For more than 40 years, Howard Cox and his staff at Dependable Automotive have been meeting the automotive needs of Pearl River County residents.

Cox said all of his technicians are ASE certified, and his shop is the only one in Picayune that is AAA auto repair approved.

To receive the AAA designation, representatives from that automotive club came to his shop and selected 100 invoices so they could contact the customer to determine their level of satisfaction with the service they received.

“We passed with flying colors in that,” Cox said.

He started the business as a parts house in 1978 on the north end of town where another parts business currently operates. In the beginning his business didn’t offer repair services. In 1984 he opened a second location on Highway 11, the same location where he operates now. Since the new location had some bays he added repair services to the business model.  Then, in the late 80s the big box stores started opening up in town, forcing him to close the first location on the north end of town in the late 80s and later make the transition to only offer repair services in 1992.

Today, Dependable Automotive offers full service automotive repair, from engine work, transmission repair or replacement and everything in between. His staff can also provide customers with new tires, replace water pumps and do diagnostic services. For a full list of repair services, visit the website at https://www.dependableautomotive.net/

While his technicians are capable of working on any type of vehicle, domestic or import, there are some repairs to European models that his staff may suggest the owner will need to consult another shop or the dealer.

In all, Dependable Automotive employs five people full time. Three are certified technicians, and the shop manager has been known to help the technicians out of a tricky spot. Cox said he also has a helper who can assist  the technicians or customers in the lobby.

Dependable Automotive is open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed on Saturday and Sunday. Cox said he made the decision to close on the weekends because he feels his technicians benefit from the time off.

The business is located at 704 Highway 11 S., in Picayune and staff can be reached by calling 601-798-0713.