January 1, 2026 • 18 mins
About a year ago, I got my mechanic (Vince from All Pro Automotive) to jump in for a chat about what he thinks are the most reliable vehicles, what the Central Coast was like when he started his business over 30 years ago, and the kinds of things he's found in people's cars! 😳
It's a real fun chat and, as always with a quick fix, if you'd like to hear the full episode that this bit comes from, you can just scroll on back to episode number 62!
Have an awesome day!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:05):
So Vince is in and he's my mechanic.
I've claimed you as my mechanic.When I was on the radio I would
talk about you, but I didn't want to give out the name of
your business 'cause I didn't want more people go in there and
make it harder for me to get in.That's so true.
Yeah, It's very hard to get. In it is it is you need a bigger
premises and and even more staff.
More staff, yeah, but I'm happy with who I've got.
(00:27):
But if you had to pick a favorite on your team as a.
Team member. Or just like the best worker you
have. Well, they're all I can't.
There is no favouritism. My team is from Amanda to Josh
to. Alex, Amanda's been in here
before. She's been on the podcast.
Yeah. Yeah.
Heard her. You heard her?
Yeah. That was a funny story.
What was it? She gave her kids some money at
(00:48):
the markets. Yeah.
Go and get something to keep themselves amused while she was
off having a boozy lunch. And came back with ducks, right?
Live Ducks. Live Ducks.
And a couple of ducklings or either.
And now they are just straight up pets.
They cruise around inside the house and stuff.
Oh, that's so funny. Who would?
Think of that. I'm gonna buy a duck.
(01:08):
Not an adult, not a parent. Right, I would be buying a
scone. Yeah, can of coke.
Oh God, KFC just. Love kids brains but they just
go ducks. We can buy duck and the they put
them back to work. I just wish I'd seen that moment
where they came walking over with the ducks it.
Would have been so. Mum, we bought ducks and she
(01:29):
didn't say we're taking those back.
No. And the person that sold them to
their kids, like where was the now?
Where's your mum and dad? That's right.
They would have. They would have been giggling to
themselves as the kids walked away.
Just go to get back to mum with ducks.
They probably expected the kids come back and get the money back
and give the ducks back. I guess that's what they were
(01:51):
hoping. What's that?
The boy the ducks back. We'll learn to give you half the
price. That's a good yeah.
Sorry, they use ducks now. So, alright, so I wanted to talk
to you because it was your wife that told me actually.
She said you'd been in that business in that area with All
Pro Automotive for 30 years, right?
And I asked you about like when it started and you said in that
(02:14):
road where you are, there was nothing else back then, because
this is back in the 1920s or something.
I'm not great at maths. In the 20s, but it was.
Pretty close. Well, it wasn't.
So 2094, yeah, 94. And this is in Brooks Ave. in
Wyoming. You went in there?
What other businesses were there?
Then there was a. Couple of mechanics and there
was a pie factory that that was.It that's a well placed pie
(02:36):
factory. It was a great.
Couple of a couple of mechanics go in and they go buy factory.
Well, it was funny because I drove past and I noticed it was
empty and the full lease sign came up the next day.
Yeah. So then I caught up the agent
and I said, look, I just want a short term lease because, yeah,
you can have it. So there you go.
So I went to an auction and I bought a car Jack, a couple of
stands. Yeah.
Compressor. Yeah.
(02:57):
And off I went. I started fixing cars.
Wait, So what was in that building before that was being
leased? It was a tire shop.
It was a tire shop, Yeah. And.
And it was empty. And then I've just gone.
You know what? I'll do this for six months
until I'll give my head around things and I'll just move on.
Yeah, 30 years later. 30 years. You have not moved on, but you
(03:19):
did move over the road? Yeah.
For those who know the area, it's the vet right?
It's where it was and now I'm across the road.
In six months into it I had my first employee and wow.
That's quick for her. It was very quick.
What's that first day like? Because I, you know, I've just
gone into starting my own business.
I even feel weird even calling it that.
I'm sitting in a caravan talking.
(03:39):
Yeah. But I'm just fascinated by
people when they start a business and especially now that
I'm seeing this side of it and. Well, how much?
Work it takes. It takes a lot of work and a lot
of courage. Yeah, Because you wake up in the
morning, you go, OK, where is itgoing to start today?
Oh yeah. Where am I going to be?
And am I doing the right thing and?
Should I? Just be doing this.
But then you don't want to let people down like you know, your
(04:01):
family down that you've disappointed them.
So it gives you the drive to keep going.
And that's how life is. You know, you've got to get up
and get keep going. Yeah.
What you make of it? Yeah.
So when you started, it was justyou with a few tools, just a
few, Any advertising at all or anything?
