Meet the Master Mechanic

Master mechanic and small-business owner Scott De Long has been servicing cars for 22 years in Northeast Cobb.

At his present location for 10 years, Scott De Long’s Auto Service on 2140 Post Oak Tritt Road, De Long manages a team of five mechanics. They specialize in major repairs, such as fuel lines, transmissions, brakes, vacuum hoses and engines, as well as regular car maintenance and oil changes.

He stands behind his motto, “Honesty and integrity in motion.”

De Long grew up in Kokomo, IN, surrounded by cornfields and Delco and GM plants. His father worked at the Chrysler transmission plant. De Long has always had a special interest in cars.

“Diagnosing and figuring out how things work always just came very easy for me,” said De Long, who graduated from Chattahoochee Tech with a 4.0 GPA. As a child, he was always taking things apart and putting them back together.

In Cobb since 1985, De Long plays the guitar in his spare time, a passion since age 12. He likes Canadian rock band Rush.

His community service includes working with the Northstar Church Youth Ministry, and he plays with a Christian rock band for kids who are in detention. “I play whenever I can, and recently enjoyed playing for other business owners during a Christmas party,” he said.

This is a family-owned business, with De Long’s wife keeping the books and his 23- year-old son, also a certified mechanic, learning the ropes. Challenges he faces include keeping up with new computer diagnostics equipment, which checks out wiring diagrams and cars with intermittent issues.

There are eight levels and tests one must take to become a certified master technician. Because his employees are now the ones turning wrenches, De Long’s role has turned mostly into sales and diagnostic management.

“We love what we do and are very busy,” he said.

De Long’s business philosophy: “If you don’t need it, we don’t want to do it!” He charges a diagnostic fee for major repairs. He gives his clients a priority list, starting with what needs to be done first.

“When you truly love and care about your customers, you can be honest, have fun and enjoy what you do. Everything else just takes care of itself,” he said. De Long has a reputation of treating customers like family.

De Long said that even though he paid for billboards for five years, his best marketing tools are good customer service and referrals. 

“I pray, read the Bible each morning, lean on God’s authority and try to do the right thing,” he said.