Graham

From an early age Graham enjoyed taking apart his toy cars just to see how to put them back together again so it was hardly surprising that this curiosity finally led him to become a mechanic.

After leaving Westgate School, Graham went on to study a 1 year mechanics course at Eastleigh College and earned himself a City and Guilds Qualification. Graham then worked at a small independent garage whilst continuing studying on a part-time basis for a further two years until he became a fully qualified mechanic. After a few years Graham went on to work at another local garage.

It was working for independent traders that gave Graham a varied knowledge of many different models of cars which has subsequently given him the confidence to tackle any problem.

In 1995 Graham decided the time was right to establish his own business and set up Phoenix Auto Services. He dedicated many long hours working single-handedly for the first 5 years and then only with the aid of Martin until 2005, to establish a flourishing and successful Company, which has now expanded twice since it’s initial opening.

Nowadays Graham enjoys escaping to his holiday caravan during the summer weekends (which is situated on a park on the South Coast) to relax and spend time with his two sons to prevent him from working 7 days a week!

Martin

The majority of our customers will remember Martin, who originally joined us in 2000 as a “Saturday boy” helping Graham to wash cars etc.

Upon leaving school, Martin joined Phoenix full time and underwent an apprenticeship, working hard to help Graham build a flourishing business. However, in 2006 Martin left us for a brief period to explore new opportunities and successfully became an MOT Tester in classes IV and VII. Having realised that his roots lie at Phoenix, we are pleased to announce that Martin has recently re-joined us and, from the numerous comments we have received so far, many of our customers welcome his return also.

Martin’s interests include restoring classic motorbikes, cars, football and, more recently, has started playing golf although it may be a little while before he will be able to boast about an impressive handicap!

Simon

Simon is our newest member of staff and joined our team at the beginning of this year, after having loyally worked for Hodges in Southampton for an incredible 16 years.

Simon initially undertook his apprenticeship with Renault after leaving college and has gained a wealth of knowledge during his many years in the motor trade.

Simon is a family man who has three children and he enjoys spending his evenings and weekends supporting them in their various sporting pursuits including football, cross country running and cycle racing, in addition to their other activities such as cubs and scouts.

If there is any time left for Simon to pursue his own interests then he enjoys cycling, walking, sight- seeing and visiting places of general interest. His love of motor cars infuses his pursuit of motor sports including DTM racing, motor cycle racing and his favourite of all, Drag Racing.

Our history

Phoenix Auto Services was established in 1995 by Graham Farmer, initially working from his parents’ driveway but Graham soon realised that he needed proper premises. Graham rented his first workshop in a small shared unit in The Dean, Alresford where he remained for 5 years gradually building a solid customer base.

Phoenix Auto Services expanded in the year 2000 and the business moved to larger premises at The Huxley Centre, also in The Dean, for the next 5 years. It was whilst at these premises, Graham employed Martin as a ‘Saturday boy’ and once Martin left school he undertook an apprenticeship. He is now a huge asset to the company.

Phoenix spent a year in a temporary unit whilst its purpose-built premises were in the making. It was a tough year with limited space for a thriving business, but we coped. The support of our loyal customers, trudging through a muddy building site to bring their cars to us, was a major contribution to our survival.

Finally in April 2006, Phoenix was able to move into its brand new premises, complete with MoT Centre, ready to offer our customers much more including tyres and exhausts as well as the normal servicing. We were amazed and delighted at the reception we received by local residents and we were soon run off our feet.

Graham continually strives to provide up-to-date services to offer to his customers and has invested in many initiatives and modern equipment in order to keep ahead of the progressing motoring industry. As the business has grown, Graham has gradually employed more staff to cater for the busy workload and all our helpful and friendly technicians are hand-picked for their experience and dedication to quality. You’ll find City & Guilds certified technicians who stay up-to-date on the latest repair techniques.
Graham oversees the day to day running of his business and continues to maintain the high standards which have always been his priority for his customers from the beginning.