Advance Auto Parts Inc., a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, batteries, accessories and maintenance items, will reopen its store in Americus at 1118 East Lamar Street on Thursday.

Reginald Harvey is the new store’s manager and works with 13 other team members there. A 20-year veteran of the auto and retail sales industries, Harvey has been with the Advance Auto Parts team for 10 years.

The newly reopened store will offer customers several free services. Store team members will install windshield wipers for free, and also install batteries following a complimentary check of the vehicle’s electrical system and old battery. The store offers fast parts delivery to local commercial customers, such as professional mechanics and garages. Customers also can drop off used motor oil and batteries for recycling — ensuring that these materials don’t end up in landfills where they could harm the environment.

Free advice and instruction that help drivers complete their vehicle project — whether it’s as simple as a wash and wax or replacing spark plugs — are available in the store through Advance Auto Parts’ consumer education program. More than 120 brochures take drivers step-by-step through a variety of projects. Also as part of the consumer education program, the company’s Web site, AdvanceAutoParts.com, offers articles, videos and iPod downloads in the Web site’s “Advance Know-How” section.

“These free consumer education tools, and the expert advice the new store’s 14 Team Members provide, help customers keep their vehicles looking good and running well,” said Charles Lee, division manager for Advance Auto Parts. “The right parts at the right price are as important as the right advice and educational tools to finish the job.”

The store is open from 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sunda.