Our Story

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About our Company

Our Professional Office

American Garage has strived to become a leading independent automotive repair shop in the Chinook and Blaine County area. We have learned it takes a team effort to achieve the highest possible level of customer satisfaction. Our technicians maintain current product knowledge and skills at a top level through the ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) Program. Each technician has the in-depth knowledge it takes to diagnose hard-to-find problems. They are also a great source of information on general maintenance.

American Garage, LLC has been keeping their clientele satisfied since 2006 with the latest state of the art equipment. Owner Scott DePriest knows, that to keep a customer happy, the company must meet or exceed their expectations. At American Garage, our customer is the most important visitor on our premises. They are not dependent on us, we are dependent on them. Scott DePriest, owner of American Garage, LLC, started his career in 1993 upon graduating from Chinook High School. He immediately enrolled in General Motors Automotive Service Education Program (ASEP) in Twin Falls, Idaho. He attended school for two years, graduating with highest honors and during school, he worked for Con Paulos Chevrolet in Jerome, Idaho as a service technician. After graduating from ASEP, he returned to Chinook to work for the family business, DePriest GMC for another 10 years. In 2006 he broke away from the family business forming his own company, American Garage.

American Garage in the 1920’s in Chinook at the current Custom Collision Building

American Garage employs the best ASE certified technicians in the area and offers a wide variety of services. So the next time your car needs service, major or minor, give American Garage the opportunity to show you what customer satisfaction is all about. Our company handles repairs and services of all types of cars, pickups and SUV’s including Chevrolet, Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Chrysler, Dodge, Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and others. We also handle Semi-Truck repairs in the Blaine County area. Our state-of-the-art automotive repair systems, enable us to service any make or model. We understand that because you work hard for your dollar, everyone deserves the lowest price and cleanest service, every time without compromising quality. We know, that by creating good relationships and by passing on great deals to our customers, that it would be the key to our automotive success. This is the basic philosophy behind what we do.

American Garage in beautiful Chinook, Montana is conveniently located on Highway 2 East of town. While you wait for your car to be serviced, we offer a lounge area for our customers to wait in complete with a coffee bar and television for your entertainment. Our company specializes in repairing General Motors vehicles, but has the capability of handling any make or model with expertise. Whether you need just an oil change, major repair, Montana State DOT Inspection, or maintenance to your favorite vehicle, call or visit American Garage today!

In 2006, when we were determining a name for our company, we stumbled across a coin buried in our backyard at our home in Chinook. On that coin, the words read: “$1.00 Off Tires and Accessories at American Garage, Chinook, Montana.” At that point, we did a little bit of research to determine if there were any family members left in the area. The business was open in the 1920’s and we discovered a couple of ads in a 1926 Chinook High School Annual stating that they sold Overland and Willy’s Knight cars. We were unable to locate any descendants of the proprietors, Weiermiller and Patterson, but we did find out that it was actually located on Pennsylvania Street in the current Precision Auto Body building. Thanks to Wes Bevis, we were able to achieve a photo that depicts American Garage’s true existence in Chinook.

Our Vision

Our vision is to be the most trusted and honest repair facility in the area. We are committed to educating our customers and advising them of repairs that are needed, to help maximize their vehicles life. As a family-owned company, we’ve continually invested in our employees, our facilities and the latest technology to ensure quality repairs of today’s modern vehicles. We believe in never sacrificing quality for quantity or rushing through service. Our goal is to make automotive repair a positive and stress-free experience.

Our Mission

At American Garage, we are committed to exceeding the expectations of our customers by providing them with the most exceptional service they have ever had. By staying on the leading edge of technology and constantly improving, we are committed to building personal relationships with our customers to make them feel like family and trust us with all their auto repair needs. We believe that maintaining your vehicle should be a hassle-free experience and we back that with our industry-leading warranties that help protect your investment. Our customer’s safety is of the utmost priority and through training and education, we are committed to providing quality workmanship with honesty and integrity in every single service that we provide.

Parts

Proper parts are as essential to quality service as are proper tools and techniques. Our computerized pricing can provide you with sourcing options not found at dealerships. Price and availability all factor into the larger equation of doing business with the customer’s budget in mind.

In general, genuine parts help guarantee your assurance of the finest parts available. However if you request, our fully qualified staff can recommend alternate replacement parts when original parts are not competitively priced, or not available. In those situations we can help you determine whether the replacement part is a good value or a false economy.

Tools Make The Difference

The proper maintenance of current state of the art vehicle systems, such as ignition, fuel injection, engine control, anti-lock brakes, and many others, require sophisticated knowledge and tools. Improper maintenance or repair of these complex systems can degrade system integrity and functionality. And improper repairs can result in faulty or unreliable operation—or worse yet—severe and sometimes irreversible damage to critical components.

This is why American Garage uses computerized diagnostics to help determine the problem with your vehicle. This advanced, hand-held device connects directly to your car’s diagnostic system. Using digital information processing technology, these tools can pinpoint complex electronic or operational problems in a variety of areas, quickly and accurately.

We also understand that quick access is one of the keys to fast, responsive service. As an independent service center, our technicians have the ability to place an order with a number of quality parts distribution centers. Typically, an order placed by 4:00 PM is shipped overnight for next day installation, speeding the completion of your repair and putting you back in the driver’s seat as quickly as possible.