Questions
Common questions
The things people ask me on the phone, answered here so you don't have to ring to find out.
If yours isn't here, just call — I'd rather answer it than have you guess. 07989 307649.
How it works
- Do you come to my home or my workplace?
- Yes — both. I'm a mobile mechanic, so the workshop comes to the car rather than the other way round. I work on driveways, on the street outside your house, and in work car parks. Plenty of the houses round here have no driveway at all, and that has never been a problem.
- Can a mobile mechanic do a full service and proper diagnostics?
- Yes. The van carries racking, a vice, a press, lifting gear, diagnostic equipment and enough parts stock to finish most jobs on the spot. Servicing, diagnostics, cambelts, clutches, brakes, DPF cleaning, auto electrics and battery work all get done where the car is. Mobile does not mean a toolbox in a boot.
- My car won't start — what should I do?
- Ring me on 07989 307649 and tell me what it does when you turn the key: nothing at all, a click, or turning over but not firing. That usually narrows it down before I set off, so I arrive with the right parts. A non-start is one of the most common calls I get, and it is exactly the job mobile suits — there is no point paying for recovery to move a car that might need a battery.
- Is there anything you can't do at the roadside?
- I work on the vehicle where it is, so I need to be able to reach it and work on it safely — a car boxed in on a busy road, or one that cannot be jacked safely where it sits, may have to be moved first. MOT testing itself has to happen at a test centre, which is why I collect the car and take it there. If a job genuinely needs a workshop, I will say so when you ring rather than after I have arrived.
Where I work
- Which areas do you cover?
- I'm based in Wareham and cover the whole Isle of Purbeck every day: Wareham, Swanage, Corfe Castle, Wool, Bere Regis, Upton & Lytchett Minster and Poole, plus the villages between them — Stoborough, Sandford, Studland, Langton Matravers, Church Knowle, Bovington, Lulworth and the rest. I also travel further afield by arrangement, including Dorchester and Weymouth — just ask.
Vehicles
- Can you work on classic, imported or unusual vehicles?
- Yes. Everyday cars and vans are most of every week, but I also work on classics that predate diagnostic ports, motorhomes and campervans that will not fit on a ramp, 4x4s, commercial vans and Japanese imports. Being mobile helps here: a motorhome does not have to get itself to a workshop with the height clearance to take it.
Booking, quotes and paying
- Can you arrange an MOT?
- Yes, by appointment. I collect the car, take it to a test centre and bring it back to you. I also do pre-MOT checks beforehand, so anything obvious gets put right rather than turning into a fail.
- How do I get a quote?
- Ring 07989 307649, or email darrenleeautomotive@gmail.com. What I give you on the phone is a rough idea based on what you have told me — it is not a fixed price, because I have not seen the vehicle yet. Once I have looked at it I will tell you what it actually needs and what it will cost. If the job turns out to be bigger than expected, I will tell you before I carry on; you will not get a bill for work you did not know about.
- What should I tell you when I call?
- Where the car is, and what it is doing, as best you can describe it — the more accurate that is, the more likely I turn up with the right parts. The make, model and rough age help too. Calling is an enquiry rather than a booking: we have got a booking once I have said yes and we have agreed a time.
- How do I pay?
- Cash or bank transfer, once the work is done. I do not take cards.
Still not sure?
Tell me what the car's doing and where it is, and I'll tell you straight whether it's a job I can do on your driveway. If it isn't, I'll say so before I set off.