When the mechanic comes to you, the job starts before the van pulls up. A few minutes of preparation on your side means less time spent hunting for the car, fewer surprises once a wheel is off, and a visit that gets done what it was booked for.
Give us an address we can actually find
Dublin estates can be a maze, and plenty of houses share a road name with three other places in the county. An Eircode takes us to the right front door, so send it when you book. If the car is not at the house, tell us where it really sits: the level of the multi-storey, the bay number, the side of the office block. A pin dropped on a map works too.
For an apartment block, tell us how we get in. A car park behind a barrier or a fob gate is fine, but someone needs to let the van through or meet us at the entrance.
Check the work is allowed there
Most driveways are no problem. Some places are different:
- Apartment and office car parks often have management company rules about repairs on site. Ask them before the day, and the visit will not be cut short by a security guard.
- On a public road we need a safe spot away from traffic, with room to work on the side away from passing cars. Double yellow lines or a footpath are not an option for a long job.
- If the car is in a shared yard or a work car park, mention it so we can plan where the van goes.
Firm, flat ground matters
Lifting a car safely needs a hard, level surface. Tarmac, concrete and block paving are good. Gravel, grass and a steep slope are not, for anything that takes a wheel off. If your drive slopes, say so when you book and we will work out where the car can go. Sometimes the answer is simply rolling it onto the flat road in front of the house.
Find the locking wheel nut key
Many cars have one locking nut on each wheel, and it needs its own key to come off. Without it, a simple brake job turns into a much longer one. It usually lives in the boot, under the floor beside the spare or the tyre kit, or in the glovebox. Look for it the night before. If it has gone missing, tell us before we set off.
Leave the keys and the details handy
We need the keys to move the car, start it and see what the dashboard is saying. If you will be at work while we are at the house, agree a handover when you book. The registration and a rough idea of the mileage help us bring the right parts the first time.
Describe the fault in your own words
You do not need the technical name for anything. “A grinding noise from the back left when I brake” or “the orange engine light came on after the motorway” is exactly what we want to hear. A short video of a noise, or a photo of the dashboard, is often worth more than a long description. Our page on brake replacement at home shows the kind of job that is done on a driveway.
What we bring, and what we do not
The van carries the tools, the jack and the diagnostic kit. Parts are priced and agreed with you before we order or fit anything. Some jobs need a ramp or a workshop, and if yours is one of them we say so before we start, not halfway through. There is more on this in what to know before you book.
Rain and short afternoons
A lot of work carries on fine in the rain, but some jobs are better under cover, and the short winter afternoons limit how long we can see properly outside. If a carport or garage is free, let us know. If the forecast is bad enough to change the plan, we ring you before we leave.
Ready to book
We work as a mechanic that comes to you across Dublin. Have the Eircode, the registration and a line about the problem ready, and ring us:
087 452 4853