On The Ramp - The Independent Automotive Garage Owners Podcast.

Alex Lindley, Leo Dack, Nathan Taylor
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  • Automotive
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We have a simple mission; to connect as many independent garages as possible, with the aim of sharing knowledge and helping to raise the standards of the independent automotive industry.

  1. Jul 17

    The Tyre Lady: 50 Cars a Day, 2,000 Tyres in Their Biggest Month

    This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Sophie Lyden works alongside her dad at Westgate Tyres in Morecambe. Three depots on one street, 40 to 50 cars a day, and no booking system for tyres. She's also better known across the trade as The Tyre Lady, and became the person the BBC called when they wanted a tyre expert. She joins us to talk about how both of those things happened. If you run a garage or sell tyres, this one's full of practical insight, and a decent argument that safety messaging is the best marketing you're not doing. In this episode: - Why Westgate doesn't take bookings for tyres, and how they cope with 40 to 50 cars a day - The stock strategy behind their biggest tyre month - TPMS, valve service kits, and the conversation most garages skip - Why she checks dot codes on every car and advises at 3mm - The crash outside the garage that started The Tyre Lady - What road safety conferences never talk about - How a LinkedIn post about a bad tyre reached 200,000 people - Getting a tyre onto the BBC Breakfast sofa - What she'd change about the MOT and the legal tread limit - ADHD, postnatal depression, and running a business through both Timestamps: 00:00 - intro 01:04 - how sophie ended up back in the family tyre business 09:11 - inside westgate tyres and their biggest month 18:31 - punctures, stock and what makes a tyre shop busy 24:51 - tyres or servicing, and which one she would keep 29:26 - castrol | the race group partnership 35:55 - the crash outside the garage that started the tyre lady 43:04 - road safety conferences, dot codes and the education gap 52:38 - testing tyres and keeping the tyre lady separate from westgate 60:37 - bbc breakfast and the families behind the campaign 66:46 - what she would change about the mot and the tread limit 75:07 - adhd, postnatal depression and understanding her own brain 83:40 - taking over the business and what comes next 88:05 - outro Subscribe for more expert insight, honest conversation, and real stories from inside the independent garage sector. https://beacons.ai/ontheramp #ontheramp #tyres #tyresafety #garageowners #independentgarage #ukgarages #automotiveindustry #roadsafety #mechaniclife #castrol

  2. Jun 12

    Is Fleet work worth it? The Fleet Guy sets the record straight.

    This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit:  https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Fleet work divides the trade. Some garages swear by it, others swear at it. In this episode, Alex and Leo are joined by Tim Guidotti, second generation owner of Ferdotti Motor Services and founder of Fleet Guy, to tackle the myths head on. Alex explains why he spent years telling garages to get rid of their fleet work, and why he now admits he was wrong. Tim breaks down good fleet vs bad fleet, the truth about labour rates, how to actually win fleet contracts, and why the data suggests retail-only garages could be facing long term decline. If you run an independent garage and you've ever dismissed fleet work, this one's full of practical insight. Timestamps: 00:00 - intro 01:04 - tim's story, growing up in the family business 12:34 - joining the business and doing the deal properly 21:52 - Castrol | The Race Group Partnership 23:05 - why alex was anti-fleet, and admitting he was wrong 29:32 - the coffee test, good fleet vs bad fleet 41:09 - winning fleet work and keeping it 52:25 - should your garage do fleet, and where ownership is heading 1:03:05 - the labour rate myth, utilisation and productivity 1:09:23 - why fleet guy exists, building an industry standard 1:16:36 - fleet guy live, plus tim joins as co-host Subscribe for more expert insight, honest conversation, and real stories from inside the independent garage sector. https://beacons.ai/ontheramp #ontheramp #garageowners #independentgarage #fleetwork #fleetmanagement #ukgarages #automotiveindustry #mechaniclife #castrol

  3. Jun 5

    The Marginal Gains Approach to Running a Garage: A Conversation with Phil Brookes

    This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html This week it's not a story episode, it's a business one. Alex and Leo sit down with business coach Phil Brookes, who has spent his career in the tyre and garage trade, from the workshop floor to training and running parts of a national group, and now coaching independent garages. We get into the stuff most owners never get taught: pricing with confidence, knowing your real numbers, front of house, recruitment and the small marginal gains that quietly add thousands to the bottom line. If you run a garage and you have ever felt busy but not as profitable as you should be, this one is full of practical insight. Timestamps: 00:00 - intro and why business training is undervalued 01:20 - phil's journey into the trade 07:38 - growing and selling a national tyre group 13:37 - why tyre pricing is so sensitive 17:25 - pricing with confidence and the three prices 18:50 - front of house and the restaurant lesson 26:39 - why training fails without follow-up 29:11 - marginal gains and the 1% rule 33:00 - the wheel alignment opportunity 38:27 - how much profit is really in a tyre 47:56 - leading, retention and recruitment 51:09 - knowing your numbers and the benchmarks that matter 57:29 - marketing and the garage that isn't busy enough 1:04:23 - hiq, wholesale and the real tyre margins 1:06:47 - how to get in touch with Phil Subscribe for more expert insight, honest conversation, and real stories from inside the independent garage sector. #ontheramp #garageowners #independentgarage #automotiveindustry #mechaniclife #automotive #castrol #businesscoaching

  4. May 25

    Behind the UK's Biggest Garage Events: A Conversation with Joanne Knowles, Messe Frankfurt UK

