WESTLAND — Of all the places in the Metro Detroit area to run an auto shop, the spot on Marquette and Wayne Roads in Westland is one of the worst.

At least 30 shops line Wayne Road in the city, and pricing competitions are constant.

But the Westland Auto Lube shop has managed to stay afloat because of the hard work of its Fordson High School-educated managers, the Zrian brothers of Dearborn Heights.

“If I’m not working or in school, I’m pretty much here all the time,” said Hashem Zrian, 22, of Dearborn Heights, who helps manage the shop with his 28 year-old brother Rob. “And Rob pretty much lives here, working 10-12 hours a day.”

But I still don’t know how we manage to survive with all of these auto shops around here.”

With all of the shops in the area, specials like $12.99 oil changes and other hard-to-match deals are constant, but the Zrian brothers have responded by keeping their level of service consistent throughout. They rely on their reputation and repeat visits by customers to keep their business going strong.

“Our goal is to be fair and honest and to provide top-notch customer service,” said Rob Zrian. “I was a little worried when I leased this place with all the competition but our actions and our services speak for themselves.”

Westland Auto Lube offers a full range of automotive services, including oil changes, transmission flushes, tire rotations, tune-ups, radiator flushes, cabin filters, and more. Another specialty service offered is the Zoom fuel cleaning service, which will help improve a vehicle’s fuel economy and reduce emissions. It is recommended that drivers clean out their fuel systems every 15,000 miles or annually to keep engines running as efficiently as possible.

Hashem Zrian knows that customers are trying to squeeze as much fuel efficiency out of their cars and trucks as possible in light of rising gas prices, and he offered up his tips for improving fuel economy.

Drivers should “change their oil religiously,” he said, to keep sludge from building up inside the engine. Be sure to check air filters and to change them when they get dirty. He also advised drivers to make sure that the air pressure in your tires is set to the proper PSI (pound per square inch) level.

Also, Hashem Zrian advised staying away from discount gas stations because they use higher levels of ethanol in most cases than bigger companies such as Mobil and Shell. Just because gas is a few cents cheaper at a no-name place doesn’t mean it’s the same quality as the gas you’ll find at more established places. Lower-quality gas hurts mileage because it burns quicker.

Finally, don’t pump gas while tanks are being filled at a gas station because you might get water in your car’s gas tank, which could cause problems, and always fill up your tank as much as you can because air pockets caused by tanks that aren’t full will cause you to burn more gas.

These tips are just a sample of the expertise the Zrian brothers bring to their business. Both have been around cars for most of their lives, taking auto shop classes at Fordson and earning their way into their positions through hard work.

Rob Zrian originally planned on working on airplanes, as he is a certified airplane mechanic, but the job likely would have forced him to move to Arizona because of all the layoffs that have taken place in Michigan.

Hashem Zrian is still holding out hope that he’ll become a cop or a secret service agent one day, but for now, both brothers are happy running Westland Auto Lube and serving their loyal customers.

“Me and my brother really enjoy working here together, and we look forward to serving the community here,” said Rob Zrian.