Aftermarket July/August 2022 Issue

JULY/AUGUST 2022 AFTERMARKET 61 www.aftermarketonline.net diagnostic burden in their area: “I do like my diagnostic work. We're trying to get more into that. A couple of other garages send some of their diagnostic work to me. These are some of the older guys who do not want to get clued up on that stuff, and feel like they have done their time.” On his tools of choice, Adrian said: “I’ve got an Autel, and I recently bought one from TOPDON.” Being a rural garage, Adrian and the guys see a lot of different stuff. “You see a real mix,” he confirmed. “Just in the yard right now, I've got two VW T25s from 1988, I've got a couple of Smart cars, I've got a Mazda MX5 and a 1983 Series 3 Land Rover. There are also a few more modern vehicles, like a 2006 Toyota Hilux.” When you are seeing a range of vehicles that diverse, training and access to data must be absolutely vital. Adrian agreed: “We do a lot of training. We are using Our Virtual Academy through The Good Garage Scheme, which we belong to. On the hybrid and electric front, we belong to HEVRA as well and do EV training through that. However, it is still quiet on the EV and hybrid side. I'm picking up a few now and then.” On how the garage attracts new customers, Adrian said that the old ways work the best for the business. “A lot of it is word-of-mouth. We do take adverts in the local magazines and newsletters, but this is partly to give a little back to the community. I won a free advert in one of the big local magazines in a competition, but funnily enough we didn't get any extra work out of it. “We get some work just by being in HEVRA and The Good Garage Scheme. People go to their site and search EVs and we come up. We have also picked up quite a lot of work because two local garages have recently shut because their owners retired. We're busy all the time at the moment actually.” With the business benefitting from its involvement with programmes and associations as we have seen, we wondered how being a finalist in Top Garage 2021 helped: “I was really impressed by the competition,” said Adrian. “It was a bit of a shock to us that we did so well.” Future Looking ahead, Adrian has plans for growth: “When my son came on board, I was hoping to expand to another premises, keeping this place, but adding another unit. That would focus on the EV side. I've put that on hold, as there is a bit of a shortage of mechanics at the moment. I'm going to start looking again and then see if I can find another mechanic later in the year.” Adrian concluded: “Overall, we are going to keep busy. We always help customers if we can. I’ve gone around the country finding cars, I've even transported washing machines for people. We see ourselves as part of the community. I think that how any good business should view itself.” We see ourselves as part of the community. I think that how any good business should view itself ” Below: The Garage Warmington