Veterans Day 2026 at Advantage Automotive: 40 Years of Service, and a Day to Give Some Back

Advantage Automotive opened its doors on Paisano Street in 1986. Forty years later, the shop is still here, still independent, and still fixing cars for the same neighborhoods on Albuquerque’s east side. We wanted to mark the anniversary with something better than a banner, so on Wednesday, November 11, we are turning the shop into a Veterans Day event, with every dollar raised going to the New Mexico Veterans Integration Center.

• The first 20 veterans to sign up get a full oil change with a 56-point inspection for $40, with the oil and filters donated by NAPA AutoCare
• The event runs 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM with food, raffles, and vendors on site, and veterans eat free
• We are collecting cash, nonperishable food, and new socks and underwear for the Veterans Integration Center, and all proceeds go to the VIC

Why the Veterans Integration Center

The New Mexico Veterans Integration Center helps veterans reintegrate after service and gives them the practical tools to lead independent lives. We chose the VIC in 2024 for our first Veterans Day oil change drive, and the response from customers was the reason we are doing it again, bigger. A working vehicle is one of the things that separates a veteran who can get to a job interview, a medical appointment, or a housing meeting from one who cannot, and an oil change is a small, concrete way a repair shop can help with that.

This year we are keeping the model simple. There is no middle step and no overhead. Money raised on the day, through the oil changes, the food, the raffles, and the donation jar, goes to the VIC.

What Veterans Get on November 11

The first 20 veterans to sign up get a full-service oil change with our 56-point inspection for $40. NAPA AutoCare is donating the oil and filters, so the $40 covers the labor and goes straight into the donation total. The inspection is the same one we run on every vehicle in the shop: brakes, tires, battery, belts, hoses, fluids, lights, steering and suspension, and the small things that turn into expensive things if nobody looks. You leave with a written report of what is fine, what is wearing, and what can wait.

The oil change offer excludes diesel engines, European makes, and motor homes, because those take different oil, different filters, and more time than a one-day event allows. If you drive one of those, you are still welcome, and we are happy to talk about a regular appointment.

The timing is deliberate. November 11 lands a few weeks before the first hard freeze and the first holiday drive up I-25. A battery that spent the summer losing capacity, a coolant mix that will not protect to the temperatures Albuquerque sees in January, or a set of wiper blades that bake into rubber crumbs in our sun are all things the inspection catches while they are still an appointment rather than a tow. If the inspection turns up something that needs attention, you get an honest estimate and no pressure. The point of the day is the oil change and the look-over, not a sales pitch.

Veterans eat free all day. For everyone else, a donation for the food would be appreciated, and it goes into the same total.

How to Sign Up

Spots are limited to 20, and they will go. To reserve one, call (505) 298-4996 and ask for Meghan. She will take your name, your vehicle, and a time window so we can keep the bays moving through the day. If you are a veteran who does not need an oil change but wants to come by, the food, the raffles, and the company are open to you with no sign-up needed.

How Everyone Else Can Help

You do not need to be a veteran to be part of this. Here is what the VIC has asked for, and what we are collecting at the shop from now through the event:

• Cash, in any amount, which goes directly to the VIC
• Nonperishable food
• New socks and new underwear, in the package

Please note what is not on that list. The VIC has no room to store clothing, so coats, shirts, and jeans cannot be accepted, however good the intention. Socks and underwear are the two things shelters never have enough of and cannot accept used, which is why they are the ask.

There will also be raffles throughout the day and vendors on site. Local businesses that want a table, or want to put something into the raffle, should call the shop and ask for Meghan. Raffle proceeds go to the VIC with everything else, so a donated item from a local business turns directly into support for veterans, and we will make sure the business gets credit on the day and on our social pages.

If you cannot make it on November 11, the collection boxes are at the front counter now. Drop off food or socks any weekday between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, and we will add them to the delivery.

Forty Years on Paisano Street

A shop does not last four decades in one location by accident. It lasts because people come back, and they come back because the work is honest and the explanation is plain. James Bracken, our owner and an ASE Certified Master Technician, has built Advantage on that idea, and the Gold Certified NAPA AutoCare Center status and the 36-month, 36,000-mile nationwide warranty are what it looks like on paper. Veterans Day is what it looks like in person. We hope you will join us.

Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, at 511 Paisano St. NE. Veterans, call (505) 298-4996 and ask for Meghan to claim one of the 20 oil change spots. Everyone else, bring socks.

Advantage Automotive
511 Paisano St. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87123
(505) 298-4996