Actually one of my clients worked for the express paper,
which that probably doesn't exist anymore.
(04:22):
It exists online. Oh, right.
When I started it at STAR, it was downstairs.
The Express Advocate. Yeah.
And there were so many staff andyeah, the paper came out and I
think it was a weekly one or something like that.
But he just said, do you mind ifI do a write up on you?
I said hey, whatever, yeah, no problem, you know.
So anyway, the write up came outand then I started getting more
(04:42):
and more. So then I, I had a taxi come in.
Would you believe? Yeah, his name was Don Bed and
he was the most beautiful man. Hmm.
We sort of done a deal. He goes, how about I keep coming
in? Yeah, you can put your brand or
your logo on my taxi. Oh, we'll just do a bit of
bartering. I said yeah.
Sounds great and also he'd tell the other taxi.
Guys, next thing you know, I hadtaxis and I started from taxis
to working on exclusive cars, Bentleys, BMWs.
(05:06):
Oh, OK. Ferraris.
Yeah. So it grew from taxis to that.
Level and now I see because whenI go in there, oh the car, oh,
some of the cars that are in there, sometimes you work on
some nice stuff. Nice, yeah.
Like what sort of thing? Yeah.
Ferraris. Lamborghinis.
Ferrara is BMW's. Why is a Lamborghini driver
bring like a Lamborghini owner bringing it to you and not to
(05:28):
the Lamborghini dealership, wherever that is?
It's personal preference. Yeah, yeah, sometimes you don't
get the right fire, but the dealer just come and see me.
I know the answer to this one because I asked you before the
highest amount someone has spenton like a visit to you.
It was an exclusive car, yeah, excess of 30,000.
I said there was something that came to a total of around 98,
(05:50):
something like that. That was a.
Full. That was a total rebuild
restoration. Of what?
What? Was that it was a Mustang, but
what's the? Car worth if he's spending 90
something $1000 on it. It's worth $90,000.
What? I guess what happens with
people, they, they have this dream.
Yeah. As a little boy, I guess I'm
going to have that car one day. Whatever it cost, I'm going to
(06:12):
do it. Yeah.
And obviously there is no returnat the end.
They've blown their money sometimes, you know, But I will
say, sometimes they make what good money.
Do you like limited edition carsthat you see?
Well, yeah. HO Falcons, Toranas.
Yeah, I've asked this question. I'm not even going to know what
you're talking about when you say it The.
Phase 3 Falcon HO Falcon was only 300 produced.
(06:33):
Really, it was the fastest 4 door production car in the
world. Wow.
Carbureted, yes, and that's great for Australia to have
something like that. So working on those sort of cars
there, you you break a sweat before you even.
Straight up do not mess. This up mess this up yeah not
paying original everything so. See, I was thinking like, unlike
(06:57):
a doctor, like if a doctor makesa little bit of a mistake, they
could kill a person. Well, you make a little mistake,
you just get another part or something.
But no, when you're talking, were you original?
You can kill that car. Really.
Well, it's no different to a doctor, but.
You can bring it back to life. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But you can bring it back to life, but it won't be an
original part anymore. Or something like that.
(07:19):
That's correct. And that's why my business is
very unique in that side of it. But then I have my other part of
the business is just dealing with the general public, which I
totally adore. Just with their normal cars.
The joys I get out of seeing thejoy in their faces.
What do people bring in things and they think that they're not
repairable, not. Repairable.
And. Oh, really?
(07:40):
People come in and say, oh, it just won't climb the hill.
I really don't know. I'm, you know, yeah.
Just don't know what to do. I can't afford a new car.
Next thing you know, the car flies over the hill and they
just. Thank you so much.
Yeah. But that's because at that stage
they're thinking I have to get anew car.
This one's. Dead.
And then the signs of time. At the moment it's just so hard,
so hard for people. Before I come into you, I'll
(08:01):
give my car a little bit of a clean out, a little bit of a
tidy up. We noticed that.
Did you? Because it's.
I don't do that much of a good job.
Just, you know, all right, what do we got?
I'll always think of it before it goes into the mechanic.
I know, like, Gina would clean our house before the cleaner
comes around. Yeah, people.
People do that. Wife does that, Isn't that
weird? I just don't get it.
I mean, what's the point? Cleaner doesn't care.
(08:21):
It looks that's. Clean is there to clean.
That's right. So what have you seen in people
cars? I have seen obviously, the
McDonald's thing. Ohh yeah.
Yeah, the the cheeseburger that's been there for like 3
months. So good that you can still put
in the microwave and. It'll still be fine.
Let's do this. Yeah, I've seen illegal
(08:42):
substances in vehicles. You know, illegal.
