Experienced & Affordable Subaru Service Center in Lake Forest Park and Shoreline
We Service & Repair ONLY Subaru!
The story of Suburb Service is a remarkable tale of love, family, and strong women. Howard Musolf started Suburb Service in 1994, buying salvage cars in California, repairing them and selling them here in Lake Forest Park and Shoreline. Eventually, his buyers began asking him for auto repairs and tuneups, and Howard opened an auto repair shop to fix the Subarus he was selling. Three years later, Howard presented the shop as a wedding gift to his bride, Candy Johns. She took it on the condition that she would run it alone which proved to be trademark shrewdness that Candy would imprint on Suburb Service.
Since then, very little has changed. They went through a name change due to a slight issue of trademark infringement, so the name was slightly altered to be right next to Subaru on the business white pages of the phone book. As manager, Candy was a consummate, detail-oriented businesswoman who put herself out front to set the tone with great customer service and, in time, expert Subaru knowledge.
Candy would come to be known for how much she cared about the people who came to the shop. For her, they weren’t just people trading money for services; they were people who came to her in a desperate moment, whom she could help. Candy’s way was to get to know them in their situation and care about their struggles, as a friend does. Along the way, Candy decided to step back from the front desk so she could do more for the business, and hire a Service Advisor/Office Assistant. She trusted Howard to that end, and his search led him to Debra Christner.
Debra grew up in a small western Pennsylvania town. In 2007, she was the longest-working female at her dealership, because of the ‘glass ceiling’ effect that keeps women from rising in such a male-dominated industry. Debra had been working on herself for a long time to be the kind of person who could manage a shop. Told by her employer that she had capped out how far she could progress due to her gender, she went looking for work as far as the other side of the country, and for an employer without limitations.
Debra flew out for her interview, and Howard, having learned of her background in advance, picked her up and took her to breakfast to get to know her. And that’s all it took; at the end of breakfast, Howard announced, “You start on Monday.” Howard knew he had found Candy’s new service advisor. Just as Howard’s instincts about putting Suburb Service in Candy’s hands were flawless, so were his instincts with Debra. “The consummate employee”, Howard calls her. “There’s not a lot of reliable people like her to be had anymore.”
Candy was a bit surprised at the move until she worked with Debra herself. They were a natural fit and became a solid team in no time. From the time she accepted the new role, Howard has been her father figure, and Candy became her co-worker, boss, mother figure and a great friend. They took care of each other, made room for each other, and watched out for each other over the years together, as Debra’s role began to grow. Even the disagreements they have had over the years were typical of family conflicts. And Candy and Debra went on to share custody of the shop’s official shop rescue dog, Pansy!
Candy passed away in 2020 quite suddenly, and the impact has been felt all over the Lake Forest Park community that Candy served so well. People loved her. She touched so many people in her life, at Suburb Service and in her fundraising efforts for the Seattle Seahawks. “You always knew where you stood with her,” Deb said. “It’s amazing the amount of people that have responded to her life and passing.”
A week after Candy was laid to rest, Howard and Deb agreed that Deb would succeed Candy and officially and legally take over the business. For the entire team, it’s such a natural progression, as Candy had long since groomed Deb to replace her. “Nothing is going to change,” assures Deb. “The procedures and policies we’re following are all Candy’s. We operate on the premise of What Would Candy Do in any given situation. We don’t want to lose the continuity.”
Meet the rest of the team!
Christina
Service Advisor
Christina had a similar experience with sexism in her career. As usual, Howard showed his great grasp of people and hired her on the spot from a single interview.
If you need Independent Subaru repair in the Lake Forest Park and Shoreline area, we’d like to invite you to come for the kind of auto repair experience only Suburb Service can provide. Our management, service advisors, and auto mechanics strive to make the repair process easy for you as we handle all of your needs. Schedule an appointment today! You can find us at 15017 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155, and we're open Monday through Friday, from 7 AM to 4 PM. Suburb Service: All We Do Is Subaru!
With a long history of high customer satisfaction, Suburb Service is the best-known and most trusted independent Subaru service center in the greater Seattle area. Locally owned and operated, we've exclusively serviced and repaired Subarus for over 25 years. Simply stated, our highly trained technicians are the most experienced and capable Subaru service and repair team in the region. Count on us for knowledgeable advice, high-quality workmanship, great pricing and unbeatable customer care. Our goal has always been to be the best Subaru shop in the entire Pacific Northwest, and hundreds of local Subaru owners will attest we are exactly that!
Candy — Owner
It doesn't take long to understand why our independent Subaru service center has so many happy, loyal customers. For starters, Subaru is all we've done since 1993. While other shops claim to have experience with foreign auto repair, they often lack the training, knowledge, skill and equipment to expertly service and repair Subarus. Even if they claim Japanese cars as their specialty, one brand is as different from another as Chevrolet is from Ford!
Our Subaru service and repair shop, on the other hand, was built from the beginning on a Subaru-only concept, and our technicians are now a goldmine of expertise. Fully certified, we can perform any service or repair while keeping your new vehicle warranty intact.
Howard — Owner
Your Warranty is Safe with Our Subaru Service Center!
Did you know you don't have to pay high dealership service department prices to keep your new car warranty valid? Suburb Service can perform all scheduled maintenance to maintain your car's warranty. The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act allows you to have scheduled maintenance or warranty service performed by any Subaru service center you choose. That's important because our low overhead allows us to charge much less than the dealership service department without sacrificing quality. Our technicians have many years of experience and use only genuine Subaru parts and the latest factory diagnostic testing equipment. And we always try to assign the same technician to work on your vehicle so he or she gets to know both you and your car better over time. You pay less with us and get more love and passionate expertise than you would at the dealership!
Debra – Person in Charge
Free Service Loaner
We love our customers, and we know being without their vehicle can be a huge hassle. Our shop keeps most parts in stock so we can usually get your car in and out the same day. For larger jobs, our Subaru service center boasts having 12 consistently maintained Subaru loaner cars available! You experience little to no disruption as your vehicle receives needed maintenance or repair. Now THAT'S love!
Top Subaru Service Center in the Greater Seattle Area
Serving Ballard, Bothell, Capital Hill, Clearview, Duvall, Edmonds, Esperance, Greenlake, Kenmore, Kingsgate, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mounlake Terrace, Seattle, Shoreline, Snohomish, Woodinville & More
Suburb Service is OPEN during COVID-19 Closures. No drop ins. Appointment only.
Click Here For Details.