Icon viewers know that Jim Kinn is a pretty private guy. He didn’t announce his retirement publically. The Icon discovered his plans through anonymous sources. This column attempts to paint a picture of Bluffton’s retiring vehicle physician. His last day on the job was Dec. 27.

By Fred Steiner
If only auto service centers gave honorary doctor degrees. Jim Kinn’s wall would be covered with them.

Try blindfolding him. Then, drive your car through the Stratton Auto Group’s Bluffton Auto Repair Center lot.

By the vibration of your car’s tires he can determine how many miles are left on the treads. His next pronouncement might be a prediction of the life expectancy of your brakes drums.

On several occasions, we’ve witnessed him nail these and other obscure vehicle facts and figures within 2,000 miles of the actually number.

And, to think, he’d rattle off these equipment projections after he named the car VIN number and whether its transmission fluid needs flushing. Blindfolded!

Kinn’s final day in his office – with one of the most scenic windows in Bluffton – at the corner of Main and Jefferson was on Dec. 27.

As manager of the former Kirtland’s Auto Repair and now Bluffton Auto Repair Center, Kinn has had his hands on more cars than might come off the line in Detroit during an entire model year.

He’s diagnosed Bluffton vehicles' issues since the mid-1980s. His under-the-hood knowledge ranges from engine diagnostics to warranty issues and license plate screws.

Every vehicle he ever sold or worked on has its own story. Here are two from my own personal vehicle experience with Kinn:

• He told me that the Honda I bought used from Kirtland’s was originally Mark Yoder’s son car.  Mark’s son didn’t want to sell it because it was the car he drove on his first-ever date, or something like that.

• When my 2000 Dodge Caravan failed to start, he treated the announcement like a doctor coming out of surgery. “Fred, I’ve got bad news for you. It’s time to call it quits on this car.”

If you can picture that scene with Kinn shaking his head as if he lost a patient, then you’ll understand his connection to his customers and his love for his profession.

We are certain most viewers reading this have similiar stories to share.

Additional note: The Icon snapped this photo on Dec. 27, unknown to Jim, as he replaced the wipers on the Icon Honda.