Substances. Yeah, like, you know, hidden.
Oh, really? Yeah.
You know, I haven't actually. Pretty funny for you to move
them, yeah? Or.
Acknowledge with the client saying listen I just found this
in your car. Yeah.
Oh well. I.
Didn't see that. One didn't see that.
Didn't see. That, yeah, The most odd one
I've seen, yeah, is a lady's braon the blinker stalk that was.
(09:07):
Well, hang on, that's the way itwas delivered to you.
That's the way it was delivered to me.
Because that could have been taken off and put somewhere
else, yeah. She was a lovely old lady.
That just ruined the image of that story.
Hello. That was someone giving you a
little signal or something? No, literally on the signal.
(09:27):
Do you get people coming in and ask like having acting out what
their car does all the time and and the noises?
Well, especially when they do with their hands.
I go. You Italian?
Yeah, right. It's a lot of hand talk going
on. You're.
Talking like me. Do they actually like make the
noises and stuff? They do, yes.
Yeah. And if I had a.
A recorder it. Would be so funny.
(09:48):
Great little compilation. There was a series I started
getting into watching on YouTubeand it was.
It's all videos from mechanics. Was it called customer states?
And I guess there's a form that gets filled out and customer
states weird noise coming from underneath the yeah foot well or
whatever. And then they just take the
camera with them and they'd showwhat some of these things were
(10:08):
and like customer states, brake pedal making a strange squeaky
noise. And then they'll take the camera
down and there's like a dog toy under the brake pedal.
Yeah, right. Well, we've had there's a
ticking noise under my car. Yeah, and I've got a ticking
noise. What's that?
What's a bomb? Obviously.
Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I said.
How does it go? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick,
tick, tick. Right.
So I've got under the car, yeah.And lo and behold, there's a
(10:29):
cricket stump wedged in there. A cricket stump.
Cricket stump wedged under the car.
As he's driving, it's like clicking on on, yeah, the wheel
or something. On Now on the what?
What you call is the towel shaft, and that's the actual
propeller shaft, which turns thewheels.
Yeah. And it's somehow it's gotten
wedged in there. But then that's good.
(10:49):
Yeah, then I've had the worst stuff in there.
Snakes. No way did the person know it
was under there and no you discovered it I.
Discovered it, the car went up in the air and I had a look and
I brought it down straight away and drove it down back into your
car. Your car's finished.
Take it away. But the grossest is probably
rats poo. It's just.
Oh, that stinks, and we're just in the bonnet.
(11:11):
I've had him go inside the engine, then through your air
conditioning duct in into your glove box area.
Whoa. Yeah, they're not.
Sneaky little suckers. Sneaky little suckers.
See, now I would think that's not your job to sort that as a
mechanic, but but whose job is it?
Well. The Apprentice.
The Apprentice. I've got a very specific job for
(11:34):
you. What about other stuff?
Any things burrowed in and and living inside the engine Bay or
anything? No, we've got a BMW at work at
the moment. He's telling me the story that
he had a a Python sitting on topof his engine as he popped the
bonnet. Yeah, nice warm spot.
Nice for it to curl up. Unfortunately, it did not
survive. Oh oh, it got a bit warm for
(11:56):
the. Python.
It got a bit warm for the Python.
Geez, yeah. I think he would have noticed.
Yes, of course. Getting a bit warm here.
I might move to another spot. At least the Python had good
taste. Yeah, he went to a BMW and you
said I'm going to go out, I'm going to go with a bang.
Would you say or can you not because I don't know to damage
some sort of relation or something like that.
But as far as cars that are awesome that you should be going
(12:18):
for and ones that you should avoid, OK, you wouldn't say they
wouldn't avoid, would avoid, would you?
Well, anything Japanese, yeah, Iwill say is the best.
Interesting. OK, wasn't sure where the end of
that sentence was going. Yeah, the Japanese stuff's good.
The. Japanese stuff is amazing,
right? I mean, Australian product used
to be amazing, but unfortunatelythat's all gone.
(12:40):
Top ones as far as reliability goes.
Toyota. Really.
The best they'll do 500,000 kilometres plus if you service
them regularly. Wow.
Yeah. Oh, like, well, you're talking a
Camry here. Camry Corolla.
Just a bit boring though, aren'tthey?
They are a bit Camry in the Corolla.
Couldn't they take every everything inside the Camry and
Corolla and then make something hot something?
(13:04):
But then you're getting into theEuropean league, Yeah, right
where it's so busy. What is?
You've got all the touch controls.
You've got touch this, you've got touch that seat warmers.
Oh, OK. And then everything starts to.
That's when things start going wrong with all the extras.
Oh, it's the basicness of those that makes them so.
