Written by Craig Baills, SafeTstop Partner, Toowoomba

It’s no secret that our industry is moving faster than ever into the future, and along with this comes many challenges, experiences and outcomes that we as business owners and mechanics had never in our dreams imagined.

Now more than ever, there is pressure to expand and develop our training, be affiliated with a plethora of industry groups, deliver higher service levels and customer experiences and adapt to an ever developing car parque to be more relevant and vastly more experienced moving forward. The fact is, if we don’t do this we will expire as a business in the automotive independent repairers’ sector sooner rather than later.

As with any game, we need a plan. A plan to move forward, to be successful and to be damned brilliant in our field. To be sustainable, relevant and sort after in a fast emerging throwaway society, we must plan our game. The previous paragraph has some daunting facts in it, but we, as an industry need to adapt and turn the tables on what the pressures are and dare I say it, make them the norm.

Training – the more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in combat – this is paramount to our future and industry sustainability. Anyone that doesn’t get this or want to do it is going to be left behind, it costs money, it costs time, but so does our experience, service and abilities. The more you train, the better you become, the more you charge. Anyone that doesn’t accept this, be it, workshop, supplier, RTO, booking platform or industry networks, need to catch the next bus to “get the hell out of our trade” simple!!! There are no short cuts to any place worth going

Industry Groups – We are privileged as an industry to be associated with some very proactive groups and associations that share my thoughts and vision for the future of our trade. Be it Associations, Franchises, Supplier networks and Training providers, many of these are here to promote and develop our knowledge, our industry sustainability and our future.

Unfortunately, there are some that have our industry low on their list of priorities and will damage our long term future. How do you sort the good from the bad? Simple, ask! Many avenues exist for this, we have access to Respected associations or ask your fellow workshop owners or through social media forums, you will soon find out what works and what doesn’t. Always remember that “a sales pitch does not need to become our reality”, do your homework on what any industry group is going to offer on the long term sustainability of our industry and most importantly, your business.

Customer Service – It doesn’t matter what business you own or who you work for, if you are dealing with people, you are dealing with your employer. Each, individual customer is your employer, without them your business dies. Customers come to your business because they have seen your marketing, been referred to you by a friend or needed a mechanic out of urgency. How you deal with each customer, treat their cars, deliver your service often sets you apart from the dealer, the cheaper competition or their last mechanic. They pay your rent, your staff, keep the food on the table, they are your gold. Treat them as such.

Personally, we are involved in an awesome trade, knowledge, relationships, the people and the cars create awesome opportunities for anyone that wants to be involved in it. As a long term mechanic and business owner I truly believe that our knowledge base and skill set is one of the most difficult of any trade or profession, yet, historically, we are undervalued and have been seen as academically challenged and good with our hands. It’s time for this to change.

The perception that has been portrayed to the public in the past can no longer have influence on our future. We, collectively, need to step up and deliver. Deliver professionalism, quality and an accurate, learned skill set that promotes higher levels of an educated trade. It’s time to put on notice the minority in our industry that doesn’t want to deliver this, be it dodgy shops, schools, RTOs, suppliers or booking platforms that think we are mechanics of an era gone by. Our trade, Our customers, Our staff are not pawns in your game, without us you don’t exist. Our industry, Our trade, we will not tolerate dictation that controls us to deliver your outcomes, feel free to take a seat on the “get the hell out of our trade” bus if you don’t have our best interests in mind.

We are brilliant at what we do.


The past cannot be changed, but the future is within our power.

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    SafeTStop
    5.0
    Based on 20 reviews
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    Wendy Bieder
    Wendy Bieder
    09:23 27 Jul 22
    When you want the best , look... no further. Amazing system and incredibly accurate.Can’t wait to run my caravan over the machine .read more
    Gary Tansley
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    07:26 08 Jan 22
    Great service with a quality... productread more
    01Aladdin
    01Aladdin
    22:05 30 Nov 21
    The people at Safe-T-Stop... have been over the past few years EXCEPTIONAL and the device itself (plate brake/suspension tester) to all intents and purposes infallible. On the rare occasions the unit has broken down, service has been remarkably fast. Annual servicing of the unit has been done professionally and always on time. Frankly, i wish more businesses and tools were all this good.read more
    Chris Mullins
    Chris Mullins
    06:22 30 Nov 21
    Good job as agreed
    Thomas Reber
    Thomas Reber
    21:55 16 Nov 20
    I've dealt with SafeTStop... support team on 3 occasions and I must say they are incredibly helpful, I have been talked to by their NSW team from VIC over the phone about how to replace components and other required calibrations. Many thanks to Denise for my most recent concern which was resolved quickly with excellent customer service.read more
    Tim Lhuede
    Tim Lhuede
    11:47 10 Sep 20
    Great product and support.... This machine has unreal ROI. It's been 3 weeks and it looks to pay itself off in 6 months (small shop 4 mechanics)One regret, I didn't invest in it sooner. Cannot recommend enough.Customers love it!read more
    Pulse Automotive
    Pulse Automotive
    00:55 19 Nov 19
    Best piece of workshop... equipment I have purchased. Fantastic team to deal with & great support.read more
    Nicholas Valassis
    Nicholas Valassis
    02:56 21 Sep 19
    Installation was easy with no... interruption to the business. A very powerful tool that is crucial to have these days with our complex braking systemsread more
    Ebbett Volkswagen
    Ebbett Volkswagen
    02:33 28 Aug 19
    Fantastic product, and great... after-sales support. The platetronic tester gives our customers security in knowing that their vehicles are being tested at a high level for brake imbalance, forces, and for steering geometry readings. Highly recommended.read more
    Andrew Gadea
    Andrew Gadea
    05:08 22 Aug 19
    Excellent service from Denise... and the team. Installation was great and the SafeTStop equipment is great for our business.read more
    Craig Baills
    Craig Baills
    01:47 18 Aug 19
    I did not realise the value... of Safe T Stop until we invested in one and had it installed. This piece of equipment would be number 1 as the most productive tool in the workshop as well as being accurate in its testing and diagnosis. Safe T Stop makes diagnosing and testing brakes and suspension easy and simplified with pin point accuracy. Highly recomend it for any workshop.read more
    DION CLAYTON
    DION CLAYTON
    09:35 12 Aug 19
    We at DRC AUTOMOTIVE had a... safetstop installed at our workshop and think it’s a great piece of equipment, every car that is serviced in our shop is driven over the safetstop to check and know it’s leaving with all brakes working as they should. We never realised how important this equipment is and what we have found when using it.Also the team at safetstop have always been great and would highly recommend to any other workshops Dion Clayton/ DRC Automotiveread more
    Peter Forrester
    Peter Forrester
    10:11 05 Jul 19
    PipeWolf Media
    PipeWolf Media
    05:40 03 Jun 19
    We had the pleasure of... filming a video for Safe-T-Stop and were so impressed by how well received their product is among their customers. The staff are so friendly and passionate about what they do. The Safe-T-Stop system really is amazing - we became instant fans.read more
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