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Monday 8am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8am - 5:30pm Thursday 8am - 5:30pm Friday 8am - 5:30pm

Sims Brothers Garage

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Sims Brothers Garage

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We are a friendly, honest, skilled mechanical workshop. We perform Warrant of Fitness inspections on cars, vans, 4WD and trailers.

We perform Warrant of Fitness inspections, diagnostics, competitive repairs and servicing on most vehicles. We service and repair many vehicles, from late-model Mercedes and Toyota to boat trailers and caravans to light commercials and vans.

29/10/2026

🔧 PUTTING OFF THAT SERVICE? IT COULD COST YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK!

Two cars, both booked in for their annual WOF inspections, were overdue for servicing based on their mileage.

While checking engine oil levels isn't part of a WOF inspection, our team noticed the overdue servicing and quickly checked the dipsticks.

Good thing we did! 👀

Both vehicles had oil levels that were well below where we'd like to see them.

Engine oil doesn't last forever, and some engines consume oil between services. Stretching out service intervals without checking your oil level can put your engine at risk of premature wear or even serious damage.

💡 The takeaway? Saving a few dollars by delaying a service could cost you thousands in an engine replacement.

A WOF checks your vehicle's roadworthiness. Regular servicing keeps it mechanically sound.

Two cars, two quick checks, and a timely reminder that preventative maintenance pays.

📍 Sims Brothers Garage, 29 Ward Street, Dunedin.

21/10/2026

🔎 Four spark plugs, four little windows into an engine.

When we remove spark plugs, we look at more than whether they’re due for replacement. Where possible, we line them up in cylinder order and compare their condition, looking for differences that could help explain a customer’s concerns.

Colour, deposits and wear all provide clues. They don’t tell the whole story, but they help us decide what to check next. 🔧

It’s the attention to detail that goes into a service at Sims Brothers Garage.

08/10/2026

🔧 It’s only a bit of plastic… right?

This Ford came in missing its underbody tray and left-front inner guard liner.
They might seem like fairly insignificant pieces of plastic, but take a look at what was hiding further in. 👀

Without those panels in place, dirt, water and road debris had been thrown directly into the engine control module.

To make matters worse, the bracket supporting the module was also broken, leaving very little holding the enclosure together. Once we opened it up, we found the electronics and wiring surrounded by an impressive amount of dirt.

Modern vehicles have electronics tucked away everywhere, including underneath them. Those undertrays, guards, covers and brackets aren't just there to make things look tidy. They're there for a reason.

Sometimes replacing that broken or missing piece of plastic can save a much more expensive problem later on.

🔧 Sims Brothers Garage

29/09/2026

“But someone else can do it cheaper…”

We hear it from time to time, and that's fair. There will nearly always be someone who can do a job for less.

But this is a good example of why price isn't the whole story.

At some point, these brakes had been fitted with rotors that were too small for the vehicle's brake setup.

They fitted.
The wheels went back on.
The car stopped.

Job done, right? 🤔

Not quite.

Take a closer look at the old pads. Around 10% of the friction material was hanging past the edge of the rotor, meaning it had never actually contacted the disc. As the rest of the pad wore away, that untouched section remained.

We fitted the correct-size rotors and new pads, and the difference speaks for itself.

We're not interested in being the cheapest workshop in town. We want to make sure we fit the right parts, do the job properly, and send your car out the way it should.

Sometimes cheaper is cheaper for a reason. 🔧

24/09/2026

🛞 “It’s only flat, can I just drive it to the workshop?”

This is why our answer is usually no.

This tyre was driven while flat, and although the damage might not have looked too dramatic from the outside, once we removed it from the wheel the story was very different. 👀

With no air pressure supporting the tyre, the sidewall gets crushed between the road and the wheel with every rotation. The result here is severe internal damage, with the rubber literally being ground away inside the tyre.

At this point, the tyre is beyond repair, regardless of what caused the original puncture.

If you get a flat, pull over somewhere safe as soon as you can. A puncture that may have been repairable can quickly become a replacement tyre after being driven on.

