SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL

I’m all about supporting our local workshops and parts suppliers. Perhaps that’s because my old man ran his own workshop for many years, and some of my closest friends do the same now. Either way, I try to avoid sending cash overseas unless absolutely necessary. Spending coin locally, even if it ends up costing me a little more than what I could have bought a part or service online for, also means that more can be put back into the community — a wider range of parts becomes available, companies continue to develop new innovative components, and it even comes down to having a bigger sponsorship budget to help out the new guys.

Yes, there are a few cowboy operations around, and I recently got stung by less-than-perfect workmanship — a well-known engine reconditioner mucked up what I thought was a pretty rudimentary task by incorrectly machining a pair of valves, twice, to the point that the final product would have guaranteed a lot of money down the drain on my freshly built engine. But I like think that that was an exception, and many local places really come to the party when it counts.

I put it out there to all local businesses to remember that customers will support you if they feel valued and supported in return, as the car community and business sector will never be a one-way street. At a time when the cowboys are hard to spot, those who work hard to look after their customer base are the ones whose names will continue to float around in conversation.

Local businesses get recognized for every car they put work into — especially when it comes to the cars being featured in NZ Performance Car — so we, the car owners, also have a responsibility to support local businesses with our wallets not just our keyboards.

I’ve been lucky enough to have a few local businesses help me out over the years, even when it simply came down to chucking in their two cents about what I was trying to achieve at that point in time, often advising an alternative to their product or service as the best option — that’s what I call dedication to the customer, and I will always remember that when it comes to needing what they offer in future.

There is a point to this vague ramble, and it is that I’m thankful that we have so many workshops and suppliers that strive to put back into the community what they receive, and that our readers are an onto-it-enough bunch to understand the importance of supporting such places.

Support your local — I’ll catch you all at Manfeild for Jambo!