European car parts and repair specialists SD European has come a long way since its humble beginnings in an old farm shed in Horotiu.
The company has a new 700sqm state-of-the-art European Service Centre in Norris Ave, Te Rapa, opened in mid-March after two months of refurbishment.
The addition of a second premises in the city is a show of confidence by the Hamilton company that has traded successfully out of its Horotiu site for three decades.
With flags flying, and freshly decked out in SD European’s black and yellow livery, the new premises just off Mahana Road and the Bryant Road traffic roundabout is clearly open for business.
Customers stepping into the service centre can expect to be greeted by newly appointed and vastly experienced service advisor Shayne Williams and receptionist Brooke Cullinane.
The Service Centre is now equipped with 7 hoists to get through the workload
The new service centre is equipped with eight service bays, the latest diagnostic equipment, a new 6.3-tonne hoist, a state-of-the-art $45,000 Hunter Elite wheel alignment system, a computerised spare parts mezzanine store, and parking space for 50 vehicles.
All this means there isn’t much in the way of automotive servicing that SD European’s team of highly skilled technicians cannot tackle, and their services range from a straightforward WOF or tyre change all the way through to complicated computer diagnostics, re-programming and engine rebuilds.
Seated in the customer service lounge next to his other new acquisition, an impressive coffee machine, Steve Daly is quietly confident SD European is on track for growth.
“Since we’ve been based in Horotiu for the last 30 years, the addition of a new site is a huge deal for us, being able to offer more services and professionalism,” Steve said.
Specialising in the European marques, SD European has a solid reputation among BMW, Audi, VW, and Skoda drivers and lately added VW commercials vehicles and Mercedes to the list they are equipped to handle.
Steve says the new hoist, plus the fact the Norris Ave workshop has a higher ceiling, were the critical factors that allowed SD European to move into servicing VW Transporter, Crafter, Amarok, and Caddy and Mercedes Sprinter models.
In addition, besides its growing service business, the company can boast one of the country’s largest new and second-hand European spare parts stores, from their Horotiu premises.
“It is our point of difference to other workshops,” Steve explains. “One of the bonuses we can offer customers who bring their vehicles to us for service or repair is great value because we also have the used car dismantling business 10-minutes up the road in Horotiu. If we need a part, new or second-hand, chances are we’ll have it in stock, can access it more quickly, and can test it before fitting when possible.”
Steve and two of his sons, Justin and Garett, both of whom are shareholders in SD European, have had a lifetime of European vehicle experience, starting with Steve’s first BMW in 1984, and Justin and Garett have owned and repaired many European cars over the years.
The spares arm of SD European, housed on kilometres of shelving in large, repurposed farm buildings at Horotiu, currently accounts for the lion’s share of his business.
That’s not surprising – SD European is known throughout New Zealand thanks to a far-reaching marketing strategy that in the past utilised every regional and town Yellow Pages book Steve could find.
Nowadays the family-run company relies on an up-to-date website with active Instagram and Facebook social media accounts to reach customers.
The decision to move the servicing arm into the city made a lot of business sense, Steve says.
It bought the premises closer to customers while SD European’s fleet of 11 courtesy cars meant folk could easily access other amenities while waiting to have their vehicle returned to them.
“Being specialists, with specialist technicians, we understand European vehicles and their fault characteristics. This, along with the latest diagnostic technology we have available, enables our technicians to fault find and repair in a minimal amount of time, which saves you expense.”
Passionate about his business, Steve is quietly proud of another of his success stories, his three sons.
Operations manager Justin, service manager Garett, who are both shareholders, and marketing manager Brook are all deeply involved in SD European.
“They have all been involved since they could walk. They have all pulled cars apart, they all know the business from the bottom up,” Steve says.
And that depth of experience extends to his team of five franchise-trained automotive technicians, all of whom have in-depth experience servicing European cars.
