Comprehensive auto repair: Walled Lake’s Mufflers and More offers just that — and more, and more…

Mufflers and More Auto Repair in Walled Lake is like a spa for cars, where each vehicle is given the VIP treatment and pampered until each one is rejuvenated and drives out the door as it is intended — like a fine-tuned machine ready to dominate the road.

Car care expert and owner Kenny Walters said the key to keeping a vehicle up to speed to last hundreds of thousands of miles is treating it with a little tender loving care. Otherwise, it will leave you stranded.

“If you don’t take good enough care of a car, it will conk out on you, but if you give it constant attention it will last,” he explained. “It’s not just about repairs, either. You need to keep the exterior clean, also. Together, it will make your car much more reliable.”

To make his case, Walters is currently servicing a regular customer’s vehicle that has over 465,000 miles on it and still going strong.

Walters grew up tinkering with vehicles. He could often be found with his head under the hood or his body lying underneath a car, his fingers stained with oil.

He opened Mufflers and More 13 years ago. Although he attended Wayne State University for a time, it dawned on him that he should go back to what he does best, so he took a risk by remortgaging his house to open up the shop. The gamble paid off, and today, Mufflers and More has earned accolades by winning WDIV’s Metro Detroit Best Auto Repair Award in 2009 and 2010; and was named the Detroit A-List auto repair shop in 2011. It’s the only AAA-approved shop in Walled Lake.

“We pretty much do everything — whether its American, foreign or exotic; and anything from oil changes to engine replacements,” said Walters, who has a staff of 10 employees. “We are an independent shop. No franchise or company is telling us what to do.

“We have the best technicians in the area. They do it right and well,” Walters said. “We take the time to educate the customer by showing them their car and teaching them what they need to make a proper decision and to do preventative maintenance.”

Walters conducts continuing education classes for his technicians, whether that’s through online training or seminars.

“It’s important because everything is always changing in the car industry,” he said.

According to Walters, service is key to maintaining a good customer base.

“We go above and beyond to make sure our customers are cared for and their needs are filled,” Walters said. “We make sure they have transportation and that their kids have a way to get where need to be. We provide personal service to every customer here.”

In fact, he has been known to lend his own car on several occasions to customers with broke down vehicles and are in need of immediate transportation.

“We have a specific loaner car, but on occasion I’ve delivered kids to soccer games or lent out my car so someone could get to work,” he said. “We do a lot of pick up and delivery, too. Basically, we do whatever we can so it’s as painless as possible to have the car serviced.”

Walters encourages car owners to have preventative maintenance done for long lasting results and advises clients to develop a long-term maintenance plan.

Mufflers and More offers a lifetime protection program for vehicles with fewer than 75,000 miles. Those that subscribe to the program and do suggested maintenance at the suggested milestones will benefit with mostly free repairs for life.

“Just like we schedule annual dentist checkups to make sure everything is working right and we’re healthy, we need to do the same for our vehicles,” Walters said.

Apart from his commitment to Mufflers and More, Walters is a long-time racing enthusiast who is a member of 3Balls Racing, a local racing group comprised of 120 members, mostly from southeast Michigan.

The group started with three members and expanded. Currently, Walters drives a 2004 Panoz GT race car, but has been known to drive a 2001 TransAm convertible in races, as well.

“We are car fanatics that have a blast racing and teaching others to be better drivers,” he said.

Mufflers and More sponsors sports teams and bands at all three Walled Lake Consolidated School District high schools. It’s also the go-to shop for Wolverine Lake law enforcement vehicles and the Walled Lake Fire Department and Post Office.

“We continually sponsor all types of sports such as football, baseball, and basketball, in addition to the Walled Lake Central band. We’ve been doing it for years,” he said. The shop is located at 490 N. Pontiac Trail in Walled Lake. Visit the website at www.mufflersandmore.net. The shop is AAA, ASE, BBB and ASA certified and endorsed.

To keep cars running smoothly, Walters suggests:

• Checking transmission fluid at least twice a year. Low fluid levels cause cars to shift poorly, leading to transmission damage;

• Avoiding the use of cruise control on slippery roads; and

• Checking for differences in driveability, such as a clogged fuel injector that can be the cause of drivability issues.