfish, snook, sharks, grouper, snapper) but cooks them hours later for the freshest meal imaginable. “There’s nothing like sitting down to a nice fresh fish dinner that I caught myself, just hours later, prepared, cooked, and served on the plate. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Mayo Auto Clinic
165 Monmouth Street, Red Bank / 732.842.8471 / mayoautoservice.com