When I first started in the motor trade back in 1974 I can remember on my first day one of the old hands in the workshop telling me 'once you put them overalls on it's very hard to get them off' It was his way of telling me that once I had begun my career path by working on the workshop floor it was very hard to change direction and get into a white collar job.. I have been working in the motor trade for over 37 years now and most of that time has been spent on the workshop floor with a spanner in my hand. For the past eleven years I have been writing a regular four pages a month for 'Car Mechanics Magazine' and having seen so many changes in the industry over my many years, and being always ready to tell my story I thought it was about time I wrote down my experiences. Now updated and re-edited. I hope you will enjoy reading them.