regular servicing

The Mechanic In Your Life- How To Select The Perfect Gift For

/1 Comment/in /by

The Mechanic In Your Life

The Mechanic In Your Life

Buying the perfect gift is a great way to show someone you care. A gift should show how well you know someone and what they like, dislike and need. For a mechanic, there are plenty of excellent, thoughtful and useful options you could buy that could help make their lives easier or simply bring them joy. 

Think carefully about what you choose to buy for the mechanic in your life. Consider what will be useful for their professional lives. It may be that you want to get them something they can use for their own car, too. Any tool, equipment or PPE should be of the highest quality and professional standards to ensure their safety.  

Tough Mobile Phone Case 

Working around cars or in garages can be a significant safety hazard for phones, with hard surfaces and hazardous materials all around. A great gift option for mechanics is a rugged phone case that will ensure their phones are protected while they work. There are plenty of options available, including shock absorbent, waterproof cases and ultra-tough screen protectors.  

Steel-Toed Boots 

The Mechanic In Your Life
The Mechanic In Your Life

Working around vehicles and in busy garages can present many hazards for a mechanic’s feet, meaning they need proper, quality protective footwear. Many mechanics choose steel-toed boots for their workplace footwear, so if your giftee has boots that look a little worse for wear, you could consider investing in a brand-new pair. Do your homework to find a suitable pair, ensuring they’re well made with quality materials and will last.  

Quality Working Gloves 

Mechanics have to work outdoors in all weather. Of course using their hands for often intricate and delicate work. Working gloves are crucial for protecting their hands. So ensuring they can work comfortably throughout the day, no matter the weather. Many mechanics use one pair of gloves for warmer weather and one for colder. So getting them a new set of gloves can be an excellent gift idea.  

Personalised Number Plates 

For The Mechanic In Your Life consider their own vehicles to be their pride and joy. They may put work into their vehicle to make it give the very best in performance. Whilst regularly wash and detail it to ensure it looks its very best. A personalised number plate can be the perfect finishing touch to make a car look and feel unique. Consider what kind of private number plate your mechanic might enjoy and look for quality options from reputable specialists like Regtransfers. 

Massage Sessions 

Mechanics spend most of their days on their feet or knees, bending over cars and carrying out heavy work. All of this can take a toll on their bodies, leaving them with aches and pains at the end of the day. If left untreated, these aches and pains can lead to more serious issues down the road, so giving the gift of massage can be an ideal option. Consider finding a local physio massage therapist for the The Mechanic In Your Life who specialises in those who work manual jobs and buy a set of sessions for your gifted.  

Noise Cancelling Headphones 

Many mechanics work around loud noises all day long, meaning they need to take steps to protect their hearing. Noise-cancelling headphones can be ideal for this purpose, allowing The Mechanic In Your Life to listen to their favourite music while blocking out the loud and dangerous sounds around them. There are many options available online. So be sure to research some quality options to suit your gifted.

First Time Drivers Guide

Essential Areas Every New Business Owner Needs To Focus On This Autumn

/0 Comments/in /by

Essential Areas Every New Business Owner Needs

Anyone who has ever launched their own automotive business will tell you that it very rarely feels like the perfect time to do it. No matter how carefully you prepare or how long you wait, there are always going to be some challenges that you did not expect. There will always be a lot of competition, and it will never feel like you have enough time or enough money to execute your launch exactly the way you want to.

However, it is fair to say that now is a more challenging time than most. While there are always going to be hurdles when you are launching your own company, the number of difficulties that businesses are facing right now, from energy costs to supply shortages, makes it even more vital that you are prepared for what is to come. Here are some of the most important things that you need to remember if you are launching a new garage business in the months ahead.

Market Research Never Stops

You will no doubt have done extensive market research. Excitingly, when you were first putting together your business proposal. You will have shown potential investors that you were well aware of the competition out there . Including and how you could create a niche for yourself.

However, this is not something that you can cross off your list permanently. With circumstances changing so quickly all the time, businesses will be pivoting sharply to find new solutions and new ideas. You need to be watching them carefully. So, to make sure that you don’t find yourself squeezed out of your corner of the market.

Budgeting Is Crucial

Most people who launch their own company have a pretty good head for numbers. You will have needed to do a lot of budgeting already to make sure that you have the financing that you need to launch. However, as the latest massive increase in energy costs has shown, the numbers are changing very quickly, and they are not heading in a good direction.

