The decline of the independent garage?
Discussion
After having been blessed with an excellent local garage, who would happily take on anything from an MOT and service to tackling electrical gremlins, for the past decade, it came as quite a shock when the owner passed away and it suddenly closed recently, leaving me with only the usual F1 Autocentre and Kwikfit alternatives locally.
The F1 autocentre flat out refused to even look at my 20 year old Porsche and later tried to get me to replace a splitting bushing on the lower control arm on my 7 year old A6, for the bargain price of £600!
The locap Kwik fit have previously kicked up a fuss over storing an Evo 8 in their yard overnight as well as fitting aftermarket wheels to a car with spacers fitted.
Generally I'm left with the feeling that anything other than routine servicing of bland modern cars is too much effort for them.
Has anyone else noticed a decline in "proper" mechanics in favour of the ubiquitous Mickley Mouse chains that are only interested in fleecing punters for tyres, exhausts and brake pads?
The F1 autocentre flat out refused to even look at my 20 year old Porsche and later tried to get me to replace a splitting bushing on the lower control arm on my 7 year old A6, for the bargain price of £600!
The locap Kwik fit have previously kicked up a fuss over storing an Evo 8 in their yard overnight as well as fitting aftermarket wheels to a car with spacers fitted.
Generally I'm left with the feeling that anything other than routine servicing of bland modern cars is too much effort for them.
Has anyone else noticed a decline in "proper" mechanics in favour of the ubiquitous Mickley Mouse chains that are only interested in fleecing punters for tyres, exhausts and brake pads?
Not around here. There seem to be a good ten small independent garages within a couple of miles of where I live. At many of them, every employee seems to be a member of the family who own the company.
I think garages, whether independent or chains, have got more risk averse though. It's a natural consequence of the way society is shifting away from collective responsibility towards trying to apportion blame for everything which goes wrong and hence the rise of litigation. I'm not at all surprised garages aren't happy fitting wheels to cars with spacers, for example, not because there's anything wrong with spacers if used correctly but because most mechanics won't have the experience to know what is correct. Similar with a car being left on their side - I guess they will be paranoid about being held responsible if something happens to it.
I think garages, whether independent or chains, have got more risk averse though. It's a natural consequence of the way society is shifting away from collective responsibility towards trying to apportion blame for everything which goes wrong and hence the rise of litigation. I'm not at all surprised garages aren't happy fitting wheels to cars with spacers, for example, not because there's anything wrong with spacers if used correctly but because most mechanics won't have the experience to know what is correct. Similar with a car being left on their side - I guess they will be paranoid about being held responsible if something happens to it.
Edited by kambites on Saturday 6th May 10:21
Acorn1 said:
Nor round where I live, in fact I've noticed three new ones pop up locally in the last few years, one of them seems to be doing particularly well and you need to book 2-3 weeks in advance
Thats the thing, my old independent was reasonably large, with 4 lifts and an MOT bay and was constantly booked up several weeks in advance.I've been wondering whether it might be worth setting up a new garage to cover its trade.
youngsyr said:
<snippety snip>
Has anyone else noticed a decline in "proper" mechanics in favour of the ubiquitous Mickley Mouse chains that are only interested in fleecing punters for tyres, exhausts and brake pads?
Where I live (between Portsmouth and Southampton) there are quite a few really good independent garages, as well as the usual national chains. That includes those who specialise in certain brands (JKM in Portsmouth for VAG, Iridium in Hedge End for BMW and so on). Such places seem to be doing well, as far as I can tell.Has anyone else noticed a decline in "proper" mechanics in favour of the ubiquitous Mickley Mouse chains that are only interested in fleecing punters for tyres, exhausts and brake pads?
The good ones are always very busy and often get great comments on local Facebook pages, I've found, and I'd much rather use them than Halfords or Kwik Fit. I also like the idea of supporting an independent local business.
youngsyr said:
.....
Generally I'm left with the feeling that anything other than routine servicing of bland modern cars is too much effort for them.
Has anyone else noticed a decline in "proper" mechanics in favour of the ubiquitous Mickley Mouse chains that are only interested in fleecing punters for tyres, exhausts and brake pads?
Yes of course, there's general decline in most independent businesses, be it your local restaurant, greengrocers, butchers hardware etc, it's happening all over. However, are we surprised? Grey national chains is what people want. And I get it, my cars are 15, 22 and 55 YO respectively. It's not possible to get a hired spanner to them, hence I do most the work myself. And I don't blame garages for not touching them. Do someone's ABS fault and when the rear-wiper doesn't work three weeks later, it'll be said garage's fault. Hence do tyres only.Generally I'm left with the feeling that anything other than routine servicing of bland modern cars is too much effort for them.
Has anyone else noticed a decline in "proper" mechanics in favour of the ubiquitous Mickley Mouse chains that are only interested in fleecing punters for tyres, exhausts and brake pads?