Yeah, it's just the simple. They've kept it simple.
(13:24):
Right, so you've got Toyotas. What else?
Well, you think you've said Nissan before.
Saying yeah, they're good Nissan, remember?
When I was working on radio station once and the program
director told us we had to say it as Nissan, Nissan air like
that. And we're like, we don't, we
don't say it like that because there's certain brands that get
said differently. You know the project, the TV
shows in New Zealand, that's theproject.
(13:45):
The project. Project.
I say. I've got a project I'm working
on. Yeah, I've got a project I'm
working on. I say.
Project. Project.
Yeah, project. I don't know.
It's funny. We just start thinking about
you. Oh, wait, what do I say?
Project. It's a bit of a project.
Project. It's a bit of a project.
Nah, Pro. Yeah.
But in New Zealand, it's project.
It's project. Yeah.
The TV show is called Tonight onthe Project.
Same people. Say, Nah, no different.
(14:07):
The Kiwi version of Kiwi, Yeah, They're just all like, Oh no.
So wait, who was first? Australia.
Or I'd say Australia on that one.
Oh, you're just saying that now?Nah.
If I think New Zealand's ahead, I will absolutely claim that no,
I'm still Kiwi throwing through.You can't say that the Italians
were the first because it'd be half done, you know?
Oh really? Oh wow.
(14:27):
Project. Doesn't matter whether it's a
project or a project, it's not finished.
Welcome to the project. We'll be back to you shortly
after this break. One week later, the.
Show. That's how the Italian Project
show would go. One week later, when are they
coming back on? These commercials are going
forever. Oh, that's right, come back and
(14:48):
they're not there. They're not there.
God moved on to something. Else signs are unique.
Hey, listen, you're one of them.You can say it.
Yeah, that's. Right, that's.
Right. Do you know my daughter is
wanting to wolf start as she wants to do work experience with
you and this is all the start ofher path to becoming a Ferrari
engineer? Yes, in Italy.
She is looking at next year, going to Italy for like a a
(15:12):
billeting thing, goes and stays with the family over there,
learns Italian in the mornings and goes on excursions in the
afternoons I think. That is just amazing, isn't it?
Cheesy. Yeah, she's 14 and.
Doing that path, yeah, So wonderful to see.
I mean, not just to be a mechanic, I mean, I hope she
does become a great mechanic, yeah, and goes to that side of
(15:32):
it, but to experience. Totally to.
We used to do that stuff when wewere younger, billeting thing in
New Zealand with rugby, if you were gonna go and play another
team and it's, you know, we're only talking like an hour or two
away, but you would go and stay with someone from the other
team. With another family.
With another family, yeah. That's just amazing.
I don't. Think that happens I don't think
(15:53):
that happens anymore I don't know the billeting thing when
you No, because we would yeah. And it would be so weird because
I'd be going and staying with one of the boys from the other
team that we're about to go out and beat the living daylights
out of the next day and then also that night after we have.
So you're a rugby player? Yeah, No way.
Can't you tell? Here you can.
Here you can. And as a winger, so fast, fast.
(16:17):
Maybe I still am, Who knows, I haven't tried.
So I. Love my rugby, you love your
love it. All Blacks game on tonight.
New Zealand, Yeah, yeah. That's and Tiana watches the
games with me. So she we went through the All
Blacks team for tonight's game this morning.
Well then go to the All Blacks. So I go, you know #1 here we go.
And she goes to Groot is Ian. She can go through and name the
(16:37):
whole thing like, yeah, Ethan starting.
It's really cool. I love it.
So it's so funny because to lookat her, she's, you know, she's
also today she's got a massive dance thing on.
She's in nine different dancers,does all these different styles
of of dance and wants to be a mechanic, slash engineer and
loves watching rugby. So does she love watching the
Formula 10? Loves it.
(16:58):
So it all started from that show, that Drive to survive
drive to watching. That, yeah.
And then obviously she's graspedit from there and she wants to
obviously try doing mechanics and no one overseas.
I think the end goal is marryingCharles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc from What Girl? Doesn't love honestly.
Come on, like, I don't know if that's part of the progression,
(17:21):
but I. Whatever you got to.
Be in it to win. It takes to get an autograph
right? Yes, so if that means, you know,
moving to Italy and trying to get a job for a Ferrari, man,
I'm I'm for the stars. Well, I guess in any field you
choose, yeah, whether you're a basketball or rugby player or a
mechanic or anything like that, you have a skill.
(17:42):
But then obviously injuries comeup with rugby players or
basketball players. You then come play anymore or
you can't be a mechanic anymore.MMM, what?
Would you do Mary Charles Leclaire Yeah alright, that'll
do us for this quick fix. Remember, if you ever wanna hear
the full conversation it comes from just match the number in
the title of this quick fix to the full episode number.
