August 12, 2024 By Carol Britton Meyer, Photos by Carol Britton Meyer

Elie Yazbeck, owner of Elie’s Auto Service in Hingham Center for 19 years, has enjoyed working with his hands since he was a child in Lebanon. Next February will mark his 20th year in business at 9 Short Street.

“My dad was a construction worker, so I learned how to build and fix things from a young age,” he told the Hingham Anchor. As one of the on-call mechanics, Elie takes great joy in fixing problems with customers’ cars and other vehicles “at a reasonable price and seeing them leave with a smile on their face.”

Services offered at Elie’s include mechanical repairs, safety inspections and gas.

Reassure worried car owners
“Although Elie’s primary job and area of ​​expertise is repairs and inspections, his ability to impart specific knowledge about cars and his honest work ethic ensure that concerned car owners are put at ease and that any problems will be properly diagnosed and treated with due care,” says Elie’s Auto Service on its website.

Elie described one of his employees, Max Kramer, as “a great mechanic who fixes everything from junk cars and older models to Jaguars and Land Rovers and everything in between for people from all walks of life.” Elie’s son Michael also works there as a member of the dedicated staff.

In addition to a variety of car-related services, there is also a small supermarket where you can buy everything from coffee and snacks to engine oil and other consumables.

In the 1980s, Elie moved from Lebanon to the United States and then to Canada in search of new opportunities after growing up in the midst of a civil war. He returned to the United States in 1999 and lived in Beverly before building a home for his family in Abington in 2014. “I always wanted to live (in this country),” he said.

Elie owned a gas station in Canada and a pizza place in Avon before purchasing the current business.

When a friend told him the gas station was for sale nearly two decades ago, Elie jumped at the opportunity, purchasing the business from Global Oil in 2005 after it had been closed for six months. The Gelo family of Hingham previously operated a gas station and auto repair shop at the location until it was sold in 1996.

“It was an investment”
“I expanded, renovated and modernized the business – I put a roof over the gas pumps and installed new underground storage tanks,” recalls Elie. “It was (a big) investment.”

One of the biggest challenges today is inflation, as higher costs eat into profits and his goal is to offer reasonable repair costs.

The late Mark Cullings, who lived nearby, was one of Elie’s favorite and most loyal customers since he bought the business in February 2005. “Mark was a great guy,” he said.

Hingham resident Katie Sutton has been a longtime customer at Elie’s for auto service, inspections and fuel at the full-service gas station.

Full service at petrol pumps desired
“I know there are people in this community, including some seniors and I suspect some with mobility issues, who really appreciate (not having to get out of their vehicles),” she said.

As a good example of Elie’s excellent customer service, Sutton cited that a few years ago she took her car to a car dealership because her key fob wasn’t working properly and only the dealer could fix it.

Even though that was the reason for her visit, the dealership presented her with a list of $5,000 worth of parts that were wrong with her car, aside from the fact that the key fob wasn’t working.

“I took the list to Elie for a second opinion. He did one of the things (that the dealer said needed to be fixed) and charged me $60 for it,” Sutton said. “Ten years later, the car still runs great and has over 200,000 on the clock.”

She also remembers Elie following her to another gas station when something was wrong with her car and he was unable to help her at the time to make sure she got there safely. “This is what happens when you have a family-run gas station in the center of your community,” Sutton said.

One of the reasons Elie likes the community of Hingham is because customers expect and value good service.

“I’ve had a lot of loyal customers over the last nearly 20 years,” he said. “I think that says something about the quality of service provided here. We never fix something that doesn’t need to be done or replace a part that would last several months. We’re busier every year than the year before.”

At the same time, Elie’s “takes care of existing and long-term customers first and services their vehicles promptly. We always do our best.”

In his free time, Elie enjoys cycling “and doing all kinds of sports.”

For more information about Elie’s Auto Service, visit http://www.eliesautoservicehingham.com/.