March 2020

MARCH 2020 AFTERMARKET 5 www.aftermarketonline.net A Gateshead garage recently found itself in hot water, after dashcam footage showing a customer’s car being taken by staff for a high-speed joyride to high-street bakers Greggs for lunch went viral. Following the revelation, the business fired the apprentice who was on the test-drive and put his mechanic colleague on a final written warning. Causeway Garage had taken customer Carl Ivers’ Fiat Punto in for a timing belt change. When the 25-year-old deliver driver checked the dashcam footage after collecting his vehicle, he was shocked by what he found. Speaking to Chronicle Live, Carl said: “They took my car to Greggs for their dinners and parked in a disabled bay. It took two to do a test drive and they didn’t have their seat belts on as you could hear constant bleeping on the dashcam footage. They parked in the disabled bay and they didn’t have a blue badge so I could have got a fine. “They hammered over speed bumps and it appears they were speeding in a 20 mile an hour area, they didn’t even slow down when they went over the speed bumps and you can hear my car hit off them. You can hear them floor the car in first gear and the high revs. One then notices the dashcam and one asks the other if they could unplug it. When I saw the footage, I was foaming. I rang the garage and went off it with them.” In response, Causeway Garage’s spokesman said: “The lads went on a test drive with the car and they decided to kill two birds with one stone and go and get their dinners. When I saw the dashcam footage I pulled the lads into the office and went ape with them. The apprentice has been sacked because of his attitude and the mechanic is on a final written warning and he is not allowed to do test drives anymore. I have offered to do other work for the customer and not charge him for labour.” The spokesman added: “We have built this business up for many years and we are gutted that this has happened through no fault of management, but down to individual staff.” Walker Products joins IAAF Walker Products has joined the IAAF. Commenting on the move to join the federation, Paul Earley, Walker Products Managing Director, said: “We are one of the biggest brands worldwide that not many people recognise in the UK. The IAAF will create more exposure and generate greater brand awareness of our products within the independent automotive aftermarket.” Wendy Williamson, Chief Executive of the IAAF, added: “It’s going to be a busy year, and we’re pleased to have Walker Products on board to share its wealth of experience with the rest of the members. We will work together to push the industry forward, while ensuring the company is in front of its core target market”. Greggs dashcam joyride woe for garage Garage redevelopment to go ahead? A Derbyshire garage that closed almost 20 years ago and still has cars on-site could soon be razed for redevelopment, after planning permission was granted for the eighth time. Jetberg, in Castle Gresley closed its doors for the final time in 2002. South Derbyshire District Council has said yes to the latest plans to transform the site, in what has seen one of the area’s longest running planning applications, reported Derbyshire Live. The plans that have been now approved were originally submitted in 2016, but the last seven applications date back as far as 1993. Since closing, the number of vehicles left on the site has gradually fallen, with only a Rover Maestro, Rover 820 and a Vauxhall Astra now left. All are H-reg. The site remains in the hands of former business owner Grenville Isham. Follow us on Facebook: @aftermarketmagazine