Three friends have partnered together in a business they hope will teach drivers about the importance of automobile maintenance — while providing fast service in about 15 minutes.
Kou Vue, Chong Moua and Pao Thao own and operate Oil Guys on the corner of Kings Canyon Road and Chestnut Avenue in southeast Fresno, California, across from the Foods Co shopping center. The site was a former Express Lube that decided not to renew its lease, Thao said.
Moua worked at the Express Lube for five years. Thao worked at the Express Lube a couple streets over for eight years, he said. When the opportunity came up to start an oil change business of their own, the friends brought on Vue, who knows a little more about the business side, they said. Vue owns a small real estate business.
“There’s a lot of southeast Asian people here (in the neighborhood) who do not know about car maintenance,” said Vue, who is Hmong. “We said, let’s open up, keep our jobs and let people know they can come over and we’ll get their oil done in 15 minutes.”
Oil Guys opened April 6 and offers basic fuel service, oil change, transmission and radiator flushes, brakes and tune-up. The partners hired two employees.
