About old champagne, electric cars, safety recalls, Cruise Night, and cottonwood seeds
by Melanie Jongsma
LANSING, Ill. (August 13, 2021) – “I’ve been 50 years with the wrenches,” says George Vincent, better known as Big George the Car Guy. The owner of Unlimited Service Auto (3210 Ridge Road) spent time with Managing Editor Josh Bootsma this week to provide perspective on a variety of local topics.
Segments are identified and timestamped below —
“Most people don’t know my last name” (0:35)
He’s been called Big George since high school.
“I’ve got an old bottle of champagne. …It’s gotta be nasty by now” (0:54)
Big George might dust off the old champagne bottle to mark Unlimited Service Auto’s 40 years of serving Lansing.
Electric cars are not eco-friendly (1:18)
George thinks the change to electric vehicles is a good one, but people need to be aware of some things.
“The first part of the show is all recalls” (3:04)
George’s radio show is called Big George the Car Guy, and one of his regular services is providing safety information for car owners. Listeners can find the show on Facebook or via the free TuneIn app:
- Facebook: Big George the Car Guy
- TuneIn downloadable app
he was born above the hardware store (4:46)
Big George has lived in Lansing his whole life, and he’s “not goin’ anywhere.”
Cruise Night? “I love every minute of it” (5:21)
Cruise Night is a great place to enjoy a good cigar.
Cottonwood seeds (7:12)
Cottonwood seeds are a problem local to Lansing cars, and it’s a problem that’s easy to solve.
More of George
Big George didn’t mention it during his chat with Josh, but he was recognized in 2019 at the annual LARC Appreciation Dinner. Executive Director Ernie Gonzalez expressed personal thanks — as well as thanks on behalf of LARC — because Unlimited Service Auto has been donating oil changes for LARC’s 15 vans for many years. When asked why he does this, George explained that the vans used to come in for service on problems that could have been prevented with proper maintenance. So he told LARC to bring them to him. “I like the work that you do,” George told Ernie. He was honored with the Ted Sailor Humanitarian Award, which Ernie presented to him at his shop the week after the dinner.
George also had a booth at the 2018 TF South Career Fair and spoke to aspiring mechanics there:
- Career Fair introduces TF South students to job possibilities (February 2018 article)
He’s a reader of and advertiser in The Lansing Journal, and we appreciate his support.
Unlimited Service Auto is located at the northeast corner of Burnham and Ridge in Lansing, Illinois.
Wonderful work with the job fair – and excellent coverage!
So useful for the students in preparing for life after graduation.
Thank you Susan Barnhart and Journal!