Starr County, Texas
Auto repair for Starr County, from Roma to Sullivan City
The shop sits on West Main in Rio Grande City, roughly in the middle of the US-83 corridor. Most of the county is inside a twenty five minute drive, and we see customers from as far east as Sullivan City, just over the Hidalgo County line.
Towns we serve
Every town below sits on or just off US-83, the same road the shop is on. Drive times are from our front door and are approximate.
West along US-83
- Escobares10 to 15 minutes west, depending which end of town
- GarcenoAbout 10 minutes from the shop
- Roma13 miles west on US-83, about 15 minutes. Includes Los Saenz.
- SalineñoAbout 25 minutes west
East along US-83
- Las LomasAbout 10 minutes from the shop
- El RefugioAbout 10 minutes east
- La GrullaAbout 20 minutes east, then three miles south of US-83
- GarciasvilleAbout 20 minutes east
- Sullivan CityAbout 25 minutes east, just over the Hidalgo County line
Do not see your town? If you are anywhere in Starr County you are almost certainly close enough. Call and ask.
Town by town
Four of these have a page of their own, with drive times, routes and what we tend to see from that part of the county.
Why a county like this needs an electrical shop
Starr County has about 66,000 people spread along a single highway, and the work here is not office work. The county runs on agriculture, oil and gas, cross border trade through the bridges at Rio Grande City and Roma, and the government and school jobs that come with being a county seat.
Every one of those depends on a vehicle that starts. Onion and melon ground needs trucks that run caliche roads. Oil and gas service work runs heavy equipment on 24-volt systems. The bridges move commercial trucks. And a lot of people here commute east toward McAllen, which puts real mileage on ordinary cars.
That mix is why a shop in Rio Grande City has to be able to test a 24-volt charging system in the morning and trace a parasitic drain on a sedan in the afternoon. It is also why we have stayed busy since 1997 without ever advertising.
- 66,000People in Starr County
- 2ndIn Texas for onions, cantaloupes and melons
- 2International bridges, at Rio Grande City and Roma
- 12V / 24VBoth, since 1997
Who drives in from out of town
A shop in a county this size does not get to specialize in one kind of customer. On any given week the yard has some mix of these.
- Fleet operators. Ambulances, shuttle buses and work trucks whose owners cannot afford a unit sitting idle.
- Families with one vehicle. The car has to be back today, and we will tell you honestly whether that is possible.
- People another shop sent. Electrical faults that got as far as somebody else could take them.
- Classic and restoration owners. Rewiring jobs that need patience more than speed.
What we do for every town on this list
The same work regardless of which direction you drove in from.
Service calls
Cannot get it to the shop?
A dead battery or a starter that will not turn means the vehicle is not going anywhere. We run mobile service calls out to where you are, so you are not paying for a tow just to find out what is wrong.
You will know the call-out charge before we leave the shop. It depends on how far out you are and what the vehicle needs, so we quote it on the phone rather than pretending there is one price for everybody.
Asking costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Tell us what the vehicle is doing, and if a tow or driving it in would work out cheaper for your situation, we will say so.
Call (956) 487-2143
Before you make the drive
Call first, especially if you are coming from Roma or Sullivan City. We will tell you whether we can get to it that day, what to bring, and roughly what it will take. That one phone call saves the wasted trip.
Call (956) 487-2143Questions about our service area
Do you serve Roma, TX?
Yes. Roma is 13 miles west of the shop on US-83, about a 15 minute drive, and Roma and Los Saenz customers are a regular part of our week. Call (956) 487-2143 before you head over so we can tell you whether we can look at it that day.
How far will people drive to get to you?
Most of our customers are within about 25 minutes, which covers the US-83 corridor from Salineño in the west through Sullivan City in the east. People do drive further for electrical diagnostics, because shops that specialize in automotive electrical are not common in this part of the valley.
Do you come to me, or do I bring the vehicle to you?
We work out of the shop at 400 W Main St in Rio Grande City, so the vehicle needs to come to us. If it will not start or is not safe to drive, call us first and we will talk through your options before you arrange a tow.
Can you handle fleet vehicles from outside Rio Grande City?
Yes. We service ambulances, shuttle buses and work trucks for operators around Starr County. Call ahead so we can schedule the unit in and keep your downtime short.
Got a problem nobody else could figure out?
That is usually when people call us. Tell us what the vehicle is doing and we will tell you straight whether we can help.