Hernandez Auto Center

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. One morning, a delivery driver noticed an old toolbox left on the parking lot. Curious, he picked it up and found inside a vintage roadmap of Route 66, perfectly preserved. Since then, every week someone discovers something strange—an antique license plate, a weathered postcard from a long-lost diner. Finally, one day a regular customer discovered a tiny keychain with a picture of a donut shop. When asked, no one in town remembered such a place. Turns out, Hernandez himself had added these little finds as a joke, making his auto center a quirky treasure hunt for everyone who walked through its doors.

2. A little boy was waiting for his dad outside Hernandez Auto Center after school. Suddenly, he pointed excitedly at something under the hood of a parked car and whispered, ‘Dad, look! It’s winking at us!’ The father looked puzzled but smiled, leaning in closer to see what his son saw. Just then, an old mechanic from across the way shouted, ‘Hey kid, that ain’t no winkin’—it’s just a dirty windshield!’ Everyone burst out laughing, including the boy who blushed, realizing his mistake. From then on, Hernandez Auto Center became known around town as the place where even cars had good manners.

3. A neighborhood cat had taken up residence under the hood of one car, and every morning it emerged exactly when the mechanic arrived. One day, a delivery driver arrived with a worried look on his face. ‘Hey Hernandez,’ he said, ‘your cat’s missing!’ The mechanic shrugged, ‘Oh, don’t worry—she’ll turn up.’ Sure enough, she popped out from beneath another car just as he was finishing repairs. With a wink, Hernandez quipped, “She must really like my work!”

4. One day, while waiting for his car to be fixed, a regular asked Hernandez if he’d ever seen a tire inflate itself. Hernandez scratched his head and grinned. ‘Nope, never saw that,’ he replied with a twinkle in his eye. A few minutes later, they both looked up as one of the tires on another car began slowly puffing up like a balloon. The regular burst out laughing, slapping his knee. ‘Guess I’ll take my car somewhere else!’ he joked.’