Like many workshop owners, Matthew Philips of A-One Mechanics in Alice Springs had a capability problem. While he did a solid trade in new tyre sales, he didn’t have the ability to do wheel alignments and had to send customers to other workshops for this vital service.
“We were having trouble getting the work we were doing wheel aligned to a standard we were happy with,” Matthew said. “Our customers were coming back to us and saying, ‘hey look, you said go there, and they’ve done a terrible job’. So, I thought instead of sending our customers to places that they’re not happy with, it would be best to start doing wheel alignments ourselves.”
Wheel alignment equipment is a significant investment, so Matthew turned to Capricorn Finance.
“With installation, the hoist and the wheel alignment machine, I spent the best part of $80,000,” he said.
Matthew said the finance came through quickly and the hoist was installed in November 2024. It’s made a huge difference to the efficiency of his business.
“It enables us to plan our workload better,” he said. “Before, we might fit tyres to your car and then we’re taking it somewhere else for a realignment. So, we would say to a customer, ‘Hey, we need your car for two hours’, but then I’d take it somewhere for a realignment, and they’d have it for half the day and we’d have to drop it off and pick it up.”
It also eliminates that key problem of being able to control the quality of the work done, and difficult conversations with customers unhappy with their wheel alignment and repairers who would say, ‘that’s the best we can get it’.
“It’s given better continuity for the customer, which has been really good,” he said.
Matthew said while finding and keeping good staff is a significant issue across the industry, it is even more difficult in remote locations like Alice Springs. But installing the wheel alignment equipment has also been great for his staff retention and happiness.
“I had a tyre fitter who was looking to add another string to his bow, so teaching him wheel alignments and having him do wheel alignments was good for his job satisfaction,” he said.
Matthew has bought a lot of equipment using Capricorn Finance over the years, so he understood the convenience of using the service — including the competitive interest rates, the $0 set-up fee, earning Rewards Points on the purchase and repayments appearing on his monthly Capricorn statement
He praised Area Manager Brad McDonald, who “did all the legwork” of getting in quotes and arranging finance.
“The only delay was in getting the thing freighted here and getting somebody to install it, but that’s just the logistics of living in the desert!” he said. “It was a pretty straightforward, really good experience.”
The end of the financial year is commonly a time when many business owners examine their financial health and look for growth opportunities. If, like Matthew, there’s a piece of equipment you'd like to get, or another investment you’d like to make in your business and you think that a loan would be the right way to make it happen, EOFY can be a great time put those plans into action.
Many suppliers offer big discounts on products and services around this time. Securing a loan through Capricorn Finance, can potentially assist with taking advantage of these sales to help you save on equipment and/or vehicle purchases.*
If you think Capricorn Finance might be right for you, talk to your Area Manager today or log into myCAP and click the Finance link in the ‘Member Value’ section on the homepage to learn more and request a call back.
*This information is general in nature and does not constitute professional or financial advice. Capricorn Finance terms and conditions apply, see full details at cap.coop/tc
