Northeast Philadelphia auto shop pays it forward to longtime customer after car troubles
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An auto shop in Northeast Philadelphia is paying it forward after a woman's car was stolen.
Brooke Hiis says her faith in humanity was lost after her Hyundia Elantra was broken into at the begininng of December.
The single mother and ER nurse took the damaged car to Albi's Auto, a car repair shop she and her family have been going to for years.
But she had no idea they would only charge her for the parts – not the labor.
"They fixed it up for me," Hiis said. "They spent hours calling places for parts to get the cheapest parts for my car."
"We diagnosed it with the ignition cylinder lock and key," Michele Alexsi, of Albi's Auto, said. "We went all over the place looking for it, very hard to find that part."
But that was only the start of her car troubles.
On Dec. 18, less than a week away from the holidays, Hiis' recently repaired car was stolen outside of her Northeast Philly apartment with her daughter's Christmas presents inside.
"Unfortunately I had just paid my car off at that time, so I changed my insurance to liability, which I shouldn't have done, but I wanted to save money," Hiis said.
Hiis had no way of getting to work until Alexsi and her husband decided to give Hiis a car for free. They say it was just just taking up space at the shop.
"We have a car; we're not going to use it," Alexsi said. "So, why not give it someone that needs it."
"It was just a really amazing thing because it shows you there's still people out there that care," Hiis said.
The car was a generous gift that's now restored Hiis' belief in those around her.
Hiis' car was found by police on Jan. 10.
Police told her it's currently over at a towing company in North Philly, where they say it's undriveable. She's now making arrangements to take a look at the car and recover any of her belongings.
