By John Flood

Los Altos resident Paul Jancis relies on a simple axiom to ensure his new auto repair business is a success: be honest with your customer.

Jancis, owner of Driven Auto Care, officially opened his auto shop in Mountain View June 18.

Driven Auto provides complete auto repair, including wheel alignments, oil changes, tuneups and major repairs, he said.

The shop services all makes and models with particular expertise in Japanese car brands.

“A lot of people don’t trust the auto (repair) industry,” Jancis said. “I intend to be trustworthy. This is auto service the way it should be - dependable, honest and friendly. That is my whole business philosophy.”

Jancis worked at Stevens Creek Nissan as a master technician for 11 years.

But he had bigger plans for his life.

“I always wanted to run my own business,” he said. “I wanted to move on.”

Finding a location wasn’t easy. It took more than a year looking around Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Mountain View.

“Most municipalities don’t like auto shops because of the hazardous waste potential,” Jancis said.

He eventually found a freestanding building on Rengstorff Avenue in Mountain View that suited his needs.

Jancis has two technicians on staff. He also intends to work on cars when he isn’t running the business.

“I liked working on cars,” he said. “I always wanted to do it, even in junior high school.”

Driven Auto Care is located at 826 N. Rengstorff Ave. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 967-3569.