NOBODY ever wants to get in a wreck! Nobody want to get bad news coverage either. A recent news investigation reminded Albuquerque of something the classic car community already knows too well: not every shop that promises a restoration delivers one. Customers lost tens of thousands of dollars. Cars sat untouched for years. Dreams collected dust behind a locked fence.
That story matters. But it only tells a half-truth about auto repair in this city.
The other half lives at shops like WorldWide Automotive, where the work gets done, the customer gets a phone call before anything happens under the hood, and the bill matches the estimate. It has been that way since 1995, and it will stay that way because the shop was built on a principle most businesses only print on a wall: Honesty. Integrity. Experience.
Built for the Customer Who Has Been Burned Before
Bob Agnew opened WorldWide Automotive on Girard Boulevard after moving to New Mexico from California, where he spent years deep in the antique and classic car hobby. What he found when he arrived was a gap in the market that had nothing to do with parts or paint. It was a gap in trust.
Too many people in Albuquerque, especially women, had walked into a shop and walked out feeling talked down to, overcharged, or ignored. Agnew built WorldWide Automotive specifically for those customers. The ones who needed a mechanic they could believe. The ones who had been taken advantage of before and swore they would never let it happen again.
That founding mission still drives every interaction at the shop today. When a customer brings in a vehicle, the team at WorldWide does not start turning wrenches until the customer understands what is wrong, what needs to happen, and what it will cost. That conversation happens before the work begins, not after.
What It Means to Be a NAPA AutoCare Center
Not every shop can call itself a NAPA AutoCare Center. The designation is earned, and it comes with a strict Code of Ethics that every member agrees to follow:
Every NAPA AutoCare Center must employ at least one ASE-Certified technician. The shop commits to performing high-quality diagnostic and repair service at a fair price, using quality parts like NAPA parts. Prior authorization and a written price estimate are required before any work begins. The shop must exercise reasonable care for the customer’s property while it is on the premises, and must maintain a system for fair settlement of customer complaints if they occur.
These are not suggestions. They are the conditions of membership. And they are enforced through peer review, where fellow shop owners conduct visits and evaluations to ensure standards are maintained across the network.
For customers, the NAPA AutoCare designation also comes with the Peace of Mind Warranty: 24 months or 24,000 miles of coverage on qualifying parts and labor, honored at more than 17,000 locations nationwide. That means if something goes wrong while you are traveling across the country, you are still covered.
WorldWide Automotive holds this designation because the shop meets the standard. Every day. Every vehicle. Every customer.
NAPA Collision and Refinish: Restoration and Body Work You Can Trust
Old Car Garage, our sister company is also a NAPA Paint and Body Care center. Classic car restoration and collision repair are performed to exacting standards. This is not a side hustle run out of a backyard. This is professional body work backed by NAPA’s Collision and Refinish Warranty, which offers coverage on refinishes, body repairs, and metal work when performed using approved materials.
In a city where classic cars are woven into the culture, the difference between a reputable restoration shop and a disreputable one can mean the difference between a finished project and a four-year nightmare. WorldWide Automotive and Old Car Garage have been delivering completed restorations and quality body work for over three decades because they treat every classic car the way its owner does: as something worth protecting.
Serving Women, Families, and First-Time Customers
The auto repair industry has a well-documented trust problem thanks to news only covering the bad stories. However, studies have shown that women are more likely to be quoted higher prices for the same repair, and more likely to feel dismissed when asking questions about their vehicle. Bob Agnew recognized this problem when he founded WorldWide Automotive, and addressing it has been central to the shop’s identity ever since.
At WorldWide, every customer receives the same treatment. Repairs are explained in plain language. Questions are welcomed, not waved off. Estimates are provided in writing before work begins. And no one is made to feel like they should just “trust the mechanic” without understanding what is happening to their car.
This approach is not just good ethics. It is good business. Customers who feel respected come back. They tell their friends. They become the kind of loyal clients who bring every car they own to the same shop for 25 years, which is exactly what has happened at WorldWide Automotive.
Rooted in the Community
WorldWide Automotive is not a franchise. It is not a chain. It is a locally owned Albuquerque business that has served this community since 1995. The shop is part of the NAPA AutoCare Centers of New Mexico, a group of independent shops that regularly contribute to community programs including toy drives, food drives, and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
Being a neighborhood shop means something. It means the person behind the counter knows your name. And it means when something goes wrong, there is no 1-800 number to call. You talk to the people who did the work, face to face, and they make it right.
The Difference Between a Sign and a Standard
Any shop can hang a sign. Any shop can build a website and write “honest” and “trustworthy” on the homepage. What separates WorldWide Automotive from the shops that make the evening news is accountability.
The NAPA AutoCare Code of Ethics is not a marketing tool. It is a binding commitment backed by peer review, ASE certification requirements, and a nationwide warranty that puts the shop’s reputation on the line with every repair. The NAPA Collision and Refinish program holds body work to the same standard.
WorldWide Automotive has met these standards for over 30 years because the shop was never built to cut corners. It was built to serve people. Real people with real cars and real concerns about whether the mechanic is telling them the truth.
If that sounds like the kind of shop you have been looking for, give WorldWide Automotive a call at (505) 881-2722 or visit the shop at 3232 Girard Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87107.
Because in this town, the good shops do not make the news. They just keep doing the good work.
WorldWide Automotive is a NAPA AutoCare Center and NAPA Collision and Refinish facility serving Albuquerque, New Mexico since 1995. Services include general auto repair, classic car restoration, collision repair, brake service, engine diagnostics, oil changes, tune-ups, suspension repair, electrical system service, and paint and body work for all makes and models.
