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By Dena Wood
The Times 

Bill Feather Follows His Passion Fixing Cars in Waitsburg

SteelFeatherAuto is located next to former Waitburg Ambulance Service

 

Dena Wood

Bill Feather takes a break in front of a toolchest in his Preston Ave. shop in Waitsburg.

WAITSBURG – "I'm great with cars, I'm just not the best at marketing," said Bill Feather, owner of SteelFeatherAuto, located at 615 Preston Avenue in Waitsburg. Feather opened his auto repair shop last October, but many residents are unaware of his shop and the services he offers.

The 38-year-old mechanic says he has always had an obsession with anything running. Feather grew up in Walla Walla and said he was lucky enough to have a neighbor who took him under his wing and taught him what he knew about engine repair.

Feather says he overhauled his first engine at age nine and performed his first professional (paid) job at 13.

At nine, he overhauled a l.5 hp Briggs & Stratton engine and used a pile of parts lying behind the house to build it into a lawnmower. "I used that lawnmower for years!" he said. By the time he was 13, his neighbor had enough faith in his skills to pay him to do a complete brake job.

"I've always had a fascination with anything running. We didn't have a lot of money growing up so I would buy cars and motorcycles that didn't run and fix them up. The friends I grew up with would all spend the weekends working on our cars," he said.

Feather graduated from Wa-Hi where he participated in the school's vo-tech auto program. "It was an excellent program and really gave us a good idea of what it would be like to work in a shop. It functioned like an actual working shop with work orders and everything," he said.

From there, Feather spent 18 months training at Universal Technical Institute in Arizona. He then worked in California, Arizona, and Hawaii before moving back to the area.

Feather said he became aware of the shop space available in Waitsburg and struck up a deal that allows him to manage Waitsburg Mini Storage (located behind SteelFeatherAuto and owned by Randy Grudzinski, the shop-building's owner) in exchange for bay rental.

Feather said he considered renting space in Walla Walla but prefers a small community where people know each other.

"I think there is a niche market here that is not being filled that I can fill. And it just feels right being here," he said.

Feather said his ultimate goal is to expand his business into the adjoining bays and purchase the shop and adjoining property.

When asked about the business name he said he chose it partly because it had his name in it and partly because it just sounded cool.

"There's the dichotomy of being light like a feather but heavy like the steel I work with. It's probably a more appropriate name for an art studio - but then mechanics is an art," he said.

Feather says he's up for all types of repair jobs but that he excels at electronics.

"I really like tedious, detail-oriented jobs. For me, reading an electrical diagram is like reading the funnies!" he said.

Feather says he loves a challenge and told of finding two faulty solders in a 2008 Jaguar after the vehicle had already been through several area shops with no fix.

Ken Graham

The entrance to SteelFeatherAuto is around the back of this shop, located in front of Waitsburg Mini Storage and next to the former Waitsburg Ambulance Service building.

"I live for those moments. It's like a big puzzle and I love being the one who is able to solve it," Feather said, grinning. "It's been a very long time since a car came in that I couldn't figure out," he added.

Feather said he's happy to work with customers, provide options, and let them decide what they want done and when. And he guarantees that the final bill will always fall within 10% of the estimate.

Estimates and diagnostics are free and Feather encourages people to bring their cars in for an estimate and say hello. He is also currently running a $69 air conditioning special.

"I feel really good about being here and look forward to getting to know the community better. Hopefully, my services will fill a real need," Feather said.

SteelFeatherAuto is located at 615 Preston Avenue in Waitsburg, next to the former Waitsburg Ambulance Service building. Feather can be contacted at (509) 540-4118, or at steelfeatherauto@gmail.com or through the company website at SteelFeatherAuto.com

 

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