European AutoHaus settling into the car repair business on West Plains

By BECKY THOMAS

Staff Reporter

It may seem like a niche market, but the Linafelters have found success fixing German cars on the West Plains.

European AutoHaus owners Greg and Jeanna Linafelter recently marked the one year anniversary of their shop just off Interstate 90 at 6510 West Thorpe Road. The shop specializes in German vehicles, including repairs, maintenance and alignments.

“Basically we do everything except body work,” Jeanna Linafelter said.

Greg Linafelter started working on German cars in 1979, when he needed a job after high school in California.

“I didn't know if I was going to college or what I was doing, and one of my high school friends got a job with these two German brothers,” he recalled. “All they worked on were Audi and Volkswagen, so I went in and interviewed and they hired me. That was it. They trained me and I ended up owning half of that business.”

After spending several summers with family on Clear Lake, the couple decided they wanted to raise their four children here and moved in 2002. Greg Linafelter went to work in Spokane for Mechanics Masters.

“He was the only shop in town I could find that specialized in just German vehicles,” he said.

After the owner moved, Linafelter bought out the business and made it his own, changing the name to European AutoHaus. The business soon outgrew the small garage and parking area and the Linafelters again headed for less crowded pastures.

And they found them, building their 7,000 square foot shop where new homes and centuries-old farms share backyards. The Linafelters joke that the farmer who lives across the street is the shop's best security, letting the owners know if he sees anything suspicious.

Jeanna Linafelter said some of their customers initially balked at the idea of going “all the way out to the West Plains, but it's really not far at all.” She added that the business has drawn customers from further west with the move.

The Linafelters said that business continues to grow. They attribute their success to European cars becoming more affordable.

“It used to be these cars cost a lot more to work on than domestic American cars. That's not the case anymore,” Greg Linafelter said. “From what I hear from the other shops that work on domestic cars, they are just as expensive, for the most part, as these cars.”

Linafelter said his business philosophy centers on honesty.

“This business has a bad reputation because it's too easy to take advantage of people because they don't know any better,” he said. “I'm as honest as I can be and keep my prices as low as I can and people recognize that and appreciate it.”

The shop employs three mechanics and has seven bays for working on vehicles.

European AutoHaus is open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Appointments are recommended for service and the business can be reached at 509-535-4506 or through their website, http://www.euroah.com.

Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].