Coastline Mobile Mechanical voted best mechanic on the Sunshine Coast

The Sunshine Coast Daily readers have voted for who they think is the best mechanic in the region. Now we can reveal the winner:

A mechanic who turned a simple side business into a full-time success has been named the Sunshine Coast’s best mechanic.

Sunshine Coast Daily readers voted Joel Manley, owner of Coastline Mobile Mechanical, as the region’s best mechanic.

Having worked in the industry for more than 20 years, the 40-year-old said he’d always had a passion for cars.

“When I did my apprenticeship halfway through Year 12, we were doing a lot of drag cars which was a lot of fun for a young guy,” Mr Manley said.

After moving to the Sunshine Coast two years ago from Brisbane Mr Manley said he was thrilled he’d been able to turn a side business into a success.

“I started with safety certificates and doing roadworthies, would do my normal job and then do the roadworthies on the side,’ he said.

The winner Joel Manley from Coastline Mobile Mechanics. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“I went from doing roadworthies and then started seeing people were needing repairs so I started doing servicing.

“But then work was getting in the way, so I thought to myself it’s ready to start full-time.”

Launching the full-time business less than a year ago, Mr Manley said he’d been slowly building up a loyal customer base from Brisbane to Gympie.

Mr Manley said the convenience his business offered by going to any location had proved the secret to his success, especially during the pandemic.

“People can keep working while you’re doing the car and they don’t have to worry about getting down to the mechanics by the end of the day,” he said.

“I’ve had quite a few customers do a contactless thing; they can leave the keys outside and pay online, which is a big drawcard.”

Mr Manley said he hoped to continue to expand his business and potentially employ another person.

“At the moment it’s just me but I’m looking to get the LPG certificate,” he said.

“From there I wouldn’t mind getting into a workshop. It’s fully mobile but to get a hoist and take on the bigger jobs, it can be quite hard doing them on the road.”

The Coast’s best mechanic said he was humbled by winning the 2022 title.

“It was a surprise. You get into the groove of doing stuff every day but you can forget that you do help people,” Mr Manley said.

Originally published as Coastline Mobile Mechanical voted best mechanic on the Sunshine Coast