Our History

The Early Days

In 1983, Kim and Charlie were celebrating their second wedding anniversary. Charlie had been delivering concrete for a company in Rockville, MD, and he was eyeing a switch into auto mechanics, an industry for which he had become passionate during his early 20s while he was managing multiple tire shops in his hometown of Gettysburg, PA. He signed a lease when heard Lawson's AMC was closing in New Market, MD, and launched Krietz Auto Repair, Inc.

Moving into Auto Sales

The following year, we made our first expansion, opening Krietz Auto Sales. We started out with only a handful of cars on the lot, purchased a tow truck, and then relocated to Frederick, MD, at 4th and East Street. Shortly after, the lot sold and we had to find a new home – 580 East Church Street. We added U-Haul to our offerings, made the Top 100 Dealers list nationwide for thirteen straight months, and then bought a vacant restaurant on 4th and East Street. There, we built our own place, added office space and a showroom, and continued to grow as an independent dealership.

More Changes

After fourteen years, we closed up our U-Haul division. That was tough because as Kim and Charlie often said, our veins ran orange. We paved a new parking lot in 2008, and four years later, we added a detail division.

Into the Present

Over the last four years, we have grown exponentially, from a staff of twelve to a thriving organization of more than fifty. We remain a family-owned business, operating independently as an automotive dealership. Charles III continues to serve as our General Manager, Charles's wife Laura is the COO , Cory is our Used Car Manager and his wife, Whitney is the Krietz Customs Director. Charlie’s nephew Adam is our Service Director. There are two new additions to the Krietz Family Ethan – Charles and Laura's son – and Brynlee – Cory and Whitney’s daughter are usually around somewhere too.

A single location, Krietz Auto provides comprehensive service, always backed by our guarantee of excellence. We have made Frederick our home over the years. Raising families here, growing up here, and getting to know our guests as our neighbors, we plan on continuing to evolve with this community.

Whether it's your first time or your hundredth time, feel confident that you are going to get the legendary Krietz family service.

Who We Are

At Krietz Auto, we have always made it our mission to offer auto repair and quality pre-owned vehicles that stand out. We think about our business differently, focusing on the ways that we can make our guests comfortable any time they stop in to see us. Whether we are customizing vehicles, selling high end lifted trucks or repairing your vehicle, we strive for excellence. We accept nothing short of the best from ourselves and our entire staff, making auto repair more straightforward than it has likely ever been before.

Taking pride in the work that we do, we have maintained a 4.8 rating on Google – across almost 1,400 reviews in total. It is no coincidence that so many of our guests become lifetime customers. When we take on a job, we promise to see it through, doing everything in our power to exceed expectations. Since we started lifted selling trucks and jeeps in 2016, we have expanded, in 2019 launching the Krietz Customs department, where we carrying on the Krietz Auto legacy and building our own line of lifted trucks and jeeps.

A family business through and through, Krietz Auto has developed the way it has because we think of this place as our home. We have made some of our best memories here, which motivates us to help our guests do the same. Every day, we want to make more memories, all while overseeing top-quality auto repair, auto sales, and truck customization services. This may sound like a quaint approach to some people, but for us, it has always worked. Krietz Auto is more than a business because we are more than employees: we are a tight-knit family, and when you stop in to see us, you are in our home, where you can expect us to show you all of the care and attention we would show you if you were coming over for dinner on a Sunday night.

Our values are, like our business model, close to our hearts. We embrace transparency, keeping our guests in the loop about what we have diagnosed in their cars and what we need to do to fix them. Committed to quality, we put all of our energy into every job – just as we would if we were working on one of our own cars.

Car sales as well are meaningful to us. Because we understand that when someone buys a car, it is a major life decision, we are careful to make the process as welcoming and stress-free as possible. We believe that buying a car is not just another transaction. You step foot on our floor, and you join our family. We are going to speak to you honestly and sincerely, making it clear that you are a person and that you are speaking to people. On a first-name basis, we will be there for you every step of the way, earning not only your business but your friendship too.

The stigma around car service and car sales is, as we see it, totally unnecessary. At Krietz Auto, you can forget about the long wait, the high-pressure tactics, and the made-up work orders. None of that is part of our business. Instead, we emphasize real customer care. You can show up, feel right at home, and then head out to enjoy all that Downtown has to offer while we are working on your vehicle or printing paperwork.

Krietz Auto is only possible, of course, because of our community. You continue to trust us and to refer your family and friends to us, and for that, we are grateful. In 2021, Krietz Auto turns 39 years old – and we very much look forward to another forty and then some!