Crank'd Up Garage is a home-based mechanic and auto electrician workshop on Riselaw Street in Shirley, Christchurch, run by two technicians — Glenn on the auto electrical side and Dan on the mechanical side — who between them bring more than 60 years of experience. The premise is refreshingly simple: all ranges of mechanical and auto electrical repairs are done at one place, so your car only needs dropping to a single location.
On the auto electrical side, the workshop scans both OBD1 (older vehicles) and OBD2/CANBUS vehicles, diagnoses and repairs all electrical faults, supplies and replaces sensors causing the MIL light, and repairs or replaces starter motors and alternators. Cars that fail a WOF for foggy or dirty headlights can be cleaned and polished back into shape. Mechanically, Dan handles everything from routine servicing to brake servicing, cambelts and head gaskets.
The team works to three stated standards: aiming for perfection in every job, keeping technicians well trained to a high standard, and always using the best parts they can when replacing components in your car. Hours are 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday, with weekend visits by phone arrangement on the auto electrical side.
Crank'd Up Garage is the workshop of two long-serving tradesmen on Riselaw Street in Shirley, Christchurch. Glenn is the auto electrician; Dan is the mechanic. Between them they count more than sixty years of experience, and the whole idea of the business flows from that pairing: whatever is wrong with your car — mechanical or electrical — it can be diagnosed and repaired at one address.
For the driver, that arrangement saves the familiar runaround. A warning light on the dash, a starter motor that only clicks, a cambelt coming due, brakes that feel tired: instead of triaging between a mechanical workshop and an auto electrician on opposite sides of town, you drop the car once and both skill sets are on hand.
The auto electrical side covers the full range. Vehicles are scanned on both OBD1 (older vehicles) and OBD2/CANBUS systems, so even older cars aren't locked out of proper diagnostics. Electrical faults of every kind are diagnosed and repaired, and where a sensor is triggering the MIL (malfunction indicator) light, the faulty sensor can be supplied and replaced. Starter motors and alternators are repaired or replaced, and if a car fails its WOF for foggy or dirty headlights, they can be cleaned and polished back into condition.
The mechanical side is just as broad. All ranges of mechanical repairs are handled, from routine servicing through brake servicing, cambelts and head gaskets — and more beyond that. The combination matters: a car that comes in for an electrical gremlin can have its mechanical work seen to in the same visit, and vice versa.
Booking is by phone on 0800 000 927. The line serves both trades, so press 1 to reach Glenn on the auto electrical side or press 2 for Dan on the mechanical side. Both keep the same weekday hours — 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. Saturdays are 'phone first' for the auto electrical work: if you need a weekend appointment, ring ahead and ask. The mechanic's side is closed Saturdays and Sundays, so mechanical jobs are best planned for a weekday.
Because it's a home-based workshop, the experience is more personal than a large service centre. You deal directly with the technician turning the spanner or tracing the wiring, and the same person can explain what was found, what was fixed, and why.
The team sets out three working principles. The first is quality: they aim for perfection in their work, and every technician working on your vehicle works to that standard. The second is professionalism — a well-trained team holding a high standard of workmanship. The third is parts: when components in your car need replacing, they will always use the best parts they can.
Careful work, trained hands and good components are a sensible checklist for any repairer, and it's the promise Crank'd Up Garage makes to every customer who drops a car in the driveway.
A few practical notes make a visit smoother. Call first and use the press-1/press-2 options so your enquiry lands with the right technician straight away. If your car has a warning light showing, mention the make, model and age when you book — with both OBD1 and OBD2/CANBUS scanning available, older vehicles can be read properly too. And if a WOF has just failed on hazy headlights, ask about cleaning and polishing before assuming new lenses are needed.
Whether it's an alternator on its way out, a sensor throwing a code, a cambelt coming due or a full service, Crank'd Up Garage offers Shirley and wider Christchurch drivers something refreshingly straightforward: two experienced trades, one driveway, one drop-off.