SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) -- The cars of the 1930s didn't present the same challenges high-tech repair shops see today.

“Our grandfather started like a lot of guys do," P.J. Schmid, owner of auto body shop Rudy Schmid Total Car Care, said. "Starting in the backyard, doing a favor for this person, that person. And the next thing they find out they’re pretty good at what they’re doing.”

And they've continued to do a pretty good job since the shop's namesake, Swiss immigrant Rudy Schmid, started fixing cars during the Great Depression. The third generation, that is, Rudy's grandchildren -- P.J. Schmid and his sister Diane Schmid-McCall -- carry on the legacy today.

“Like most family businesses the conversation at the dinner table was very often about the shop, and insurance negotiations and

See Full Page