My guess: by the tone of the OP's question, he has a CV.
I'm afraid along with local autorities, the 'my kid got a cold happy-meal' face, Amazon & eBay are killing small business.
Edited by OldDuffer on Saturday 6th May 10:54
kambites said:
If they were that popular I'm surprised someone else didn't buy out the business as a going concern when the previous owner died.
There is a very good independant local to me run by a gut who is in his late 60's. His core business is MoT tests and repairs relating to MoT failures. When I asked him if he is ever going to sell the business and retire he told me it would be difficult to because a lot of the MoT equipment he uses is, although old, allowed to be used by an existing business but if the business were to change hands it would need to be upgraded to remain compliant. This would cost between £50k - £75k which would make continuation of the business somewhat expensive for a new owner.steveo3002 said:
sounds like you need to look a bit harder , fast fit centers have always had a bad rep , and never claim to do anything more than the basics
Exactly. Like turning up at a McDonald's and asking for a three-course meal with fresh ingredients.Many indies are doing extremely well. What may have declined are local generalists who will take on any marque. Marque-specific specialists are thriving particularly for models with loyal followings. They may require one to travel a little further, however.
I suppose it depends on the area and how busy or not it is.
I'm in East Surrey and there's loads of independent places, fortunately to have a good Merc specialist who will literally tackle any job on my cars.
There are a couple of good local mechanics, one mobile and the other a fixed garage. The latter doesn't always like overly complex issues preferring to just do MOTs and servicing which is why I use a specialist but the other mechanic doesn't shy away from anything.
For an oil change, those chain type places probably aren't the worst but for anything else I wouldn't want to use them.
I'm in East Surrey and there's loads of independent places, fortunately to have a good Merc specialist who will literally tackle any job on my cars.
There are a couple of good local mechanics, one mobile and the other a fixed garage. The latter doesn't always like overly complex issues preferring to just do MOTs and servicing which is why I use a specialist but the other mechanic doesn't shy away from anything.
For an oil change, those chain type places probably aren't the worst but for anything else I wouldn't want to use them.
plenty said:
Many indies are doing extremely well. What may have declined are local generalists who will take on any marque. Marque-specific specialists are thriving particularly for models with loyal followings. They may require one to travel a little further, however.
I think how well marque specific indies are doing is a reflection of just how bad the official marque dealers really are, Porsche indies in the UK are in rude health.Add in people want the fancy dealer facilities, etc where smaller general garages can't really compete despite offering a better service overall.
I do most of my own work, on my cars. However we have a few local places that are really helpful. And quite kind with the mots.
On another note. Tried to use kiwkfit in a pinch for an alignment, and they refused as it was modified. ( Mint 1987 fiesta, set up for fast road so not slammed or anything ridiculous). Seemed like a very odd policy, that or they just didn't want to do the work.
On another note. Tried to use kiwkfit in a pinch for an alignment, and they refused as it was modified. ( Mint 1987 fiesta, set up for fast road so not slammed or anything ridiculous). Seemed like a very odd policy, that or they just didn't want to do the work.
Plenty round here but my go-to is becoming increasingly choosy about what they'll take on. Won't do air-con, didn't have right tool to replace a water pump on a previous car.
Tbf though they do recommend other places to do the things they can't.
And they are absolutely excellen to deal with: husband and wife team. He's the mechanic, she handles all the admin/customer care stuff.
Tbf though they do recommend other places to do the things they can't.
And they are absolutely excellen to deal with: husband and wife team. He's the mechanic, she handles all the admin/customer care stuff.
Good and honest independent garages are difficult to come by.
Booked car for 2 new tyres. Tyres ordered and paid online. Got there to have them fitted no problem but the upswell was annoying. They did an alignment check showing a slight misalignment on the suspension (nothing to worry about and tyre wear even). We fix this for you now for £80!! I said no thanks. Then invoicing also said your rear discs are getting close to the limit we can do those for you. For £350. (They are still fine car just had second set of pads).
My point is I booked and paid for 2 new tyres to be fitted and they just tried to drum work that wasn’t asked or really needed. It was quite bizarre. Particularly the alignment readings, etc when I didn’t ask for any of that.
Booked car for 2 new tyres. Tyres ordered and paid online. Got there to have them fitted no problem but the upswell was annoying. They did an alignment check showing a slight misalignment on the suspension (nothing to worry about and tyre wear even). We fix this for you now for £80!! I said no thanks. Then invoicing also said your rear discs are getting close to the limit we can do those for you. For £350. (They are still fine car just had second set of pads).
My point is I booked and paid for 2 new tyres to be fitted and they just tried to drum work that wasn’t asked or really needed. It was quite bizarre. Particularly the alignment readings, etc when I didn’t ask for any of that.
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