The city received a new car repair shop on Tuesday after Carstar Peterborough opened for business.
The business is unique because it offers nationwide warranty at 250 locations across Canada on their work, said owner Cathy Shirtliff. “Even if we repair your vehicle here and you have issues and you’ve moved to Toronto you can find a Carstar location there and they will follow up on our work,” Shirtliff said. She said it’s a family business, she co-owns with her husband Jim. The couple has been with the business for 14 years now and owns another location in Markham Shirtliff said they bought the former Bert Angevaare Ltd. Mercedes-Benz dealership location on Ashburnham Dr. – which sees 18,000 to 20,000 cars a day drive by – in January.
They had to renovate the building there before they could open she said. The business is in partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada and every year they sponsor an annual car wash event to raise money for the organization and a local sports team, said Shirtliff. This year the car wash and barbecue event is taking place on June 17. Half the proceeds raised goes toward cystic fibrosis research and the other half goes to a soccer team – the Peterborough City U17 girls team, said the co-owner. “We try to make it a social event,” Shirtliff said. “In the last 15 years Carstar has raised $2.5 million for (cystic fibrosis) research.”
The business owner said she grew up in Peterborough and is happy to have a business from her hometown now.