Photo by Rachel Buth
Fazio Automotive
“If I’m good, you’ll have it back by the end of the day,” Jim Fazio said when I left my badly ailing car with him one recent morning. “And I’m good.” Jim and his staff at Fazio Automotive Services have seen me safely through decades of car problems: towing, explaining, advising, consoling and repairing. The dependable family business at 2037 N. Farwell Ave. is celebrating more than 40 years of operation.
Fazio is a well-known name on Milwaukee’s East Side.
My grandfather Carl came from Sicily. He grew up in the Third Ward and then moved to Brady Street. The neighborhood was predominantly Italian. Everybody knew everybody. Our family owned the drycleaners on Brady Street. I used to live on the third floor of that building. My grandmother lived on the second floor. My father, James Sr., started the automobile business in 1974. My grandfather used to pump gas for the shop. There were two buildings originally, a small front building and a little warehouse behind. There’s a photo on the website, fazioautomotive.com. The front was entirely rebuilt and attached to the warehouse. My father stayed open during the remodeling. He worked in the parking lot across the street. He was a very hard worker. I’ve always admired and looked up to him. I want him to be proud of my work in this business. I think he is. I’m hoping one of my sons will take it over some day or at least see that it stays open with the same quality service.
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When did you start?
In 1986 when I was 18 and most cars had carburetors. I started out pumping gas and changing tires. I didn’t know a thing about cars. At first I wasn’t sure but I got real ambitious quickly about wanting to learn. I got a rush from taking a car that ran like crap and you make some adjustments and you have that vehicle running like a top. It was a huge sense of satisfaction. It still is. I basically took over as manager in 1991. There were a lot of bumps in the road. I was the young guy with less experience that people had to listen to. It was a huge ordeal to gain everyone’s respect for what I saw as the future of Fazio Automotive. My uncle was co-owner and I butted heads with him a lot. I bought my dad out in 1997. I bought my uncle out in 2001. I’ve been the sole owner ever since.
What’s the future?
Sustaining what I’ve built but constantly updating equipment and training. It’s harder and harder to keep up with the technology. The first computerized cars came out in 1982 but those computers just controlled fuel mixture, idle and timing. Newer vehicles have multiple computers to control engine functions and everything from door locks to headlights. The days of being a so-called grease monkey are long gone. Good technicians nowadays are the ones that are computer savvy.
What services do you provide?
We do everything—body work, exhaust systems, brakes, steering and suspension, computer controls and emissions service. The only thing we don’t do are transmission overhauls. We’ll repair 15-20 cars a day. We offer loaner cars and we’ll shuttle people to and from work.
Why do my cars fall apart?
You can have good luck with a car for a long time. Then all of a sudden you have a series of bad luck. Compare it to a person: How many miles do you have on you? Were they good miles? Did you take good care of yourself?
