Began working on cars when. he was in high school, while working at a parts store, he spent his free time fixing up his own cars. After high school he attended De Anza College in Cupertino where he graduated with an A.A. Degree in Automotive Technology. He soon became ASE Master Certified.
His career as journeyman technician began at an independent garage, EuroTechs in Santa Cruz. After many years of working for an independent facility, he thought he stood to learn more at a dealership. So he took a job at B&B Saab in Santa Clara, where he became factory trained in Saab diagnostic and repair.
After years of working at the dealership, he realized he enjoyed the one on one communication he had with his customers when he worked for an independent facility. He liked the personal feel that independent repair had as opposed to the faced paced, high price of the dealership repair. So he and a partner bought up an existing Saab repair facility - Pearce European in 1994, specializing in Saab and Volvo repair. In 1997 Chris Immel bought out his partner and expanded the shop to accommodate more lifts and service a wider variety of vehicles, becoming Pearce European & Japanese.
Chris is by far one of Santa Cruz Counties finest Saab Diagnostic Professionals.
His love for Saabs does not end with diagnostic and repair. Most recently he has taken Pearce European & Japanese to another level, combining his love of racing with his professional knowledge of cars and creating - Pearce Racing.