The Idea of a Foreign Auto Repair Shop in Montenegro
The idea to publish an interview with the founder of a Russian auto repair shop in Montenegro came to me quite a while ago — ever since we first met. And finally, today, I managed to make it happen.
Let me add this from myself: in Montenegro, car repair can be a real challenge. There are many unqualified mechanics here. That’s why I strongly recommend all immigrants to meet Maksim. And if you get the same positive impression of him as I did… then go ahead — get your car fixed in good hands and stay safe on the road!
Interview with Maksim, Founder of the Auto Repair Shop
Interviewer: Hello,
Maksim, thank you so much for agreeing to this conversation. My first question is: what made you decide to immigrate to Montenegro? As I understand it, you came with work experience — you once had your own auto repair shop in Russia. Setting up a business in Russia might be easier — after all, it’s a familiar country, and you don’t have to learn a new language. Things were probably going well, so was it really worth leaving?
Maksim: We had been thinking about moving to another country for quite some time. We’re from Vladivostok, and we hadn’t even heard of Montenegro until one of our acquaintances moved here. She was the one who invited us to come visit — and not long after, we relocated. To be honest, I worked very little in actual auto repair shops (only in my youth), and I’ve never owned one before — this is my first project of this kind. In Russia, I worked in areas related to cars: for a long time, I was involved in designing, equipping, and organizing workflows for repair shops and car washes. I also worked at a company supplying spare parts for American trucks. In my free time, I did tuning and repairs for friends and family. Things really were going quite well, but it was worth leaving — at some point, the number of downsides to life in Russia outweighed the upsides. Plus, I simply wanted to try to realize myself in completely new conditions.
Interviewer: How long have you been living in Montenegro?
Maksim: Four and a half years. I came to Montenegro at the end of September 2009.
Interviewer: What plans did you have when immigrating, and how well did they work out?
Maksim: The goal was to start my own business and find my niche in Montenegro’s auto service market. I believe most of those plans have been fulfilled. There are still a few negative aspects that need to be resolved — they could hinder the future development of our business.
Interviewer: What difficulties did you face when setting up your auto repair business in Montenegro?
Maksim: I’d say there are two major problems — the lack of spare parts and the lack of good mechanics. It can be hard to find parts even for common car brands here, not to mention rarer ones. Also, delivery times are very vague: if a supplier says they’ll bring a part within 10 days, you might as well tell the client 15. Sometimes, a supplier promises to deliver parts quickly and at a fair price, but after a couple of weeks, it turns out they either can’t get the part at all, or the delivery will take months, or the price they quote is so high that ordering becomes pointless. That’s why we’ve learned to search for and order parts not only in Montenegro but also from Serbia, Russia, the UAE, Japan, and the US. As for mechanics — many people don’t realize that if you do poor work once, you lose the customer forever. A lot of people (not just Montenegrins) sincerely believe they can apply for a job in a garage with only a vague understanding of how a car works — apparently thinking they’ll be trained and paid for it. Others are convinced they’re professionals (and tell employers that), but they don’t even have basic knowledge.
So we’re constantly on the lookout for staff.
Interviewer: How many mechanics do you have now?
Maksim: Right now, we have five mechanics, including myself. [laughs] Three are Montenegrins, and two are Russians.
Interviewer: When we first met, you had Russian mechanics. Now you mostly have Montenegrins. What changed? It’s common to think that Russian mechanics are better. Aren’t there any good specialists moving to Montenegro?
Maksim: Russian mechanics can vary, too. Right now, we’ve got good professionals of both nationalities. [laughs]
Interviewer: Car repairs in Montenegro are a real challenge — there are very few good mechanics. Personally, I can only handle the stress of fixing my car if I bring it to you. Why are you so popular among Russian immigrants? Almost everyone in the Russian community knows Maksim. Do you strictly supervise your Montenegrin workers, or do you just pick the best ones on the market?
Maksim: Thanks for the trust.
But to be honest, we’re not only popular in a good way, unfortunately. This reputation also comes from our own experience with employees — we’ve had bad situations because of incompetent local and Russian workers. Then there’s the spare parts issue — not all clients understand that we can’t control delivery times or how reliable a supplier is. Of course, I do my best to monitor the quality of our mechanics’ work. We try not to use cheap parts or materials, and when we do, we warn the client about the possible consequences of using budget or used parts. We really try to do the job well, so that clients are happy and come back.
Interviewer: I already shared my opinion above — car repair in Montenegro is a big problem. As you probably know, most Russians living here feel the same. I’m not asking you to criticize competitors, but still — what’s the root of the problem? It’s hard to believe that most mechanics in the country are unqualified. Maybe I’m wrong, but fixing a car still seems easier than performing surgery.
Maksim: If someone wants to, they can learn. And if they really want to, they can even learn to do surgery. Car repair is also a complex job that requires constant learning. Many people here who offer car services think it’s simple and doesn’t require much knowledge. Some just want to make money without caring about quality. That said, there are good mechanics in local garages, and some of our fellow Russians go to them and are happy with the service, so they stay. I wouldn’t say most local mechanics are unqualified, but we do have clients who came to us after dealing with local garages. Also, local clients often look for the cheapest fix — no matter the quality — so that’s the kind of service local mechanics provide. For our Russian clients, quality matters more, even if it costs more.
Interviewer: The usual final question — how can people contact you in Montenegro for car repairs?
Maksim: By phone: 069153516, 068484358, 067785828.
Or via email: expert.cg@hotmail.com
Interviewer: Let’s finish with cars and talk a bit more about Montenegro. You’ve lived here a long time. What has changed in the country? Do you think it’s getting better or worse?
Maksim: Attitudes toward Russians have definitely gotten worse. But to be fair, it’s partly our own fault. We made a lot of mistakes here, thinking the Montenegrins’ brotherly love for Russians would last forever. As for positive changes… maybe there are a few more signs of civilization now.
Interviewer: Maksim, thank you very much for this conversation.