(18:04):
And don't forget if you turn on the notifications in Spotify and
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The job but then quick fix with rabbit.
So Vince is in and he's my mechanic.
I've claimed you as my mechanic.When I was on the radio I would
talk about you, but I didn't want to give out the name of
your business 'cause I didn't want more people go in there and
make it harder for me to get in.That's so true.
Yeah, It's very hard to get. In it is it is you need a bigger
premises and and even more staff.
More staff, yeah, but I'm happy with who I've got.
(00:27):
But if you had to pick a favorite on your team as a.
Team member. Or just like the best worker you
have. Well, they're all I can't.
There is no favouritism. My team is from Amanda to Josh
to. Alex, Amanda's been in here
before. She's been on the podcast.
Yeah. Yeah.
Heard her. You heard her?
Yeah. That was a funny story.
What was it? She gave her kids some money at
(00:48):
the markets. Yeah.
Go and get something to keep themselves amused while she was
off having a boozy lunch. And came back with ducks, right?
Live Ducks. Live Ducks.
And a couple of ducklings or either.
And now they are just straight up pets.
They cruise around inside the house and stuff.
Oh, that's so funny. Who would?
Think of that. I'm gonna buy a duck.
(01:08):
Not an adult, not a parent. Right, I would be buying a
scone. Yeah, can of coke.
Oh God, KFC just. Love kids brains but they just
go ducks. We can buy duck and the they put
them back to work. I just wish I'd seen that moment
where they came walking over with the ducks it.
Would have been so. Mum, we bought ducks and she
(01:29):
didn't say we're taking those back.
No. And the person that sold them to
their kids, like where was the now?
Where's your mum and dad? That's right.
They would have. They would have been giggling to
themselves as the kids walked away.
Just go to get back to mum with ducks.
They probably expected the kids come back and get the money back
and give the ducks back. I guess that's what they were
(01:51):
hoping. What's that?
The boy the ducks back. We'll learn to give you half the
price. That's a good yeah.
Sorry, they use ducks now. So, alright, so I wanted to talk
to you because it was your wife that told me actually.
She said you'd been in that business in that area with All
Pro Automotive for 30 years, right?
And I asked you about like when it started and you said in that
(02:14):
road where you are, there was nothing else back then, because
this is back in the 1920s or something.
I'm not great at maths. In the 20s, but it was.
Pretty close. Well, it wasn't.
So 2094, yeah, 94. And this is in Brooks Ave. in
Wyoming. You went in there?
What other businesses were there?
Then there was a. Couple of mechanics and there
was a pie factory that that was.It that's a well placed pie
(02:36):
factory. It was a great.
Couple of a couple of mechanics go in and they go buy factory.
Well, it was funny because I drove past and I noticed it was
empty and the full lease sign came up the next day.
Yeah. So then I caught up the agent
and I said, look, I just want a short term lease because, yeah,
you can have it. So there you go.
So I went to an auction and I bought a car Jack, a couple of
stands. Yeah.
Compressor. Yeah.
(02:57):
And off I went. I started fixing cars.
Wait, So what was in that building before that was being
leased? It was a tire shop.
It was a tire shop, Yeah. And.
And it was empty. And then I've just gone.
You know what? I'll do this for six months
until I'll give my head around things and I'll just move on.
Yeah, 30 years later. 30 years. You have not moved on, but you
(03:19):
did move over the road? Yeah.
For those who know the area, it's the vet right?
It's where it was and now I'm across the road.
In six months into it I had my first employee and wow.
That's quick for her. It was very quick.
What's that first day like? Because I, you know, I've just
gone into starting my own business.
I even feel weird even calling it that.
I'm sitting in a caravan talking.
(03:39):
Yeah. But I'm just fascinated by
people when they start a business and especially now that
I'm seeing this side of it and. Well, how much?
Work it takes. It takes a lot of work and a lot
of courage. Yeah, Because you wake up in the
morning, you go, OK, where is itgoing to start today?
Oh yeah. Where am I going to be?
And am I doing the right thing and?
Should I? Just be doing this.
But then you don't want to let people down like you know, your
(04:01):
family down that you've disappointed them.
So it gives you the drive to keep going.
And that's how life is. You know, you've got to get up
and get keep going. Yeah.
What you make of it? Yeah.
So when you started, it was justyou with a few tools, just a
few, Any advertising at all or anything?
Actually one of my clients worked for the express paper,
which that probably doesn't exist anymore.
(04:22):
It exists online. Oh, right.
When I started it at STAR, it was downstairs.
The Express Advocate. Yeah.
