Like many young couples in the early 1970’s, the Englands heard about the new planned community of Columbia, Maryland, the vision of acclaimed developer James Rouse. Embracing the Columbia dream of a better America, they signed on as Columbia pioneers and moved there and then later started their own business.

The new company, British American Auto Care specialized in the repair of British and American cars and became the anchor repair shop in the first Auto Park on the East Coast. Offering all auto services in one convenient location, the Columbia Auto Park and British American soon became a one-stop shop for all Columbia residents with automotive repair needs.

To stay current with what people in Columbia were driving for transportation, Brian and Jennifer used a pre-Internet marketing tactic: driving around town and creating a database of the cars they saw in resident’s driveways. This market research proved highly successful and British American soon added Japanese and European cars to their already impressive service list.

After ten successful years in the Columbia Auto Park, the Englands moved to another auto park off Snowden River Parkway in Columbia. The business flourished and ten years later, they moved, designed, and built their own modern auto repair facility at their current location on Berger Road. In addition to its 18 bays and state-of-the-art technology, the shop also features an environmentally friendly footprint with every watt of energy used in the facility coming from 185 solar panels on the roof.

Throughout their 45 years in business, BA Auto Care has continually embraced new developments in the auto industry, now repairing cars of all makes and models, including hybrid and electric vehicles.

“Providing the community with quality car maintenance and repair, for any car they drive, is essential to our role as an independent alternative to dealers and specialty shops,” he explains.

According to Mr. England, another key component to their original marketing was the name of their business. “We choose to say auto care instead of auto repair in our name,” he explains, “to reflect the importance we place on preventive maintenance.”

Instead of just focusing on repairing customers cars when they break down, he continues, “We set up a scheduled maintenance program to keep their cars in good running condition throughout the year, avoiding costly repairs down the road.”

Ms. Weaver is quick to point out that that their slogan line, Looking Out For You and Your Car, speaks to this emphasis on preventative maintenance and customer service.

“We have hundreds of loyal customers who keep coming back to us because they know that we will always take good care of their car,” she says.

A good preventative maintenance plan, she says, “isn’t something that our techs just pull off the shelf.” The individual customer’s driving habits drive the details of the plan. “Each maintenance plan is customized to the individual driver and their vehicle.”

After over 25 years winning the award for best auto repair shop in Howard County Maryland and over 700 5-Star reviews, customer testimonials are numerous and exceptional. As expected, some are quite memorable, Ms. Weaver says, including a customer with over 500,000 miles (and still counting) on his car and another customer who drives all the way from his new home in Pennsylvania for regular maintenance on his car.

With drivers keeping their cars longer and longer, the importance of independent car repair shops like BA Auto Care has grown dramatically in the post-COVID era of rising new and used car prices.

“We are proud to have served our community for 45 years,” Mr. England says. “and we plan to keep doing it for many years to come.”