Third-generation Queensland mechanic Michael Daly followed in the footsteps of his dad Kevin and grandfather Eddie, who started his apprenticeship in the 1930s. Today with business partner Rodney Mann (Eddie’s former apprentice), Michael runs two Auto Stop workshops – both of which participate in the Repco Authorised Service Program – one at Salisbury in Brisbane and one at the Gold Coast. The pair apply to their twin shops a work ethic and attention to detail instilled in them decades ago by their mentors.

What products and services does Auto Stop provide?

MD: Pretty much everything to do with a car other than panel and paint, so: mechanical servicing, logbook servicing, engine reconditioning, cylinder head repair, cooling systems, brakes, clutches, gearboxes, tyres, wheel alignments and suspension. There’s not too much that we don’t do other than the interior or panel work.

How did Auto Stop become established?

MD: My business partner Rodney Mann and I started Auto Stop in December 1990 in a little shop in Stone’s Corner in Brisbane. We operated out of there for about 16 or 17 years until a development came along and booted us out.

From there we were able to purchase a property in Salisbury – about twice the size of the original premises – and we’re still there today. And then about four or five years ago we bought our second workshop at Arundel on the Gold Coast.

What was behind the expansion to the Gold Coast?

MD: I moved to down to the coast in 2003, and I always wanted to have a shop down here. I had a lot of friends and contacts that were asking me about doing something down here – for a while I was actually traveling in acquaintances’ cars back to and fro between Brisbane and the Gold Coast to work on them. Then this shop became available and we thought “we’ve got an opportunity here; we’ll grab it and see what happens”.

How did you and Rodney enter the industry?

MD: It actually goes back to my grandfather, who was an apprentice motor mechanic at 13 in the early ‘30s. He was a mechanic in Queensland through World War II, and he never stopped turning spanners. He was not a businessman, he was bent over the bonnet doing mechanical work. And he was a people person – everyone loved Eddie.

Is that how your dad Kevin got into automotive?

MD: Dad started as a milkman, then in 1974 he and Eddie bought the Mobil service station on the corner of Mains Road and Kessels Road, right across from QE2 stadium. From that point on they were both mechanics, right up until they sold in 1990.

So you grew up around your dad’s shop?

MD: I was a bowser boy, I used to get two dollars for a Saturday putting fuel in the cars. Rodney started there as an apprentice to Eddie at 15 and he stayed until the business was sold in 1990 and we became partners and opened Auto Stop.

Are your clients mostly private?

MD: The majority of our clients these days are private. We do have some fleet work in Brisbane, but that’s probably 10 to 20 per cent of our turnover. The rest is private mums and dads.
And being established that long, are you now seeing generations of repeat business coming through?

MD: It’s funny, you see generations come through and you get the kids driving the hand-me-down car that was running well – that all of a sudden starts falling apart in the kids’ hands!

Unfortunately, now actually we’re starting to go to funerals. We’ve got customers from as far back as the Mobil servo in the ‘70s that have followed us from site to site.

What sort of influence were your dad and grandfather on how you run the business?

MD: A huge influence, because you see what they’re doing and you want to be what they are, essentially. I think the biggest drive I got from my father was wanting to run my own business. I wanted to prove to him that I could run a business. In mechanical knowledge, it was my grandfather. He was the mechanic that taught me and Rodney everything we know: old school stuff as well as new school. He taught us fundamental stuff we still teach our apprentices to this day, little tips to know so you don’t miss details or forget things.

And how did the relationship with the Repco Authorised Service Program come to be and what does it mean to the business?

MD: We started out as a total independent back in 1990, but then I saw around 2000 there was a real need to be part of a group, with the way access to manufacturer information on the cars and everything was going. So whether it’s through our affiliation with the Repco Authorised Service Program, RACQ and MTAQ, we’re able to source the data we need to resolve an issue with the car.

Has right to repair been an issue?

MD: It’s getting very difficult. We’ve been on a campaign for a while now with the automotive industry trying to get the right to repair. We finally had a win with that; getting information on a newer car’s electronics is now easier, rather than us having to track down the data ourselves or use generic information. We’ve got software here worth thousands of dollars that gives us information on the cars to be able to rectify them or repair them.

What’s your prediction for the next 10 years? What do our roads look like?

MD: That’s a hard one. There’s definitely an evolution towards electric going on. In the next 10 years I can’t see things being too much different, other than that cars obviously doing a lot more work for the driver . . . and then obviously our job gets harder with servicing electronics. Electric cars are coming, but the cars still need suspension, they still need brakes, they still need diffs, they still need all that to get along the road.

In terms of staff, who runs the workshops day-to-day?

MD: Rodney and I predominantly have always run the show. We’ve brought in family occasionally to help. My wife comes in a couple of days a week.

On the Gold Coast we’ve got a manager, Gavin, and Cody the mechanic, and then I come in when needed. At the Brisbane store we’ve got Rodney, Brad the manager, and mechanic Tom, and Jayden our second-year apprentice.

And what do you do with your spare time?

MD: I have a boat and that is where I like to relax and switch off.

If I have the time, I’ve got a Valiant Pacer I’m doing up. I play with that occasionally when I’ve got the right head for it, and I’m about three quarters of the way through the restoration. I bought it from a client actually – they came in about five years ago to get a roadworthy and I asked if they’d be keen to sell.

Source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (May 2019)

10 May 2019