Aid Auto Stores going out of business

Aid Auto Stores, a privately held company of car maintenance stores in Suffolk County, announced Thursday that it is going out of business.

"It was just a change in the business environment, and the tremendous amount of competition we’ve taken on in the last seven to eight years," said Aid Auto president Anthony Pirrera.

There is no exact timeline for Aid Auto’s closing, and Pirrera said most of the company’s 80 employees can expect to be paid through August.

Aid Auto began selling car maintenance products on Long Island in 1966, and at the height of its operations in 2009, the company ran 18 stores on the island. Currently, there are five Aid Auto stores in Eastern Suffolk.

Since then, Pirrera said he believes the recession was a contributing factor to the business closing. “You would think in a recession, people would think fixing your car was a better option, Pirrera said.

As parts of its going-out-of-business efforts, the Aid Auto stores will be offering 10 to 30 percent discounts on its products.

Store locations are:

1053 Old Country Rd., Riverhead
44-A Surrey Circle, Shirley
57 Route 25A, Rocky Point
595 Portion Rd., Ronkonkoma
2690-A Route 12, Medford