And there were so many staff andyeah, the paper came out and I
think it was a weekly one or something like that.
But he just said, do you mind ifI do a write up on you?
I said hey, whatever, yeah, no problem, you know.
So anyway, the write up came outand then I started getting more
(04:42):
and more. So then I, I had a taxi come in.
Would you believe? Yeah, his name was Don Bed and
he was the most beautiful man. Hmm.
We sort of done a deal. He goes, how about I keep coming
in? Yeah, you can put your brand or
your logo on my taxi. Oh, we'll just do a bit of
bartering. I said yeah.
Sounds great and also he'd tell the other taxi.
Guys, next thing you know, I hadtaxis and I started from taxis
to working on exclusive cars, Bentleys, BMWs.
(05:06):
Oh, OK. Ferraris.
Yeah. So it grew from taxis to that.
Level and now I see because whenI go in there, oh the car, oh,
some of the cars that are in there, sometimes you work on
some nice stuff. Nice, yeah.
Like what sort of thing? Yeah.
Ferraris. Lamborghinis.
Ferrara is BMW's. Why is a Lamborghini driver
bring like a Lamborghini owner bringing it to you and not to
(05:28):
the Lamborghini dealership, wherever that is?
It's personal preference. Yeah, yeah, sometimes you don't
get the right fire, but the dealer just come and see me.
I know the answer to this one because I asked you before the
highest amount someone has spenton like a visit to you.
It was an exclusive car, yeah, excess of 30,000.
I said there was something that came to a total of around 98,
(05:50):
something like that. That was a.
Full. That was a total rebuild
restoration. Of what?
What? Was that it was a Mustang, but
what's the? Car worth if he's spending 90
something $1000 on it. It's worth $90,000.
What? I guess what happens with
people, they, they have this dream.
Yeah. As a little boy, I guess I'm
going to have that car one day. Whatever it cost, I'm going to
(06:12):
do it. Yeah.
And obviously there is no returnat the end.
They've blown their money sometimes, you know, But I will
say, sometimes they make what good money.
Do you like limited edition carsthat you see?
Well, yeah. HO Falcons, Toranas.
Yeah, I've asked this question. I'm not even going to know what
you're talking about when you say it The.
Phase 3 Falcon HO Falcon was only 300 produced.
(06:33):
Really, it was the fastest 4 door production car in the
world. Wow.
Carbureted, yes, and that's great for Australia to have
something like that. So working on those sort of cars
there, you you break a sweat before you even.
Straight up do not mess. This up mess this up yeah not
paying original everything so. See, I was thinking like, unlike
(06:57):
a doctor, like if a doctor makesa little bit of a mistake, they
could kill a person. Well, you make a little mistake,
you just get another part or something.
But no, when you're talking, were you original?
You can kill that car. Really.
Well, it's no different to a doctor, but.
You can bring it back to life. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But you can bring it back to life, but it won't be an
original part anymore. Or something like that.
(07:19):
That's correct. And that's why my business is
very unique in that side of it. But then I have my other part of
the business is just dealing with the general public, which I
totally adore. Just with their normal cars.
The joys I get out of seeing thejoy in their faces.
What do people bring in things and they think that they're not
repairable, not. Repairable.
And. Oh, really?
(07:40):
People come in and say, oh, it just won't climb the hill.
I really don't know. I'm, you know, yeah.
Just don't know what to do. I can't afford a new car.
Next thing you know, the car flies over the hill and they
just. Thank you so much.
Yeah. But that's because at that stage
they're thinking I have to get anew car.
This one's. Dead.
And then the signs of time. At the moment it's just so hard,
so hard for people. Before I come into you, I'll
(08:01):
give my car a little bit of a clean out, a little bit of a
tidy up. We noticed that.
Did you? Because it's.
I don't do that much of a good job.
Just, you know, all right, what do we got?
I'll always think of it before it goes into the mechanic.
I know, like, Gina would clean our house before the cleaner
comes around. Yeah, people.
People do that. Wife does that, Isn't that
weird? I just don't get it.
I mean, what's the point? Cleaner doesn't care.
(08:21):
It looks that's. Clean is there to clean.
That's right. So what have you seen in people
cars? I have seen obviously, the
McDonald's thing. Ohh yeah.
Yeah, the the cheeseburger that's been there for like 3
months. So good that you can still put
in the microwave and. It'll still be fine.
Let's do this. Yeah, I've seen illegal
(08:42):
substances in vehicles. You know, illegal.
Substances. Yeah, like, you know, hidden.
Oh, really? Yeah.
You know, I haven't actually. Pretty funny for you to move
them, yeah? Or.
Acknowledge with the client saying listen I just found this
in your car. Yeah.
Oh well. I.
