Carlos Lozada & ThoMas Mari
A handful of years ago, Carlos Lozada referred to himself as “the backyard guy”—always tinkering on cars, taking pieces apart, and trying to put them back together again.
Before his dad showed him the basics of fixing cars, Lozada admitted, he didn’t even know how to change a tire.
But as he started learning more about cars and even decided to tackle building an engine himself, with help from YouTube, his interest was piqued. Still, early on, he wasn’t considering making auto work his career.
However, Lozada recounted all of this to me from behind his desk at On The Go Services, he and his business partner’s newly opened auto repair shop in Harrisburg. So, obviously, plans changed.
As we talked, he explained his car knowledge in a way that everything didn’t just fly straight over my head, which isn’t always a given from car people. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t know an alternator from a carburetor. But Lozada understands uneducated auto users like myself, because not long ago, he was one.
“I disliked everything about cars. I just wanted to get in it and drive it,” he said. “It was honestly an accident. I didn’t plan on getting sucked into it.”
Previously, Lozada, of Harrisburg, worked jobs at a grocery store, in a bank and even as a car salesman. He was skilled at working his way into jobs that, at the time, he didn’t necessarily feel qualified for.
“I somehow talked my way into a lot of different things in my life,” he said.
At one point, a friend who owned a local car shop offered Lozada a job, with one condition—he had to get a dysfunctional Honda running again. At that point, Lozada was in between jobs and having trouble finding work, so he said yes.
“I had a little box of tools. I’m thinking it’s a simple fix, but it was completely torn apart,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was doing, but I hyped myself up. I ended up fixing that car.”
From there, Lozada set off in the auto repair field, working at dealerships and starting his own company, which provided mobile services.
Eventually, he connected with high school friend ThoMas Mari, who was also running his own business, while working at a dealership. The pair decided to join forces doing mobile work, and, in January, opened their first garage for On The Go Services on N. Cameron Street.
Both Mari and Lozada have seen the worst of the auto industry, customers getting swindled out of money, being taken advantage of and getting mistreated. Because of that, they strive to do the opposite at their shop and give people fair and affordable services.
“The reason we are doing this isn’t about the money,” Lozada said. “I try to give everybody the same experience I would want.”
Repairs & Relationships
Like Lozada, Mari was introduced to car repair and maintenance by a family member, his grandfather, but he didn’t really understand the benefit of the skill at first.
At 17 years old, Mari needed a repair on his car that ended up costing him all of the money in his bank account. After that experience, he knew he needed to figure out how to do repairs for himself.
As he learned about cars, Mari, also a Harrisburg resident, felt like he had finally found his niche. He recalled experiences in school being told he would never amount to anything. His work also became a way to help financially support his family as his late father was seriously ill and in the hospital at the time.
Hard times like those have helped Mari empathize with customers.
“Being able to help someone out is a great feeling,” he said.
I may not know much about what’s under the hood, but I can understand and appreciate that kindness.
I’ve seen, firsthand, the impact that a caring and compassionate car guru can have on you, especially when you’re stressed about that noise your vehicle is making and about the bill that accompanies a repair. Shout out to my grandpop Jim who is always helping me, his neighbors, friends and family with car troubles.
Unfortunately, according to Lozada and Mari, that attitude isn’t always easy to find.
At On The Go, the owners will talk with customers, walking them through the issues they’ve found and physically showing them where those parts are on the car. They also seek to make their services affordable.
“I’m a person, you’re a person. We want to show people what it’s actually supposed to be like,” Lozada said.
Opening the garage wasn’t easy, but the owners are happy to have made it to this point. Getting to this place and discovering their passions wasn’t a straight line, but they feel like they’ve found a great fit and are excited to serve their community.
“Getting up in the morning is fun,” Lozada said. “I enjoy what I do.”
If I’ve learned anything from Mari and Lozada, it’s time I learn how my car works…or maybe I’ll just take it to someone, like them, who already does.
On The Go Services is located at 1914 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit onthegoservicesllc.com or call 717-602-9550.
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