ST. PAUL, MN -- Online and hotline diagnostic and repair information provider, Identifix, is celebrating 20 years of servicing independent repair shops.

Identifix was incorporated in August 1987, and went live with the repair hotline on January 2, 1988, with four employees. It has since grown to employ 41 master technicians with more than 1,000 years of combined experience performing vehicle diagnostics.

Founder Bill Sauer was a service station dealer for eight years, then designed and built a diagnostic center that he sold after four years. He then started an equipment sales company that sold oscilloscopes, dynos, infra-reds and other test equipment. As part of those equipment sales he wanted shops to use the equipment well and properly, which inspired him to provide technician on-site shop training. This was in the mid 1970s, when electronic ignition was a new technology; he discovered that the technicians had little knowledge of electronic ignition and lacked understanding of ignition theory. "I coined a saying back then 'You can't tell what is wrong, if you don't know what is right.' This, of course holds so very true today. I strongly felt that techs should understand the theory of operation," Sauer commented.

In 1976 Sauer created Autotech which provided advanced technical training. Sauer later sold the company and when the 80s arrived and the computer car hit the market, being somewhat of a visionary, Sauer foresaw the increasing need for information. He started formulating the idea for a technical hotline. After many years of training and development the Repair Hotline went live in January 1988.

And now, 20 years later, Identifix has grown from four specialists managing the Repair Hotline to 41, who receive up to 20,000 calls a month - nearly 3 million since it was first started. Identifix shows no signs of slowing down. In August, more than 4,500 shops called the Hotline, a new monthly record.

Founder Bill Sauer, while semi-retired, still remains active in the company and is the "go to" guy if someone needs a special piece of information, a personal contact or perhaps to fix an emission problem. Sauer himself holds 50 ASE certifications.

Commenting on the growth of the company over the years, Sauer stated, "Our tremendous growth hasn't happened without help from a lot of believers. The key to our success is the quality and knowledge of the technicians on the phone, as well as the rest of many dedicated and talented employees."

Sauer went on to say, "I started this 'dream' partly because I felt it was financially feasible, but more importantly to do a little to improve the working conditions of an auto repair technician. I hope we have succeeded! Thank you for your support."

For more information about Identifix, visit: www.identifix.com.