You need to start working on a cushion to carry your company through any tough patches. You should also brainstorm worst-case scenarios to see how feasible your solutions would be. It will be worth talking to an accountant about this. Of course, as the cost of having expert financial advice could be minimal compared to the alternative.

Your Digital Skills Need To Be Sharp

A lot has been made of the pivot to digital. But the way we do business has definitely changed a huge amount over the last couple of years. If you know that your digital skills could do with some brushing up. Then it is worth taking the time to work on this now. The good news is that there are plenty of software suites out there. Of course which have easy-to-follow tutorials.

For example, knowing how to convert files from PDF to Word using Adobe Acrobat Hence ,is the kind of thing that can save you a lot of time. If you have a contract that needs signing urgently. Consequently, you do not want to be rushing around trying to figure out how to do it. Take the time now to make a list of digital skills . Of course you might need and save yourself a lot of time and stress.

Make Sure You’re Covered With Insurance And Legal Advice

The last couple of years has shown us all how important good insurance can be for business owners. With the difficult months on the horizon, the last thing you want is to be left out of pocket following an injury, illness, or accident. Even being out of action for a couple of weeks is the kind of thing that could make life extremely tough. Look for good business insurance that can cover you in case something happens.

It should also give you some coverage in case of a client disagreement. If you have any doubts about your legal rights in that scenario, remember that it is always worth talking to a solicitor. Trying to represent yourself might seem like a cost-saving measure, but it is always better to use the expertise and experience of a professional.

Essential Areas Every New Business Owner Needs- Cybersecurity Is Still A Priority

It may have been lost in the news cycle recently, but cybercrime is still a serious issue both in the United Kingdom and overseas. With so many different responsibilities to juggle when launching a new company, cybersecurity is something that could be easy to overlook. But with experts predicting that this criminal activity is not going to go anywhere any time in the near future, you need to think about what measures you can take.

Your customers and clients will want to know that their money and personal information will be safe with you. Talk to a cybersecurity specialist about where your business could have weak security spots and pay for good software. It is always worth investing in quality security rather than running the risk of losing everything.

 

female drivers should trust their garage

State of the Auto repair Industry in my Part of the World

/0 Comments/in /by

State of the Auto repair Industry

This is in reply to your Tweet, “Why Your Employees May be Looking to Quit”.

I am going to try and answer this complex question! As the owner of a small garage in the county of West Yorkshire UK then there are many factors. Long term then it all boils down to how you or your management treat people, (your staff of course).

In my opinion then this is why small/medium garages have always come out in the best health when times get tuff. I have now been running my garage for almost fifty years. Many of my staff are long term employees.

These good people are diamonds and should be looked after all along the way. Millions of small and medium garage and autocentre owners will know exactly what I mean.

We all hear horror stories about how the national garage chains treat there staff. Forcing them to work extra hours and always having to sell addons when they are not required.

Customers are not stupid

I always ake sure that my staff are looked after so they too can have a good living out of the business. Some owners prefer to do this illegally . However I prefer to use various bonus schemes. I must emphasise that these bonus schemes are not tied down to any targets in any way.

All my married staff have settled down into nice homes and have a good standard of living. This is how it should be. The only thing that I ask is that they are polite and helpful to the customers. All my staff are taught to be multi taskers.

Not only do they do the job of repairing cars but they can also take the customers through the whole procedure of paying for the work done and issuing sales invoices and dealing with credit card payments.

I find that this gives the staff and the customers a better shopping experience due to the personel contact. Another thing I ask for is that my staff should have total access to our computer system and also can answer any phones from incoming calls.

We do have receptionists and deopt managers. However should they be busy or on another call then any member of staff can take the call and have the power to deal with the customer if thet can. Customers are not stupid they can see that my gargae is a well run and happy operation.

We are not perfect and sometimes we do get a bad apple. However they are sussed out early and it is usually through my staff.

I could go on for ages but to bring things up to 2022 where we are now, then we do have staffing problems going forward !

At the moment because people are keeping their cars longer we are packed out. We are also an MOT testing station and are booked up for three weeks at the moment. I am struggling to find at least two new members of staff.

It looks like younger people do not  want to get their hands dirty anymore. My only hope for the State of the Auto repair Industry, is for some return to the apprentice schemes we had in days gone by.

Once you get them then you must work hard to keep them ?