Who is Dave Frost?

That’s a good question. Actually, my real name is Jonathan David Frost; everyone calls me Dave as I always thought Jonathan sounded so formal. Perhaps it was because of my early years always getting into trouble at school, and that inevitable yell from a teacher, “Jonathan!”

My story starts normally enough, I guess: I was born in Pennsylvania, and moved to Birmingham Alabama until I was 6. Normal so far right? Well when I turned 7 things took a little turn. My father took a job in Saudi Arabia, so at age 7 my family moved to Riyadh. As a young boy this was quite a culture shock! I can still remember my days in Saudi, exploring the desert with my brothers, and the early morning prayer calls at 5am. I lived in Saudi Arabia for 3 years, attending school at the Riyadh International Community School.

When I was 9, my parents decided to send my brothers and me to boarding school in India, the School in Saudi Arabia only went up to grade 6. So off to India we went. My parents dropped me and my brothers off at an international boarding school called Woodstock, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. It was very difficult for me adjusting to this, not only being in a foreign country, but also being so far from my parents, who had to return to Saudi Arabia. Little did I know that this experience would be one of the most rewarding in my life, and prepare me to be the man I am today.

I spent 5 years living in India in a town called Mussoorie. The scenery was amazing and living in an international boarding school taught you many things about life. Your friends become your family, you learn to depend on each other, and you learn how to respect others cultures, religions, and beliefs. 12 kids living in a dorm have to learn how to get along, and we did! India taught me many things about life, one of the most important is do not take anything for granted and appreciate what you have because so many others don’t have what you have.

After my parents divorced, I left India and moved back to the U.S. to live with my mother, and attend public school here in Los Angeles. It was really a severe culture shock coming from India to L.A., but I got the hang of things pretty quickly. As soon as I was getting comfortable here, I moved to Hong Kong to live with my father! I loved Hong Kong, it was an amazing busy city. I started to learn a little Cantonese and get the hang of riding the Star Ferry and the trolleys, but by the time I was getting comfortable with that, guess what, it was time to move again.

My father was an architect and we seemed to roam from project to project, this time it was Indonesia! We moved to Jakarta, and I lived in Indonesia for four years. I was fortunate enough to be able to drive at this time, and spent my four years in Indonesia exploring the country and attending the international school in Jakarta. I have very fond memories of my time in Indonesia; this is where I picked up my desire to fix cars. I would spend hours tinkering with cars and motorcycles, figuring out what made them tick, and how to keep them running. A friend and I ventured on a trip across the Island of Sumatra in a beat-up Isuzu, and all the tinkering paid off as this jalopy broke down on a regular basis, but we made it home safe and sound.

I finished high school in Indonesia, and married my sweetheart at the age of 18, and we returned to The United States. What does an 18 year-old kid do to make a living? I turned to my love of cars and tinkering, and made a career out of it. I started off working at a Toyota dealership and became a team leader and a Toyota Certified Master at a young age. I worked at different dealerships and Independent shops, honing my skills and learning as much as I could over the years. One thing I learned about auto repair is that you never stop learning! Technology changes constantly and you need to learn new things. I love that!

In 1996 I decided to open my own shop and put my technical and life skills to work for me. It has been a great ride! I live in Los Angeles and have a 30 year-old son, Alex, who works with me, and a daughter, Katrina, who has graduated college and is heading to law school, and, of course, my wife of 31 years, Annie, who frequently helps me in the shop.