Didn't see that. One didn't see that.
Didn't see. That, yeah, The most odd one
I've seen, yeah, is a lady's braon the blinker stalk that was.
(09:07):
Well, hang on, that's the way itwas delivered to you.
That's the way it was delivered to me.
Because that could have been taken off and put somewhere
else, yeah. She was a lovely old lady.
That just ruined the image of that story.
Hello. That was someone giving you a
little signal or something? No, literally on the signal.
(09:27):
Do you get people coming in and ask like having acting out what
their car does all the time and and the noises?
Well, especially when they do with their hands.
I go. You Italian?
Yeah, right. It's a lot of hand talk going
on. You're.
Talking like me. Do they actually like make the
noises and stuff? They do, yes.
Yeah. And if I had a.
A recorder it. Would be so funny.
(09:48):
Great little compilation. There was a series I started
getting into watching on YouTubeand it was.
It's all videos from mechanics. Was it called customer states?
And I guess there's a form that gets filled out and customer
states weird noise coming from underneath the yeah foot well or
whatever. And then they just take the
camera with them and they'd showwhat some of these things were
(10:08):
and like customer states, brake pedal making a strange squeaky
noise. And then they'll take the camera
down and there's like a dog toy under the brake pedal.
Yeah, right. Well, we've had there's a
ticking noise under my car. Yeah, and I've got a ticking
noise. What's that?
What's a bomb? Obviously.
Yeah, yeah. And yeah, I said.
How does it go? Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick,
tick, tick. Right.
So I've got under the car, yeah.And lo and behold, there's a
(10:29):
cricket stump wedged in there. A cricket stump.
Cricket stump wedged under the car.
As he's driving, it's like clicking on on, yeah, the wheel
or something. On Now on the what?
What you call is the towel shaft, and that's the actual
propeller shaft, which turns thewheels.
Yeah. And it's somehow it's gotten
wedged in there. But then that's good.
(10:49):
Yeah, then I've had the worst stuff in there.
Snakes. No way did the person know it
was under there and no you discovered it I.
Discovered it, the car went up in the air and I had a look and
I brought it down straight away and drove it down back into your
car. Your car's finished.
Take it away. But the grossest is probably
rats poo. It's just.
Oh, that stinks, and we're just in the bonnet.
(11:11):
I've had him go inside the engine, then through your air
conditioning duct in into your glove box area.
Whoa. Yeah, they're not.
Sneaky little suckers. Sneaky little suckers.
See, now I would think that's not your job to sort that as a
mechanic, but but whose job is it?
Well. The Apprentice.
The Apprentice. I've got a very specific job for
(11:34):
you. What about other stuff?
Any things burrowed in and and living inside the engine Bay or
anything? No, we've got a BMW at work at
the moment. He's telling me the story that
he had a a Python sitting on topof his engine as he popped the
bonnet. Yeah, nice warm spot.
Nice for it to curl up. Unfortunately, it did not
survive. Oh oh, it got a bit warm for
(11:56):
the. Python.
It got a bit warm for the Python.
Geez, yeah. I think he would have noticed.
Yes, of course. Getting a bit warm here.
I might move to another spot. At least the Python had good
taste. Yeah, he went to a BMW and you
said I'm going to go out, I'm going to go with a bang.
Would you say or can you not because I don't know to damage
some sort of relation or something like that.
But as far as cars that are awesome that you should be going
(12:18):
for and ones that you should avoid, OK, you wouldn't say they
wouldn't avoid, would avoid, would you?
Well, anything Japanese, yeah, Iwill say is the best.
Interesting. OK, wasn't sure where the end of
that sentence was going. Yeah, the Japanese stuff's good.
The. Japanese stuff is amazing,
right? I mean, Australian product used
to be amazing, but unfortunatelythat's all gone.
(12:40):
Top ones as far as reliability goes.
Toyota. Really.
The best they'll do 500,000 kilometres plus if you service
them regularly. Wow.
Yeah. Oh, like, well, you're talking a
Camry here. Camry Corolla.
Just a bit boring though, aren'tthey?
They are a bit Camry in the Corolla.
Couldn't they take every everything inside the Camry and
Corolla and then make something hot something?
(13:04):
But then you're getting into theEuropean league, Yeah, right
where it's so busy. What is?
You've got all the touch controls.
You've got touch this, you've got touch that seat warmers.
Oh, OK. And then everything starts to.
That's when things start going wrong with all the extras.
Oh, it's the basicness of those that makes them so.
Yeah, it's just the simple. They've kept it simple.
(13:24):
Right, so you've got Toyotas. What else?
Well, you think you've said Nissan before.
Saying yeah, they're good Nissan, remember?
