Tales Of A Tyreman Part 1

Tales of a Tyreman – Part 1

Into the Motor Trade

After more than sixty years in the motor trade, I’ve seen some remarkable changes. From repairing punctures with tyre levers and inner tubes to modern computerised wheel alignment and electric vehicles, the industry has transformed beyond recognition.

Over the years, many customers have asked me what the motor trade was like when I first started work. The answer is simple: it was a completely different world.

This new series, Tales of a Tyreman, tells the true story of my journey from a young Yorkshire lad looking for work in the 1960s to owning Pellon Tyre & Autocentre in Halifax. Along the way there were plenty of laughs, a few tears, some hard lessons, and more than enough characters to fill a book.

It all started when I was a teenager living on Dewsbury Moor. Tales Of A Tyreman Part 1

Mum wasn’t pleased when I lost my job as a cobbler’s apprentice. In those days there wasn’t much sympathy when you found yourself out of work. Instead, she immediately began searching the Dewsbury Reporter for another opportunity.

Before long she spotted a vacancy at a small garage in Carlinghow, Batley. It was two bus rides away from home, but work was work, and off I went for the interview.

The garage was called Phillips Brothers Auto Repairs and Car Sales and was run by Peter and Tom Phillips. Peter was a big chap with only one eye, and, looking back, I’m still not entirely sure how I managed to get the job. I knew absolutely nothing about cars and, to be honest, wasn’t particularly interested in them either.

Dad didn’t own a car at the time, so like many working-class Yorkshire families of the period, we relied on walking, cycling and public transport. It took me 2 bus rides to work each morning. Sometimes I used my bus fare to buy sweets at the corner shop and had to walk the 4 miles home, arriving home at about 7 each night, starving and freezing cold in the winter.

As the youngest employee, I quickly discovered that apprentices were expected to do all the jobs nobody else wanted. Cleaning parts, sweeping floors and tackling the filthy work came with the territory.

One job I did enjoy, however, was repairing punctured tyres.

Customers would leave wheels with us, and I would remove the tyre using nothing more than tyre levers and determination. Most tyres still contained inner tubes, and I soon learnt how easy it was to pinch a tube whilst refitting a tyre. After ruining a few, I gradually became more skilled and began to enjoy the challenge.

Little did I know that those early tyre repairs would shape the rest of my working life.

The garage itself was full of characters. The lads were forever playing practical jokes on one another, and there was always plenty of banter flying around the workshop.

At lunchtime I often looked after the petrol pumps while the regular attendant disappeared upstairs. I enjoyed serving customers, filling their tanks and having a chat.

One day a customer asked for £2 worth of petrol. After filling the car, I politely asked if he would like me to check the engine oil. There was a Castrol promotion running at the time, and we were encouraged to offer the service.

The oil level was perfectly fine, but when I closed the bonnet, the customer smiled and handed me a ten-shilling tip.

I was absolutely delighted. Tales Of A Tyreman Part 1

It may not sound much today, but to a young apprentice in the mid-1960s it felt like a fortune. More importantly, it taught me an important lesson that has stayed with me throughout my business career.

Good customer service matters.

That simple lesson would prove just as valuable as anything I learned with a spanner in my hand.

The motor trade itself was changing rapidly. New ideas and new technology were appearing all the time. I remember the arrival of the revolutionary Mini, with its front-wheel-drive layout that looked very different from most cars of the period.

One experienced mechanic confidently announced that the Mini would never catch on.

History would prove him spectacularly wrong.

Away from the garage, I attended Batley Technical College on day release. It was there that I met apprentices from other garages and quickly discovered we all had one thing in common.

We were the dogsbodies. Tales Of A Tyreman Part 1

Whilst the mechanics enjoyed the more interesting jobs, we apprentices were usually left cleaning parts, carrying tools and getting covered in oil and dirt.

At the time we complained about it.

Looking back, it was probably the best education we could have received.

Despite everything, I gradually realised that I wasn’t a natural mechanic. Whilst I enjoyed learning, I wasn’t convinced that motor vehicle repair was where my future lay.

Life, however, has a funny way of deciding things for you.

A series of events at Phillips Brothers would soon bring my time there to an abrupt end and send me in a completely different direction.

Little did I realise that another opportunity was just around the corner—one that would introduce me to the tyre trade and ultimately shape the rest of my life.

To be continued…

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