    This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-... Joanne Knowles is the Event Director for Automechanika Birmingham and the UK Garage and Body Shop event, the two biggest trade shows in the UK independent garage calendar. She joins Alex and Dawn on this episode to talk about what actually goes into running them, why attending matters more than ever, and how Motivate is starting to change the way new talent is brought into the industry. If you're a garage owner, technician, college tutor or student, this one's worth your time. Timestamps: 00:00 - intro 01:14 - automechanika vs uk garage and body shop 03:00 - why garage owners should attend 07:31 - feedback, parking and the autonomous bus 09:20 - introducing motivate 12:20 - women, the ignite arena and engaging colleges 18:16 - computer science, adas and the future 21:34 - the case for cpd accreditation 25:22 - castrol | the race group partnership 26:37 - industry community, the blend and ben charity 33:15 - takeaways and how to get involved 41:13 - uk garage and body shop 2026 44:00 - outro Subscribe for more expert insight, honest conversation, and real stories from inside the independent garage sector. #automotiveindustry #podcast #interview #ontheramp #independentgarage

  5. Apr 24

    Life of a Mobile Tech with The Norfolk Tech

    This episode is sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol Service, please visit: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Jordan from JLK Vehicle Solutions, better known online as The Norfolk Tech, joins us to share how a Covid redundancy pushed him into self-employment and how he's built one of the healthier mobile businesses in the UK. In this episode, Jordan breaks down why the trade undercharges, what it really takes to run a mobile business day to day, the value of community for solo operators, and why he's been willing to talk openly about burnout. 00:00 – Introduction 02:15 – Redundancy during Covid 06:10 – Six weeks to self-employed 08:45 – Building the business on Facebook 19:20 – A typical day on the road 22:35 – Why the trade undercharges 33:00 – Sponsored Segment 38:00 – Getting scammed, security, and working on driveways 53:00 – Diary management and parts 01:06:00 – The mobile tech community 01:10:00 – Talking openly about burnout Subscribe for more expert insight, honest conversation, and real stories from inside the independent garage sector. #ontheramp #mobilemechanic #independentgarage #automotiveindustry #castrol tps://beacons.ai/ontheramp

  6. Mar 27

    From Employees To Owners: how we built a fully booked specialist garage

    If you are a garage owner thinking about starting, specialising or scaling, this episode offers a clear look at what actually drives results. In this episode we cover how this specialist garage was: - Built With Clarity From Day One - Built Without Guesswork- Built With Purpose, Not Pressure - Built Through Focus, Not Expansion - Doing the Right Things Early This episode is kindly sponsored by Castrol and The Race Group. Find out more about Castrol using the link below: https://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/home.html Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 01:42 - Early career and dealership experience 04:15 - The decision to leave the dealership 07:10 - Career perspective and Australia 10:05 - Starting The Mini Repair Shop 14:20 - Building the brand before the building 18:35 - Launching during COVID 23:10 - Finding customers in the early days 28:45 - Why specialising in MINI works 34:20 - The role of social media 40:05 - Partnerships and early growth 46:30 - Expansion vs focus 52:10 - Key lessons for garage owners 57:00 - Final thoughts

  7. Feb 27

    Building a Resilient Garage From General Repairs to Specialist

    Most garage businesses start broad.General repairs. General customers. General positioning. But over time, staying general can make growth harder, not easier.In this episode, we explore the journey from a traditional town-centre garage to a specialist Land Rover business and the structural decisions that built long-term resilience along the way. We cover: - Transitioning from petrol station to full garage operation - The risk of moving from a high street location to a commercial unit - Why mastering internal workflow comes before expansion- How specialisation strengthens pricing confidence and authority - The importance of perception in building value - This is not about chasing trends. It is about deliberate evolution. - If you are thinking about resilience, repositioning, or future -proofing your garage, this episode is for you. This episode is supported by Castrol and The Race Group. To learn more about Castrol and how they support independent garages, visit:https://www.castrol.com Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 2:10 - The Origins of the Business 6:15 - From Petrol Station to Garage 12:40 - The Risk of Leaving the High Street 18:20 - Moving to a Commercial Unit 24:30 - Building Systems Before Expansion 30:15 - Controlling Parts and Workflow 36:40 - The Shift Toward Specialisation 44:10 - Becoming a Land Rover Specialist 52:30 - Perception and Premium Positioning 1:01:20 - Lessons in Building Resilience 1:08:45 - Final Thoughts

  8. Feb 6

    From Second Guessing to Leading a Garage Business

    Running a garage does not come with a manual. In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Petty, co owner of JP Petty Motors, to talk honestly about what it is really like to learn the motor trade while already carrying the responsibility of running a business. Sarah did not come from a technical background. She learned on the job, asked questions, made mistakes and slowly built confidence in an industry that does not always make space for uncertainty. We talk about running a family garage, the pressure that follows you home, making difficult pricing decisions, learning when to ask for help, and stepping out of the shadows to become a visible leader. This conversation will resonate with anyone who has ever felt like they were figuring it out as they went along. Timestamps 2:00 – Coming into the garage with no technical background 5:10 – Learning on the job and early challenges 8:00 – Moving into a service advisor role 11:00 – Balancing family life and the business 14:00 – Covid and the pressure on the garage 17:30 – The moment everything had to change 20:00 – Learning to ask questions and not guess 23:00 – Knowing what you do not know 26:00 – Stepping out of the shadows 29:30 – Confidence and leadership in the garage 32:30 – Putting yourself out there in the industry 35:00 – Discovering the wider automotive community 38:30 – Information overload and staying grounded 41:30 – Running a family business together 45:00 – Supporting staff and building trust 48:30 – Growth pricing and difficult decisions 52:00 – Vehicle health checks and changing processes 56:00 – Capacity pressure and future thinking 1:00:00 – Final reflections on learning as you go This episode is supported by Castrol and The Race Group.Visit Castrol here: ⁠https://www.castrol.com⁠

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We have a simple mission; to connect as many independent garages as possible, with the aim of sharing knowledge and helping to raise the standards of the independent automotive industry.

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