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ALBANY, GA. -- With gas prices on the rise, everyone is looking for a deal when it comes to their car.

Staff Sergeant David Holcomb frequents the MCLB Auto Skills Center for two main reasons.  “I know what I’m doing with my car, and it saves me a lot of money” says Holcomb.

Employees say although people can save a lot of money at the center, that’s not everyone’s focus.  “I have guys that know and love their cars and simply don’t want anyone else messing with their car so they do their own repairs.  I also may have a young marine and it’s their first time away from home and they have no clue how to fix their car, so I take them by the hand and lead them through it” says Mel Scoggins.

The mechanics at the Auto Skills Center say there is a catch to reap the rewards of the extreme savings.  The catch is that they will teach you how to do the repair, but you have to physically perform it yourself.  The center has five full time employees and is open seven days a week to help with anything from oil changes to brakes.  For certain repairs like dealing with the coolant system where you need a licensed mechanic they will perform the repair themselves, and it’s still cheaper than taking it to a shop off base.

Employees say it’s rewarding to enable others to fix their own car.  “It gives that marine that skill that he or she can take throughout the rest of his or her life.  Once they discover what their car is, they know what to work with, and how to do it” says Scoggins.

Marines who were in the Auto Skills Center say the best part is that there is a safety net.  “It’s a lot better to come here and make mistakes when there are folks around with the proper tools that can help you than to make mistakes at home and then  have to rely on someone else to fix it at a steep price” says Holcomb.

The shop isn’t just for active duty marines.  Anyone in the Marines, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, Retirees, Veterans, Department of Defense Contractors, and MCLB civilian employees can use the facility.