Ask Dirk Hawn, owner of Mr. Muffler in Lake Orion, why he always has a smile on his face and he’ll tell you it’s all thanks to his customers.
“I love the people out here, they are fantastic,” he says. “I always make sure everyone leaves here happy.”
Hawn took ownership of the Mr. Muffler shop at 1266 S. Lapeer Road nearly five years ago, after spending 14 years managing a Mr. Muffler in Rochester. He said while he has developed a loyal client base in the Lake Orion/Oxford area, a number of his customers from Rochester have followed him out here as well.
“We have a reputation for working with the customer as much as possible…it makes me feel good when I can help someone out,” Hawn says. “We pick up cars, we take people home. We also give free inspections and estimates.”
Mr. Muffler offers specialized service in “everything under the car,” as Hawn puts it.
“We do mufflers, brakes, front-end suspension,” he says. “And we’re custom pipe bending specialists. We sponsor a number of car clubs in the area, and a lot of people say we’re the best.”
Hawn says pipe bending is an “art” and something he enjoys.
“We offer many different performance muffler options here,” he says. “We meet the customer’s needs.”
Mr. Muffler is Auto Service Excellence certified and Hawn says he offers customers some of the best warranties available.
“We stand behind our work,” he says.
Besides Hawn, Mr. Muffler also offers the experience of manager Mike Snipes, with 20 years in the business, and assistant manager Bill Parks.
“Bill has been doing this longer than I have,” Hawn says. “He’s fantastic.
“Our motto is, if you’re happy with our service, tell others, and if you’re not happy, tell us.”
Mr. Muffler keeps up to date on the latest technology available in the business, and Hawn himself has taught a class in automotive brakes at Oakland Community College.
“I’ve been doing this all my life,” says Hawn, who earned a degree from OCC in computer engineering. “I was working at a service station even in high school.”
Hawn got an early start in the business when he and his brother would help their grandfather work on his vehicle. A photograph of one such occasion hangs in the front office at Mr. Muffler.
“A lot of people tell us we’re the only ones they let work on their car,” Hawn says. “A lot of places just shoot a customer an estimate, here we like to take them out in the shop and show them what we’re talking about.”
Hawn stays involved with the Lake Orion/Oxford community by donating to such things as the Senior All-Night Party at Lake Orion High School, the Oxford Hockey Club, Lake Orion High School Football, and the Lake Orion Boys Baseball League. He also has co-op students from Lake Orion High School that come to work in the shop.
“The community helps me by keeping me in business, so I give back to them,” he says.
Hawn thanks his customers and wants them to know that their support is sincerely appreciated.
“Word of mouth is our best advertising,” he says.
Mr. Muffler is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The phone number is (248) 693-7767.