Over the last few months, we have posted a number of historic dealership service photos to the Motor Equipment News Facebook page. It is interesting to look at these and to dredge up a few memories of going to dealerships in the 60’s and 70’s to see how things have changed (and some things that have not).

A feature of most pictures is that the workshops were uncluttered by equipment but also that vehicles were parked haphazardly – no floor markings, bays, etc. Generally the only hoist in the workshop was a single inground single post hydraulic unit located in the lube bay. Access under cars in the main workshop was via a pit which could allow multiple vehicles to be worked on or by use of large floor jacks (and sometimes but not always axle stands!)

Parts departments were usually small but the parts guy was an expert – knowing off the top of their head the parts numbers for most common parts – the British cars of the day tended to have a fairly typical pattern of faults for specific models making it a simpler job – I remember visiting Todd Motors who assembled Hillmans and then Mitsubishis; the parts manager said that, for example with the Hillman Hunters, they had a run each winter on the heater taps that seized up, whereas the Mitsubishis needed a smaller stock of parts – mainly standard service items.

Cathy