Discussion: Is specialisation the future for independent garages?

As cars get more complex, will we see a rise in the number of specialist garages?

Discussion: Is specialisation the future for independent garages?
Photo: Bigstock

Cars are more technical than ever. Even the Dacia Sandero, Britain’s cheapest new car, is packed with the kind of tech that would have been alien to anyone other than Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7 Series owners just a couple of decades ago.

For the most part, cars are also more reliable than ever and, aside from the need for tyres and other consumables, are unlikely to require a visit to a garage between services.

This complexity is a double-edged sword, because while many motorists enjoy the improved reliability and safety net of the array of ADAS features, they’re blissfully unaware of the tech at their disposal.

Frank Harvey, head of member services at the Independent Garage Association (IGA), says: “What people don’t realise is that a car is a collection of computers on wheels; the everyday motorist is totally unaware of the machine they’re driving.

“The interface hasn’t changed; a car still has four wheels, a steering wheel, seats, pedals and a gear selector. A car looks familiar on the outside, but what lies beneath is anything but. This creates a problem for the industry.”

Frank says the IGA is seeing more garages specialising in fewer brands. “To do everything is very expensive,” he told us, pointing to the high cost of equipment. Gaining access to technical information is a challenge, especially security-related data.

Changing a steering rack on a modern car is one example; a small independent garage should be able to do the physical work, but it’ll hit a dead end if it requires coding.

In 2018, Kevin Brackley of Jaguar specialist Chilterns of Bovingdon, told Autocar: “From around 2006, it’s very difficult to use second-hand electrical parts on Jaguars because they are particular to the car. When you programme a new module into the car it will lock to the VIN number.”

To specialise on a single brand, a garage will require the right diagnostic equipment, up-to-date data and marque-training technicians. This could lead to a rise in the number of specialists, at the expense of traditional independents.

“We need garages to do the wider, fast turnaround stuff. If everyone specialises, we’ll have a problem where everyone has to travel miles to do something basic like changing brake discs and pads,” Frank warned.

It’s not just a marque-specific issue; a vehicle with a stop-start system requires a battery that needs coding to the car.

The added concern is that consumers will be unwilling to pay for the specialist service, especially when an increasing amount of the work doesn’t involve oily rags, moving parts and a lift. Consumers are being asked to pay for work they can’t see.

Frank added: “You’re not just paying for that hour of labour on the car; you’re paying for the training, knowledge and expertise that has been built up over the years.”

Garage Wire spoke to a mechanic in the North West of England, who told us he’s expecting a rise in the number of specialists “due to the push for electrification and manufacturers wanting a ‘closed shop’ by trying to keep their products under the company umbrella for the life of the vehicle”.

“Nearly every independent single-make specialist was established by an ex-dealership employee trained by that manufacturer. Some diversify when a factory-trained mechanic joins the team,“ he said.

He has seen examples of “fancy dealerships farming out work on older models due to a skills shortage, no patience or a lack of welding equipment… often without the customers’ knowledge.”

“I’m sure some 20-year-old main dealer technicians would struggle with a set of points, but not with reading the results of an ADAS calibration machine, and vice versa with a 50-year-old mechanic,” he concluded.

According to What Car? Magazine, the UK has more independent garages than any other European country; 64 percent of the nation’s service and repair outlets are independent, so there’s room for both specialist and generalist workshops.

As more electric vehicles enter the used car parc, will we see a rise in the number of EV specialists? Frank Harvey thinks so, saying: “We’re seeing more garages specialise in EVs. The garages need more cars to sell the hours because there’s less maintenance. Customers are prepared to travel for the specialism because they don’t have to do it on a regular basis and there’s less maintenance to do.”

Could the future of specialists lie less in marque-specific work and more in task-based services? After all, electric and ICE cars both require tyres, brakes, wipers, headlights and the like.

Will we see a network of independent garages dedicated to the decreasing but overwhelmingly dominant number of non-electrified cars, leaving fast-fit workshops to handle quick turnaround tasks, and Apple store-like manufacture-owned outlets for tech-based diagnostics and updates?

Let us know your predictions for the future of specialists in the comments section.

4 Comments

  1. Exactly the reasons why aftermarket workshops need to partner with a reputable remote diagnostic service provider such as Core Diagnostics.
    It is not cost effective for workshops to invest in dealer level equipment for multiple brands, not to mention the training also required to use this type of equipment.
    A low cost interface from Core Diagnostics gives you access to over 60 brands at dealer level, with qualified technicians on hand who know how to use the equipment in-depth.
    This is the only way for aftermarket workshops to compete and futureproof their business in the process.

    Reply
  2. The problem is there’s no clear demarkation line between the two types of work identified. It is clearly anti-competitive and environmentally disastrous for manufacturers to seek to prevent the re-use of perfectly good, servicable components where there is no sound technical nor safety reason to impose a coding requirement. Where such grounds do exist, units should be made readily re-programmable. Like so many of the woes facing modern society, this issue turns on a total failure of effective regulation.

    Reply
  3. new Car’s are less reliable these day due to cheap production cost when coming out of the factory. Electronics’ on new vehicle require regular update. Which usually mean going back to the main dealer. Meaning more money needing to be spent. The main dealer’s are robbing us 24/7

    Reply
  4. the whole sector needs to take a long hard look at itself
    we are all unable to recruit good young mechanics the cars as generally poorly made and not always fixable for a reasonable cost
    the collages are years behind on training
    and none of us are able to charge enough to enable us to pay higher wage rates because there is some twit round the corner doing cut price dodgy mots and cash in hand repairs
    we need to be monitored and have some kind of licence scheme in place
    straight away that would remove the poor quality untrained outfits
    not only will those of us that run good outfits benefit but so will the public
    but what do i know ive only been doing this for 35 years !!!

    Reply

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