Jonathan Fry Automotive Ltd

26/03/2026

January through to April is my busiest period of the year and this year it’s been off the scale busy. To compound it this week has been complete and utter hell. As a result I’m exhausted so I’m opening the workshop for three hours only this morning between 9am and 12pm to deal with callbacks/messages and paperwork. The workshop will be closed all day tomorrow, Friday 27th March and will reopen at 8.30am on Monday. I’ll monitor the workshop phone system from home and call back customers as quickly as I can.

The workshop will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday then will close at lunchtime on Wednesday 22nd April and reopen at 8.30am on Tuesday 28th so we can pop down to London in the campervan.

The workshop holiday dates can be viewed on the company website at

The workshop is closed in the evenings, at weekends and on all UK bank holidays. In addition, I take approximately four weeks annual leave per year. Listed below are the dates when I expect the wor…

27/12/2025

I’ve been using the 3CX unified communication system for a number of years. It handles just about everything customers throw at me; voice calls, voicemail, text messages, WhatsApp, call logs and archives. It’s the staging post for customer communications when I’m too busy to get to the desk. It holds all of my customer’s contact details securely and I can access it from anywhere, anytime.

3CX utilises Voice Over IP (VOIP) rather than a traditional telephone line. I’ve been using three different VOIP trunks to handle incoming and outgoing calls and texts. Trunk 1 for incoming calls on 521201, Trunk 2 for incoming calls and texts on 07400 171201 and Trunk 3 for outgoing calls on 521201 (due to silly high call costs on Trunk 1). I’ve been working on streamlining this setup over the Christmas holiday with the aim of reducing my reliance on Trunk 1. To this end I’ve acquired a new main business phone number from Trunk 2 which is now operational.

From the 1st January 2026, outgoing calls from the workshop will originate from 01482 260260. You can call the workshop on this number and I hope you do but it’s not essential. 521201 will continue to operate indefinitely. I’m also taking advantage of least cost routing so calls from the workshop will be routed via either Trunk 2 or Trunk 3 depending on which is the cheapest for that called number but the caller ID will still show as 01482 260260. Trunks 2 & 3 are also setup as failovers for each other so if one goes down 3CX will move outgoing calls to the other automatically.

I’m expecting WhatsApp to be setup and working on 260260 by the end of January 2026. WhatsApp remains operational on the existing numbers and will do indefinitely. If you need to send photos or videos to the workshop please use WhatsApp or email.

Voice calls: 01482 260260 or 07400 171201
Text Messages & WhatsApp: 07400 171201

27/12/2025

The workshop will be open on Monday 29th December between 10.00am and 4.00pm for regular customers only. I will be there to work on my own car and will deal with any vehicle issues during the day.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

20/12/2025

The workshop is now closed for the Christmas and New Year holiday and will reopen at 8.30am on Monday 5th January 2026.

Emergency cover is available on Monday 29th December for regular customers only.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The workshop is closed at the weekends and on all UK bank holidays. In addition, I take approximately four weeks annual leave per year. Listed below are the dates when I expect the workshop to be c…

16/12/2025

Unresolved vehicle recall rules could lead to MOT chaos

MOT test customers have been warned of a potential 'nightmare scenario' that could cause a scramble for repairs if an expected rule change is put in place that would introduce an advisory or automatic MOT failure for unresolved recalls.

Data experts at ADS estimate that more than 50% of dealer databases often contain outdated customer details and that about one in five lapsed customers are currently driving cars with unresolved safety recalls.

Based on the most recent DVSA data, more than five million cars could be affected due to franchise dealers losing contact with their customers and those failing to respond to initial recall notices.

In 2021 alone, more than 2.7 million cars were recalled, but fewer than 800,000 were rectified by dealers.

The previous Government had planned to integrate outstanding recalls into the MOT testing criteria, and the new administration is expected to implement this change, though the timeline remains unclear.

One manufacturer has already partnered with ADS to actively address the backlog of unresolved safety recalls, helping its dealers manage the upcoming demand more smoothly.

"Successive Governments have had a poor track record on decision-making and responsible communications that avoid causing chaos for the automotive industry, so it is wise to get ahead of this problem immediately," said Jon Sheard, operations director of ADS.

"If they don't, depending on how the Government chooses to implement the change, dealers could be overwhelmed by unforeseen demands for new parts and workshop time - leaving large numbers of customers potentially inconvenienced or even off the road."

A senior executive at a major franchise dealer group told ADS: "If this change happens suddenly, we'll be overwhelmed by backlog just clearing MOT failures - let alone routine servicing.

"But this is also an opportunity to reconnect with customers who haven't visited us in years, encouraging them to book recall repairs and servicing at the same time, which will strengthen relationships and ensure future business."

01/12/2025

Now that Drypool Bridge and Bankside have reopened I’ll be reverting back to the published opening time of 8.30am. There is a key dropbox available for customers who wish to leave vehicles before the workshop is open.

The workshop will be closing for the Christmas and New Year holidays at 5.30pm on Friday 19th December 2025 and will reopen at 8.30am on Monday 5th January 2026. If you need assistance over the holiday period please phone the workshop and leave a voicemail message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

I’d like to wish all of my customers and suppliers a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year 🎄🎁🥳

04/11/2025

The workshop will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday 5th November so Debbie and I can attend a funeral. I should be able to answer calls and messages from home during the morning but will need to silence my phone at lunchtime.

The workshop should then be open every weekday until Friday 19th December when I’ll close for Christmas. If the opportunity arises I will be closing early every Friday once all jobs are completed and collected.

16/09/2025

Temporary Earlier Opening Time.

Due to the closure of Drypool Bridge, Sculcoates (Chapman Street) Bridge and Bankside the congestion on Freetown Way and North Bridge is significant during both the morning and afternoon rush hours.

Until the end of September I’ll be opening the workshop at 8.00am to make it easier for customers who are dropping cars off to avoid the worst of the traffic and will close as soon as all work is completed and vehicles collected so I can avoid it on my way home.

I’m hoping Bankside will reopen before the end of September which should alleviate some of the congestion and I’ll review the opening times then.

28/07/2025

I’ve arrived at work this morning to find Wincolmlee closed at the junction of Bromley Street with diversions in place. This will not affect customers arriving at the workshop but there’s a diversion in place for those leaving.

Just like last time, there are multiple vehicles ignoring the Road Closed signs and driving through the closure. Worse than that, two vehicles in the last ten minutes driving the wrong way down Wincolmlee which is a one-way street.

Today could get quite interesting!!

25/07/2025

Debbie and I are taking one week off at the end of August/beginning of September so we can pop down to Henley-on-Thames, The New Forest and London in the campervan.

The workshop will close at 5.30pm on Thursday 28th August and will reopen at 8.30am on Monday 8th September 2025.

I am not expecting this to cause any disruption. I'll be in touch with customers who are due in around this time to ensure they are booked either side of our week off.

Once again, please ensure you have the correct contact details for the workshop. Contact cards are available from the workshop and I'll be leaving them in vehicles which are booked in.

26/06/2025

I’ve done something to my back overnight, possibly trapped a nerve and I’m in agony. I’ve rescheduled today and tomorrow’s work into next week and I’m closing the workshop until 8.30am on Monday morning (30th June).

I’ll still be able to take calls, answer messages and access the job system from home if you need to get in touch.