June 2019

business has built up the workshop side using word-of-mouth and its retail customers, but Gary is looking to change that via a move into marketing: "We have never gotten around to marketing the diagnostic side of the business, apart from an Instagram page that we put a few pictures on every now and then. You get hung up with dealing with the problem that is right in front of you. It is no good being great at what you do if no one knows who you are. " Becoming a MOT station could be an option too: "We don't do MOTs at present, but we have a guy who just started who does odd days who is also an MOT Tester. That has lit a little spark in wanting to do that too. At the moment we outsource them. The good thing with that is it is impartial. For us it is pass or fail. If there is an advisory on a car we will have it back and do that work before it goes out. " In the meantime, Gary has plenty of work to keep himself busy, one way or the other: "We normally hold between 25 and 30 cars in stock. If you want to find work, you can buy it. I do engine rebuilds for Porches as well. The nice thing about working on our own cars is I am never limited by a budget that says 'do a bad repair for a cheaper price'. I can put the extra effort and the extra time into making everything perfect. We only use top quality oils and OE parts. It is a weird thing. You cut your profits but you have a better-quality product. You only really ever have two options – cheap and bad or expensive and good. If you ask them, I believe most people would rather have the right stuff." Gary added: The levels we go to are a bit crazy sometimes, but our customers are happy." JUNE 2019 AFTERMARKET 61 www.aftermarketonline.net "The four main brands we like to deal with are Porsche, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. We have the Autologic diagnostic equipment, which takes care of most of the main dealer level stuff in terms of coding and programming. We also have a generic tool from Launch, which has been really good for jumping between cars. Then we have Snap-on equipment, like the Vantage Pro scope. "Test-wise, we have ended up accumulating lots of little bits and pieces. A lot of the time we end up making stuff. I have a small lathe in the workshop which is for making tools, presses and unique shaped things that need to be made for certain jobs. An example would be a tool you need to do a clutch on the Powershift 1.6 gearbox on the DCT250 - I believe the tool is about £750, and that's if you can find it. It is literally just sleeves that are of the right dimension. So instead I purchased a piece of media from the internet for £6 and shaped it. You sometimes have to do this to try and turn a profit. Otherwise you are giving all your money away." We don't think that was something he learned working at a franchised dealer. Combining sales preparation and general throughput means the garage is always busy says Gary: "I've never, ever got no work. The vast majority is linked to the selling of the cars. Right now, if I walk outside I've got the choice of 15 cars that I can get into the garage and start prepping and servicing. We have customers who have bought the cars and with something like a Land Rover there is always the worry for the customer that they are going to be ripped off. But not only can we sell them the car, we can service it for them moving forward. There is an element of trust that has been built from the point of sale. “We also do work for other traders as I mentioned. If they have a problem that becomes a bit of a head-scratcher, we will troubleshoot that one as well. There is never a lack of work. We find we are getting busier. As cars become more complicated, the issues become a little more tricky too." Top Technician Gary was one of the semi finalists in Top Technician this year, and his approach to learning is what got him there: "Everything is self-taught in the garage, but when I say self-taught, it is everything. I use YouTube, watching videos James Dillon has put on, Frank Massey has put on, if you want to know something, get onto YouTube, or read Aftermarket, and you can learn a lot." Thanks for the plug Gary - but we can't take all the credit. He did some of it himself: "I have a little bit of an advantage as I have quite a good memory. In the Top Technician semi final, on John Batten's task I was miffed about the fact I didn't get it. So, I will always remember it now as MIF - mechanical, ignition, fuel. From now I will always go through the process differently. This is what they tell you at the start of the day. It is process, process, process. My technique was too sporadic on the day, but if I had followed the process, I think I would have got the end result, and I would have got there quicker." Being among the top 10 techs in the country for the year is a real achievement. One of the things Gary values is the additional motivation it provides: "The obsession with trying to win Top Technician is one of the things that drives me to want to know more on top of my job. It helps you to fill gaps and you learn where the gaps are. I consider myself to be really good at what I do, but I am still learning. I was learning at the semi final, I learned from the other guys. You have to be dynamic, you can't become set in your ways. Top Technician provides a goal - something to aim for. It's no good plodding forward aimlessly. If you have something to aim for, it does make it easier to get there." Over the last few years, the Below: The workshop