Meet Lee, who has recently been promoted to Assistant Manager at Bodyshop Newcastle

Meet Lee Elliott.

Lee has been a part of the team at Lloyd Bodyshop Newcastle for 21 years. At the age of 15 Lee joined us through a YTS Scheme to become a Body Fitter and was one of the first people in the country to gain a High Voltage skill through Porsche!

Over the last five years Lee has been our Workshop Controller and Technician until June this year where Lee received a promotion to Assistant Manager. We had a catch up with Lee to find out what he likes about working for Lloyd Motor Group and if he really can train a dog using sign language!



 

Talk us through a typical day in your role.

So, my day starts off with checking through emails and checking my diary and making a note and a plan of action for my day ahead. I then go through progress reports with our workshop controller and reception team to get updates on repairs so we can keep our customers updated as often as possible, and go through any issues we may have.

The rest of my day is pretty much taken up by carrying out estimates and damage assessments, dealing with insurance companies, contacting customers and learning as much as I can about forecasts, figures and the business sides of things from my manager Paul!
 

What do you like about working for Lloyd Motor Group?

I like the job stability that the company brings and the fact that even though it is a huge company it is still a family run business is massive to me.  I like that we have a state of the art work shop to work in and that the company is always willing to invest, not only in the latest equipment but also in training and staff progression.

 

Tell us 2 truths and a lie about yourself?*

I have a deaf dalmatian that I have trained using sign language.

I am a qualified scuba diver.

I am a massive Sunderland fan 

 

What has been the biggest change in the motor industry since you started?

The biggest change in the motor industry I have noticed is how technical the job has become. When I first started as an MET technician it was all more or less nuts and bolts and very little diagnostic/computer work. Over the past 10-15 year with the introduction of High Voltage vehicles and ADAS and various other safety systems it has become a lot more computer orientated and technically advanced. Luckily enough I feel I came into the trade at the right time and through Lloyd I have gained various qualifications and completed a lot of training courses to set me up for the ever-changing world of the motor repair industry. There is always new technology and new ways of doing stuff so you never stop learning!
 

Electric cars offer a huge opportunity for motoring. What are your thoughts on the future of electric driving?

I’m still a little on the fence at the moment as its still relatively new, but I do think they are getting better as time is going on as in longer battery life and faster charging. We are seeing a lot more of them through our workshops so they are becoming a lot more popular! I do believe in the next 10-20 year we will see a massive influx in electric cars and will make the repair industry that little more challenging but you need to adapt and change with the times. Time will tell!


*The lie is: I am a massive Sunderland fan!