Cotteridge Car Care

About this location

A few stories people tell about this place

1. At Cotteridge Car Care, something strange started happening one morning when a delivery driver exclaimed, ‘Hey, look at that tire!’ It turned out that overnight, while everyone was asleep, someone had drawn a giant smiley face on the side of the tire with white paint. Since then, every morning at Cotteridge Car Care starts with a good laugh and a mystery: who’s the prankster behind the wheel?

2. At Cotteridge Car Care, one day a delivery driver noticed an odd humming sound coming from under the hood of every vehicle he serviced. Curious, he mentioned it to no one but his colleague, who happened to be a mechanic. Together they traced the noise to a tiny, singing bird nestled between the engine parts. It turned out that every time a new car arrived, a little sparrow would fly in and build its home there. Soon enough, Cotteridge Car Care became known as ‘the place where birds sing while fixing your ride’.

3. At Cotteridge Car Care, one night after closing, a mechanic heard a voice whispering from under the hood of a parked car. "Need some help here," it said in a sleepy tone. The mechanic peered inside and saw nothing but spark plugs and wires. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was trying to communicate. The next morning, no trace remained except for an old sock stuck between two spark plugs. Turns out, a neighborhood cat had been using the engine compartment as its bed. Everyone got a good laugh over coffee, and life at Cotteridge Car Care went back to normal—except now they always checked under the hoods before leaving for the day.

4. At Cotteridge Car Care, one afternoon a delivery driver found a mysterious toolbox left on the loading dock. Inside were tools that seemed to fit no known vehicles. The next day, a regular customer noticed an old poster for vintage cars stuck inside one of the toolboxes. Turned out it was just an antique collection from the mechanic’s grandfather. Everyone had a good laugh and enjoyed some stories about classic cars over coffee.