There’s no punch line and no joke. The little auto repair shop on King Street West in Dundas that once employed only three technicians has grown in staff, stature and reputation over the past quarter of a century.

The family owned and operated business that focuses on exceptional service and quality workmanship is now among one of the leaders in the industry.

A young Mr. Eccles began working as a licensed mechanic at Simon’s Auto Service in 1975. Nine years later, he headed out on his own. By 1984 Mr. Eccles had returned to the Valley Town, hanging out his shingle at 112 King St. W. Mr. Eccles and two mechanics soon outgrew the location and later swapped shops with Pittaway’s at 121 King St. W.

While the business prospered and grew, Mr. Eccles helped mould Drive Clean legislation and subsequently opened a testing facility at Foundry and Hatt.

Meanwhile, the accolades started to pile up for technicians. In 2001 Jeff Taylor and David Jaggard finished in the top five — a first for any facility — at the AC Delco Technician of the Millennium competition. Mr. Taylor also took first place in the Central Canadian division and competed in Charlotte, N. C., finishing first among Canadians and fifth overall in North America.

That same year automotive magazine Service Station & Garage Management awarded Eccles Canada’s 2001 Garage Of The Year.

Recognizing a trend toward cleaner, more efficient and professional auto repair facilities, in 2003 Mr. Eccles renovated the 121 King St. W. location and claimed a coveted property improvement award from the city. Eccles has also won numerous Readers Choice awards, and mechanics Taylor and Jaggard continued to wow the judges at the Technician of the Millennium III skills competition.

By 2007Mr. Eccles’son had followed his father into the auto repair industry and Uptown Eccles at 200 King St. E. opened with Scott at the wheel. Eccles now employs 12 full-time and two part-time staff at three locations.

Mr. Eccles said the changes in his industry over the past 25 years have been unbelievable.

“It’s not just the cars, but the quality of the people who have to fix the cars,” he said. “At one time you could buy a toolbox and basically fix a car, but today’s cars are like rocketships. All our technicians now have computer work stations at their toolbox to access computerized vehicle information systems.”