Owners of beloved Angus garage on passing the wrench to next generation

A popular family-run car garage in Forfar hopes to still be around in 2056 after celebrating 30 years in business.

Jim Robb and his wife Alison set up Motech Garage in Forfar in 1996. It has since become a Victoria Street institution, now employing 10 people.

Jim believes Motech has a brave and exciting future ahead with their nephew, Gary Birse, 35, on board. Gary has been working at Motech since 2020.

Jim said:

“We have every confidence that he’ll continue to maintain what we have created and prosper in the coming years, overcoming whatever challenges are set before him along the way.”

Jim began his career in the motor industry 50 years ago, with Stout Brothers on Queenswell Road. He then worked for Fiskens of Forfar, also on Queenswell Road, before starting up on his own.

Motech’s first home was a small, rented garage on Canmore Street. After four years of long hours and hard work, Jim and Alison expanded to their current property nearby. It was previously occupied by Castle Motors, who had coincidentally employed Jim for a spell in 1980.

However, the building had become disused in the previous years, requiring extensive renovation works. But now, 20 years later, it still looks fresh and clean.

While Gary has his finger on the pulse of the future, it is the more traditional ability to serve customers that has helped the business excel in the past three decades.

Alison said:

“We pride ourselves on teamwork, always trying to do our best, caring about our customers and providing a quality, honest, reliable and efficient service.”

The management are also proud of the longevity of their staff.

Mechanics Ryan Coull and Blair Geddes have been employed at Motech since April 2007 and July 2012 respectively, while Lauren Clark, Lesley Munro and Louisa Lyburn keep the administrative side of the business running smoothly.

Jim said:

“We want to thank our dedicated team and our loyal customers who have supported us over the past 30 years.

“I have seen three generations of the same family bring their vehicles to us.

“Word of mouth is the biggest advertisement you can ever have, and we couldn’t have survived this long without it.”

Jim says that vehicles have evolved greatly in the past 30 years, with the likes of AdBlue, emission control, hybrid, and electric creating new and evolving challenges.

This is where Gary comes in. A mechanic since 2007, he has a flair for modern vehicles and has also been a finalist in national apprentice and technician competitions held by Toyota.

Alison said:

“Having Gary on board allows Jim to concentrate on updating the garage equipment & vehicles and maintaining the plant to a high standard.

“It also gives him more time for family life and restoring old vehicles, which he’s always had a passion for, but never had enough time to pursue.”

However, not everyone in the industry is fortunate enough to have such an effortless transition between old and new. “It’s getting difficult for older guys if there’s no young blood to carry it on,” said Jim.

One of the recent challenges has been the proliferation of new sensors inserted onto cars. These are used to monitor performance, meet strict environmental and safety rules, and provide automated convenience features.

“They go wrong quite a lot,” Gary said. “It can also be quite challenging to diagnose errors as there may be various sensors, so it can become expensive.” “There are more computers and more sensors, which makes it more complicated as there are so many different models.

“Often, customers want to know how much a job is going to cost, but it can be hard for us to price this because of all the investigations required. “However, we have invested heavily in the latest diagnostic computer equipment for the current vehicle.”

Gary added:

“Who knows what the technology will be like, even in 10 years’ time?

“But you have to keep moving forward and the plan is to still be here in another 30 years.”

This article appeared in the Courier on 27 August 2026