Tuesday 30 June 2015

The Whitby Connection

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Friends reunited at
Derek Slack Motors

Two old friends, Andy McCarthy and Mark Calvert are back together as new faces working at Derek Slack Motors having both spent time at Harrisons MG Rover on Upgang Lane in Whitby. The pair bring a wealth of motor-trade experience to the expanding SKODA and ISUZU dealership on Cargo Fleet Middlesbrough.
 
Andy from Whitby began by saying; ‘This is an exciting opportunity to be working once again with a family run dealership with SKODA roots spanning almost 25 years. Meeting up with Mark brings a real Whitby connection to the dealership and it’s a perfect time to be reunited during a period of SKODA expansion making the dealership one of the largest operations in the UK.
Andy continued, ‘We both enjoyed our time with Harrisons MG Rover, but lost touch when I began working for DeVries Honda in Northallerton, Stockton and Scarborough and for those of you with even longer memories at Arundale Nissan on Whitby’s Stakesby Road.
Before joining the Derek Slack Motors team, Mark Calvert served his apprenticeship with Universal Garage, in the company of Singer cars and Fordson tractor. Mark also spent time working as a mechanic with Cleveland Police, before leaving our shores to work in Africa and Singapore.
‘I came back to the north east In 1993 working with Cowie Redcar and Dawwoo cars in Hartlepool. Andy and I go way back. Before Harrisons became a Ford Service Point, we enjoyed working together with MG-Rover in our home town of Whitby. Being back together after all these years to work in a family run dealership once again, and with such an exciting future is a remarkable story.

Tuesday 16 June 2015

25 years with SKODA

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It’s business as usual at Derek Slack Motors, behind the building work we’re still busy selling new SKODA and approved used vehicles, servicing, valeting, and delivering genuine parts and accessories from our new state-of-the-art parts department. In fact, exactly what we've being doing for nearly the last 25 years, as the north east's oldest SKODA dealership. Why not call in and take advantage of some of the huge savings currently available as we make space for the diggers.






ŠKODA roots in the Czech Republic







In 2015 more than seventy thousand ŠKODA trees are going to take root in the Czech Republic

With the support of its employees, ŠKODA AUTO has selected tree planting as a symbol of the company’s focus on social responsibility ecological values. Since 2007 ŠKOA AUTO has planted one tree for every car sold in the Czech Republic. As a result the ‘A Tree Planted For Each Car Sold in the Czech Republic’ project has allowed for more than 480,000 trees in more than fifty locations to be planted before the end of 2014. In 2015 the project is going to support planting another 70,200 new trees in selected regions of the Czech Republic, reflecting the number of ŠKODAs sold in the domestic market in 2014. Since the very beginning the company employees have actively participated in the project. They help searching for suitable locations, propose areas for planting and often get their hands dirty in the planting process itself. Such active participation strengthens the employees’ bond with the place where they live and work.

Looking for a new partner?... SKODA Octavia has pulling power.






SKODA Octavia Pulls its Weight in the Tow Car Awards 2015

SKODA pick up even more awards, in the ‘’Tow Car Awards’ with the ŠKODA Octavia 2.0-litre TDI CR 150PS Business winner in the ‘Up To 1,400kg’ car category.  The award comes hot on the back of previous success with The ŠKODA Superb 2.0-litre TDI 170 4x4 Elegance and ŠKODA Superb Estate 2.0 TDI CR 170 SE both being successful winning their classes. 

Steve Orton- General Manager at Derek Slack Motors, (the oldest SKODA dealership in the North East with nearly 25 years experience) said, “Those looking for summer trips away with a caravan will find the Octavia offers outstanding stability and speed, towing with the security of a much bigger car. Inside, space is cavernous, with lots of room for comfort making it practical for both towing and family duties

The Tow Car Awards are a joint venture between The Camping and Caravanning Club, Practical Caravan and What Car?. This year 56 cars were tested, the most since the awards began in 2007.

Each car goes through the same set of rigorous tests, towing a Swift Group caravan weighted to 85% of the car's kerb weight. The tests include stability, lane-change and hill-start, as well as the vehicle’s overall practicality and subjective input from the judges. 

Read what the judges said…


“The Skoda holds on to its crown as our favourite tow car weighing less than 1400kg, and does so in some style.
As you’d expect of a former overall winner, it tows beautifully. Data from the Al-Ko ATC system shows just how stable car and caravan were when slowing from high speeds.
In the lane-change test the Octavia inspired confidence. On the third and fastest run the caravan was sliding dramatically, but the Skoda pulled it straight again without being dragged off its line.
The Skoda is happy to tow at a decent pace, too. The 2.0-litre diesel engine is used by the Volkswagen Group in a number of larger, heavier cars than the Octavia, so it has no trouble pulling the Skoda and a lightweight caravan. As the 30-60mph time of 12.2 seconds shows, if you’re stuck behind slower traffic you shouldn’t be there for long. With plenty of pulling power lower down the rev range there’s no need to work the gearbox hard.
Some smaller cars struggle with the hill start test, but so long as the Skoda’s handbrake was given a firm pull it held the car still on the 1-in-6 slope. Pulling to the top needed some balance of clutch and throttle, but by the standards of this class the Octavia took the hill in its stride.
We’re judging cars first and foremost on towing ability, but the Octavia is just as happy to put in a shift on the daily commute. It handles tidily, rides well and is quiet at speed.
It’s also immensely roomy, with more than enough space for tall adults to travel comfortably in the back. What’s more, the 590-litre boot is likely to impress owners as much as it impressed our practicality judges, who rated the Octavia the most practical small tow car by some margin.
The Skoda’s a safe place to put your money, too, with respectable resale values and low running costs. It’s hard to find any significant weakness.

Thursday 11 June 2015

Phase two of our new development









Phase two of our new development is now underway and it’s still business as usual for our sales service and parts here in Middlesbrough. We’ve moved into the smaller of our two showrooms while the builders get to work on the old SKODA showroom. As you can see from the first picture it’s had little affect, in fact we’re enjoying the start to one of our busiest summers ever. So if you’re in the market for a new SKODA or an approved used vehicle, be sure to give us a call.