Will I Get My Car Back Today?

It's the question we get asked more than almost any other — usually right after "how much will it cost?" And it's a fair one. You've got a day to plan, a school run to do, or a job to get to. So here's an honest answer, not a vague one.

It depends what you're booked in for. Here's how it breaks down.

If you're in for a WOF

Most WOFs are done same-day, often while you wait. We offer waiting appointments at 8:00am and 1:00pm — book one of those and you'll usually be back in your car within the hour.

If your car fails, we'll always call you before doing anything — no work happens without you knowing what's involved. Can't get to the phone? We'll follow up with an SMS you can reply to, so you're never left wondering. Depending on the fault and whether we've got the part on hand, the repair might still happen the same day — or it might need a follow-up visit.

If you're in for a service

A standard service is a same-day job. Drop your car off in the morning and it's normally ready well before closing.

If we find something extra while we're in there — a wear item that's close to needing replacement — we'll call you first, explain what we've found and why it matters, and let you decide before we go ahead with anything beyond the service itself. If it is a part we can source locally, we can usually fit it the same day, otherwise it can be fitted on a follow up visit. Same as with a WOF: if we can't reach you by phone, we'll send an SMS you can reply to.

If you're in for a repair or diagnostic

This is the one where "today" isn't always possible — and we'd rather tell you that upfront than have you assuming that your vehicle will be back on the road by the end of the day.

We diagnose before we give you an estimate — we don't guess, and we don't rely on someone else's assessment. We test it ourselves so we know exactly what's wrong before we tell you what it'll cost. Once we know, a few things outside our control decide whether it's finished the same day:

- Part availability, locally. The part needs to be something our local suppliers actually have on the shelf. If it has to be ordered in from further afield, that pushes things out.

- Time available that day. Even with the part in hand, the repair's labour time needs to fit into what's left on the workshop floor that day.

- What we find once we're in there. Sometimes a repair turns up the need for further parts partway through, and those aren't always ones we can get locally either.

- Team availability. Although we're a small, genuine team, we are still human — if a mechanic is off sick and we're under pressure, we'll always call you to ask whether your job can be finished the following day, rather than rush it.

The honest version: simple, common repairs with parts on hand are often same-day. Anything more involved, we'll give you a realistic timeframe as soon as we know what we're dealing with — and we'll keep you posted the whole way through, not just at the end.

Need to keep moving while your car's with us?

For larger repairs, a courtesy vehicle may be available for a small admin fee — just ask when you book. (Not available for WOF-only or diagnosis-only visits.)

The short version

You're in for
WOF	Yes
Standard service	Yes
Minor repair, part on hand	Usually
Bigger repair or diagnostic	We will tell you know as soon as we know

We'd rather give you a straight answer than a hopeful one. First we listen, then we advise, then we fix — and we keep you in the loop at every step: a call first, always, and an SMS if we can't reach you.

Book online or give us a call — if we know in advance what you're coming in for, we can usually tell you what kind of day to expect before you even arrive.