Sometimes what matters most is what you can't see from the outside. 🔧

10/09/2026

🔧 Race prep is well underway! 🏁

A slightly different job in the workshop today, checking and setting the valve clearances as part of the preparation for the first round of the South Island Endurance Series.

I'll be stepping up to the 1 Hour race, which means making sure the Civic is ready for a very different challenge. An hour of continuous racing puts plenty of stress on the engine, drivetrain, brakes, tyres and, probably most importantly, the driver! 😅

Jobs like valve clearances aren't particularly glamorous, but this is where reliability starts. Check it, measure it, adjust it, and hopefully eliminate one more thing that could spoil the weekend.

The countdown is on. 🔧🏁

02/09/2026

🔥 My clutch slips going uphill...

That was the customer’s concern when this vehicle arrived at Sims Brothers Garage.

Once we removed the gearbox, the reason became pretty clear! 👀

The clutch had reached the end of its life, with significant wear to the friction material and plenty of heat marking on the flywheel and pressure plate from slipping.

A slipping clutch often first becomes noticeable under heavy load, such as when accelerating up a hill. The engine revs climb, but the vehicle doesn’t accelerate as it should.

Other warning signs can include:
🔧 A high clutch engagement point
🔧 Revs flaring under acceleration
🔧 A burning smell after a hill or hard acceleration
🔧 Difficulty getting the vehicle moving under load

Catching the symptoms early is worthwhile. Once a clutch starts slipping, it generally won't get better!

26/08/2026

😳 Well... we weren't expecting to find THAT!

This BMW came into the workshop with a pretty straightforward customer concern: the engine was running rough.

After putting it on the hoist, found a wee oil leak. Something definitely wasn't right...

Further investigation uncovered the culprit: a naturally venting crankcase and a wonky conrod 😬

Yes, the engine was still running.

It's not every day a rough-running engine leads you here, and even our technicians were a little stunned when the cause became clear.

Sometimes the symptoms really don't tell the whole story. 🔧

👉 Swipe across for the reveal.

18/08/2026

🔧 A wee oil leak... with a pretty big repair!

This Subaru came into the workshop with an engine oil leak between the cam covers and the timing cover.

Unfortunately, getting to the source of the leak on this engine isn't quite as simple as replacing a gasket.

Engine out. Front of the engine stripped down. 😳

With the engine on the bench, we can properly access the timing cover and cam cover sealing surfaces, reseal everything correctly and make sure the repair is done properly before it all goes back together.

It's a good example of why we don't like guessing when it comes to oil leaks. Finding exactly where the oil is coming from before starting the repair is pretty important, especially when this much work is involved!

Swipe through to see just how far we had to go. 👉

05/08/2026

🚨 "It was stopping... until it wasn't!" 🚨

This is why regular brake inspections are so important! 👀🛑

This customer came in for a service, and during our inspection, we found something you definitely don't want hiding inside your brakes...

💥 The brake lining had completely separated from the brake shoe and shattered into pieces inside the drum!

👉 Swipe through the photos to see the damage.
What can happen when this occurs?
⚠️ Reduced braking performance
⚠️ Pulling when braking
⚠️ Grinding or clunking noises
⚠️ Damage to other brake components
⚠️ In some cases... a complete loss of braking on that wheel.

The scary part? 😳 Many drivers don't realise there's a problem until it's too late.

🔧 Did you know?
At Sims Brothers Garage, we measure your brake pad and brake shoe thickness during every service. We record the measurements so both you and our technicians can monitor how quickly they're wearing.

This means:
✅ We can keep an eye on brake wear over time.
✅ You get plenty of notice before they reach their replacement limit.
✅ You can budget and plan ahead instead of being surprised by an unexpected repair.
✅ Most importantly, we help keep your vehicle safe on the road.
In this case, a routine inspection found a serious problem before it had the chance to become an even bigger safety risk.

🚗 Your brakes are your vehicle's most important safety feature. Don't wait until they tell you there's a problem!

📞 Book your next service with Sims Brothers Garage and let us keep an eye on your brakes, so you can drive away with confidence.

Address

29 Ward Street
Dunedin
9016

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8am - 5:30pm
Friday	8am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+6434771110

Website

https://www.simsbros.nz/

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