When I was working on radio station once and the program
director told us we had to say it as Nissan, Nissan air like
that. And we're like, we don't, we
don't say it like that because there's certain brands that get
said differently. You know the project, the TV
shows in New Zealand, that's theproject.
(13:45):
The project. Project.
I say. I've got a project I'm working
on. Yeah, I've got a project I'm
working on. I say.
Project. Project.
Yeah, project. I don't know.
It's funny. We just start thinking about
you. Oh, wait, what do I say?
Project. It's a bit of a project.
Project. It's a bit of a project.
Nah, Pro. Yeah.
But in New Zealand, it's project.
It's project. Yeah.
The TV show is called Tonight onthe Project.
Same people. Say, Nah, no different.
(14:07):
The Kiwi version of Kiwi, Yeah, They're just all like, Oh no.
So wait, who was first? Australia.
Or I'd say Australia on that one.
Oh, you're just saying that now?Nah.
If I think New Zealand's ahead, I will absolutely claim that no,
I'm still Kiwi throwing through.You can't say that the Italians
were the first because it'd be half done, you know?
Oh really? Oh wow.
(14:27):
Project. Doesn't matter whether it's a
project or a project, it's not finished.
Welcome to the project. We'll be back to you shortly
after this break. One week later, the.
Show. That's how the Italian Project
show would go. One week later, when are they
coming back on? These commercials are going
forever. Oh, that's right, come back and
(14:48):
they're not there. They're not there.
God moved on to something. Else signs are unique.
Hey, listen, you're one of them.You can say it.
Yeah, that's. Right, that's.
Right. Do you know my daughter is
wanting to wolf start as she wants to do work experience with
you and this is all the start ofher path to becoming a Ferrari
engineer? Yes, in Italy.
She is looking at next year, going to Italy for like a a
(15:12):
billeting thing, goes and stays with the family over there,
learns Italian in the mornings and goes on excursions in the
afternoons I think. That is just amazing, isn't it?
Cheesy. Yeah, she's 14 and.
Doing that path, yeah, So wonderful to see.
I mean, not just to be a mechanic, I mean, I hope she
does become a great mechanic, yeah, and goes to that side of
(15:32):
it, but to experience. Totally to.
We used to do that stuff when wewere younger, billeting thing in
New Zealand with rugby, if you were gonna go and play another
team and it's, you know, we're only talking like an hour or two
away, but you would go and stay with someone from the other
team. With another family.
With another family, yeah. That's just amazing.
I don't. Think that happens I don't think
(15:53):
that happens anymore I don't know the billeting thing when
you No, because we would yeah. And it would be so weird because
I'd be going and staying with one of the boys from the other
team that we're about to go out and beat the living daylights
out of the next day and then also that night after we have.
So you're a rugby player? Yeah, No way.
Can't you tell? Here you can.
Here you can. And as a winger, so fast, fast.
(16:17):
Maybe I still am, Who knows, I haven't tried.
So I. Love my rugby, you love your
love it. All Blacks game on tonight.
New Zealand, Yeah, yeah. That's and Tiana watches the
games with me. So she we went through the All
Blacks team for tonight's game this morning.
Well then go to the All Blacks. So I go, you know #1 here we go.
And she goes to Groot is Ian. She can go through and name the
(16:37):
whole thing like, yeah, Ethan starting.
It's really cool. I love it.
So it's so funny because to lookat her, she's, you know, she's
also today she's got a massive dance thing on.
She's in nine different dancers,does all these different styles
of of dance and wants to be a mechanic, slash engineer and
loves watching rugby. So does she love watching the
Formula 10? Loves it.
(16:58):
So it all started from that show, that Drive to survive
drive to watching. That, yeah.
And then obviously she's graspedit from there and she wants to
obviously try doing mechanics and no one overseas.
I think the end goal is marryingCharles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc from What Girl? Doesn't love honestly.
Come on, like, I don't know if that's part of the progression,
(17:21):
but I. Whatever you got to.
Be in it to win. It takes to get an autograph
right? Yes, so if that means, you know,
moving to Italy and trying to get a job for a Ferrari, man,
I'm I'm for the stars. Well, I guess in any field you
choose, yeah, whether you're a basketball or rugby player or a
mechanic or anything like that, you have a skill.
(17:42):
But then obviously injuries comeup with rugby players or
basketball players. You then come play anymore or
you can't be a mechanic anymore.MMM, what?
Would you do Mary Charles Leclaire Yeah alright, that'll
do us for this quick fix. Remember, if you ever wanna hear
the full conversation it comes from just match the number in
the title of this quick fix to the full episode number.
(18:04):
And don't forget if you turn on the notifications in Spotify and
Apple podcast, you won't miss any episodes or extras.
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