Let me be straight with you - the automotive industry has a reputation problem. Too many workshops see customers as dollar signs instead of people. They recommend services you don’t need, replace parts that are fine, and make you feel like you can’t trust your own mechanic.
I’ve heard the stories. Customers come to me after being quoted $3,000 for repairs they didn’t need. Single mums told their car is unsafe when it just needs a minor fix. Elderly folks charged for work that was never done. It makes my blood boil because that’s not what this trade is supposed to be about.
After 10 years of running a mobile service from home, I’ve built a reputation on doing the opposite - telling people the truth, even when it costs me money. My brother Nev and I decided it was time to take that approach and scale it up. That’s why we’re opening Rodz Automotive.
I’ve been a mechanic since I was 14 years old. I started in the family business, K & J Rodda, learning the fundamentals from my grandfather and father. They built that business on a simple principle: treat every customer’s car like it’s your own.
My stepdad Mike guided me through my apprenticeship. He taught me that being a good mechanic isn’t just about technical skills - it’s about honesty. He’d say, “Howie, if you wouldn’t recommend it for your own car, don’t recommend it for theirs.” That stuck with me.
1. We’ve Outgrown Home
For the past decade, I’ve been operating from home with one hoist. It worked well when I was just servicing a handful of loyal customers, but word-of-mouth has been powerful. Now I’ve got customers waiting days for appointments because I can only work on one vehicle at a time. They deserve better than that.
2. People Need a Workshop They Can Trust
Every week, someone tells me about a bad experience with another mechanic. They’re scared, frustrated, and don’t know who to trust. Frankston and Langwarrin deserve a workshop where you know - without a doubt - that you’re getting honest advice and quality work.
3. It’s Time to Scale What Works
I’ve proven the model works. Honest service, fair pricing, quality workmanship. No upselling, no BS. Just straight-up advice on what your car actually needs. My client base has grown organically over 10 years because people trust this approach. Now it’s time to serve more people with the same values.
My brother Nev and I have always been different. I chose spanners, he chose marketing and code. I’m the hands-on guy who loves getting under the bonnet - technically minded, practical, happiest with tools in my hands, just like dad. Nev’s the entrepreneurial one, the computer guy who taught himself to code and builds ideas into reality.
He’s been watching the business grow for years, saying “Howie, you’ve outgrown home. You need a proper shop.” He saw the potential before I did - how many people in Frankston and Langwarrin need a mechanic they can actually trust.
Nev and his partner Felicity built a successful marketing agency in New Zealand called Sea Digital over several years. They know how to build brands, create online presence, and connect with customers. Now they’re working behind the scenes to help build Rodz into a strong online presence - the website, booking systems, digital marketing, all the stuff that modern businesses need but that I know nothing about.
So we’re doing this together. When we were deciding on a name, Nev and I both knew it had to be “Rodz” - a homage to Dad and the racing car days we look back on as the best time of our lives.
When dad raced speedway, they called him “Hotrod.” He raced cars for 25 years and took us around Australia as kids, up until we were about 15. Those years traveling to races, watching him work on engines, being around the pits - that’s where we both learned what dedication and craftsmanship look like. The name “Rodz” is a tribute to him, to Grandad, and to those memories. Grandad taught Dad, then Dad and my stepdad Mike taught me.
The name represents that lineage and the values they passed down. That’s what Rodz Automotive is built on.
But it’s also about our partnership: I handle the mechanical side, the quality work, the customer relationships. Nev and Felicity handle the business operations, marketing, and building the systems that make everything run smoothly.
We're not trying to be the biggest workshop in Frankston. We're trying to be the most trustworthy. The place where you know you're getting straight-up advice, where we tell you the truth even when it costs us money, where "your car doesn't need that right now" is a sentence you'll actually hear.
That's what Rodz Automotive is about - bringing old-school values to modern automotive service.
Rodz Automotive isn’t just a workshop - it’s what happens when you combine 20+ years of mechanical expertise with a genuine commitment to doing right by customers. Here’s what that looks like:
Honest Diagnostics We’ll never tell you something’s broken when it’s not. If your car doesn’t need work, we’ll tell you. If there’s a cheaper fix that’ll work just as well, we’ll recommend it. Your trust is worth more than any single job.
Quality Workmanship I learned this trade properly, from people who believed in doing things right. That’s what you get at Rodz - work I’d be happy to have done on my own car.
Proper Equipment Multiple hoists, professional diagnostic tools, everything needed to service your vehicle efficiently and correctly. No more waiting days for an appointment or cutting corners because of limited equipment.
Real Communication We’ll explain what’s wrong, why it needs fixing, and what your options are - in plain English, not mechanic jargon designed to confuse you.
Here’s the thing - I could have kept operating from home indefinitely. It was comfortable, profitable, less risky. But every time someone told me about getting ripped off by another workshop, every time I saw a customer relieved because I told them the truth instead of trying to upsell them, I thought: more people need this.
Frankston and Langwarrin deserve a workshop that puts customer trust above profits. Where single parents don't get taken advantage of. Where elderly folks get treated with respect, not seen as easy targets. Where anyone can bring their car and know they're getting honest advice.
That's why we're starting Rodz Automotive. Not to get rich. Not to build an empire. But to prove that you can run a successful automotive business while treating people right.
Opening your own workshop is a big risk. There’s equipment to buy, rent to pay, staff to hire, insurance, regulations - a hundred things that could go wrong. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.
But here’s what I keep coming back to: I’ve built a solid reputation over 10 years by doing things right. Customers trust me because I’ve earned it - one honest conversation, one fair price, one quality repair at a time. That doesn’t change just because I’m moving into a bigger building.
The partnership makes this work. I’m not trying to be a businessman who also fixes cars - I’m a mechanic partnering with people who understand business, marketing, and systems. Nev and Felicity aren’t trying to be mechanics who also do marketing - they’re handling the digital presence and operations that let me focus on what I do best: quality automotive work.
Together, we’re building something that Frankston and Langwarrin actually need - a workshop you can trust completely, backed by a team that knows how to run a business properly.
We’re setting up in Frankston with everything needed to provide the service our community deserves:
Same values. Same honesty. Same quality work. Just more capacity to help more people.
If you’re tired of not trusting your mechanic, we’re building this for you.
If you’ve ever felt like you were being taken advantage of at a workshop, we’re building this for you.
If you want a place where you can ask questions and get straight answers, where you’re treated with respect regardless of how much you know about cars, where honesty isn’t just a slogan - we’re building this for you.
To my existing clients: you already know what we’re about. Thank you for 10 years of trust. We’re taking that same service and making it available to more people.
To everyone else in Frankston and Langwarrin: come give us a try. Ask questions. Get a second opinion on work another shop recommended. Let us show you what honest automotive service looks like.
This is why we’re starting Rodz Automotive. This is what we’re building. And we’d love to have you be part of it.
Howie Rodda has been a qualified mechanic for over 20 years, starting his career at 14 in the family business K & J Rodda. Trained by his stepdad Mike during his apprenticeship, Howie has operated a successful mobile service from home for the past decade. Together with his brother Nev, he’s now opening Rodz Automotive in Frankston to serve the wider community with honest, quality automotive service.
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