Mike Driver just reached a professional milestone. In April, he marked 30 years with Mooneyhan’s Auto Service at 1224 B Avenue in West Columbia.

“The Mooneyhan Family has been good to me,” said Mike, who is a Master Mechanic. “I have enjoyed every bit of my time here.”

“Mike is an integral part of Mooneyhan’s,” said Owner Laura Mooneyhan. “We’re celebrating his 30 years with us. He is a master mechanic and he is an example of the highest quality in auto repair service. Mike is also loved by the community and there are also people who travel from out-of-town to have Mike service their vehicles.”

Laura also described Mike as “honorable,” noting that he began working with Bill Mooneyhan Sr. in 1996.
Mike said he first started with Mooneyhan’s when it was on Charleston Highway at Middleton Street.

“I started part-time,” Mike said. He was working 4-10s at a metal fabricator in Lexington, and on Fridays, he’d come in to work for Mooneyhan’s. “I found out a service technician was leaving and came to work full-time for Bill.”

In his time at Mooneyhan’s Mike became an ingrained part of the business.

“He quickly became family,” Laura said. “He was ‘Uncle Mike’ to my children and now that they’re grown he’s still a friend. And in the time that we’ve known him, Mike has been like a brother to my late husband, Bill, and myself. We sincerely appreciate what he means to us.”

Bill Mooneyhan Sr. added four new service bays in 2019, due to high demand for service and a strong local reputation. It doubled the size of Mooneyhan’s and Mike was part of the reason for the expansion. “We had expanded at the old location, too and Bill told me that (the 2019 addition) was the last expansion he was going to do for me,” Mike said.

Through his work, Mike said he has formed some strong relationships. “The people of this community have become good friends. And it gives me a good feeling when I can make them feel better about their cars. When we let them know it can be fixed, our customers really appreciate it.”

Even though he has 30 years of service under his belt, Mike is not going anywhere.
“I love what I do, so I don’t have any plans to retire anytime soon,” he said.

Mike also said his love for working on engines goes way back.

“I used to work on go-karts and motorcycles when I was 12-or-13 years old,” he said. “I’d get them running.”

And it may have been fate that he was to become a Master Mechanic.

“When I was a boy I wanted a drum set for Christmas. Instead I got a tool box,” Mike said with a laugh. “I guess my parents and grandparents kind of pushed me in this direction.”

And it’s not just at Mooneyhan’s that Mike works on cars. It’s also his hobby. He loves restoring classic cars. He is working on a 1965 Mustang currently.

“The older cars are much more simple,” Mike said. “To stay up-to-date you have to keep up with all the technology. There’s something new to learn every day. So it’s a challenge, but I love it.”