Firehouse Auto Works Enjoys Benefits of San Angelo

Josh Murrell and Wesley Pullig, owners of Firehouse Auto Works, have dealt in paintless dent repair a combined total of about 30 years. They have travelled across America as well to Europe and Australia practicing their trade before deciding to literally set up shop in San Angelo.

“Both of us have young kids, want to be at home more,” Murrell said. “So we decided to partner up and open this up.”

The namesake of Firehouse Auto Works is derived from its location; the shop is located on property that held a firehouse on 2121 Office Park Dr.

“[A firehouse] is actually really well suited for what we do,” Murrell said. “The high ceilings let us get a lot of the larger vehicles in. We work long hours, so there’s a break room. It’s pretty good for us.”

Firehouse Auto Works specializes in paintless dent repair. The process repairs dents by basically pushing dents and dings in the body of vehicles back to their original state.

“About 90% of [paint less dent repair] is done from the back side of the metal,” Pullig said. “Basically, taking a pry bar per se to push the dent out. We use LED lights or florescent lights to cast a shadow on the dent and that allows us to see the tip of our tool on the outside of the panel and, basically, push the dent out.”

Besides preforming smaller jobs for private individuals, another aspect of Firehouse’s business is helping car dealerships repair their cars after hailstorms.

According to Pullig, paintless dent repair allows customers to keep their factory paint warranty. In contrast, using other methods requires a body shop to warranty their work instead. Furthermore, paintless dent removal is much more financially viable than repainting an entire vehicle.

“It’s faster repair,” Murrell said. “And you get to maintain the factory finish of your vehicle which is big for the value of your vehicle.”

According to Murrell, paintless dent repair for hail damage takes two or three days, while conventional repairs can take up to two or three weeks.

Murrell is a longtime resident of the Concho Valley and a graduate from Angelo State University. He claims that benefits of working in San Angelo include loyal customers and an opportunity to service clients from all around the San Angelo area. He also said “I just enjoy doing it.”