October 2021

call them by their name as soon as they come in.” When we were here in 2019, reception sat behind a tall counter, a garage mainstay that Andy Savva famously says is ghastly. Now, visitors enter to find normal seating-level desks. “It is much better,” said Andy, “Customers can sit there. There is a desk for them to work at. You often get people coming in with their laptops. We have soft chairs and harder chairs, there is the wi-fi if they want it. We have CCTV, they can see the MOT being done, as there is no window. People love it in here. It is very relaxed, and it just makes it all easier.” Busy As we said, COVID-19 put the brakes on our plans to return sooner, so we wondered how it had affected Lushington Motors. “Since the pandemic we have not shut for a single day,” observed Andy. “We were open all the time, we furloughed a little bit, as obviously it was quieter, I n the Autumn of 2019, Aftermarket went down to Westham, just outside Eastbourne in East Sussex to visit Lushington Motors, a family run-garage that was working with The Garage Inspector himself, Andy Savva. We shadowed Andy as he reviewed the business and made recommendations on how owner Matt Emmerson could push things forward. The article can be found in the December/January 2020 double issue of Aftermarket, in case you were wondering. As we pulled into the out-of-town industrial park that is home to the business, we were keen to see what changes had occurred. The first one was hard to miss. When we were there two years earlier, getting into the garage involved entering via a darkened passage. In its place we found a bright-and-light glass-fronted reception, complete with a workstation, teas and coffees, and for the animal lovers among the customer base, Matt’s dog Frank, 58 AFTERMARKET OCTOBER 2021 GARAGE VISIT www.aftermarketonline.net FRANK REASSESSMENT Aftermarket revisits Lushington Motors to see the results of their comprehensive remodel, and meet their dog, Frank asleep in his bed. There are three mechanics, with owner Matt probably in the workshop about half the time. Matt’s mum Judy works two days a week. Along with garage manager Andy Simpson, Matt’s uncle, in the office there is also another service adviser, Paul, who recently joined from the local LKQ Euro Car Parts branch. Supporters Andy Simpson took up the story: “The new reception area was completed in March 2020, just as the lockdown started. All the work was carried out by our customers, shopfront, ceiling, flooring electrics and painting. They support us so we support them. The CCTV was also installed by one of our customers.” Talk about the circular economy. So, what did Andy think of it? “It’s excellent,” he confirmed. “We can see people coming in, so you can prepare yourself. You can see them drive past, you can see the registration number, so you can get the details up. You can