Popular Kettering town centre garage to shut as mechanic Dave retires

A popular Kettering town centre MOT centre and garage will close after Christmas due to the early retirement of its owner after 32 years in business.

Dave Wormald, who runs Sterling Motors in Ebenezer Place, will shut the garage doors for the final time after Christmas.

He first started on the site in 1991 working for S&D Motor Co, taking over the business in 1995 when he renamed the firm Sterling Motors.

Now with plans for redevelopment of the area to make way for apartments, Yorkshire-born Dave has chosen to stop work.

He said: “I’m looking forward to retirement but I’m going to miss the customers. I’m only going to be doing the family’s cars from now on.”

During his 32-year career, he has seen ‘massive’ changes to cars with the technology involved getting increasingly complicated and expensive.

He’s been called upon to solve all sorts of issues and recalls when he had to diagnose a strange rattling from one car’s dashboard.

Dave said: “Someone came in with an Austin Maestro, there was a strange vibration. We found a dead mouse in the heating system fan.”

Taking early retirement alongside Dave will be his wife Susan who has been Sterling Motor’s admin manager, but mechanic Matt Varnfield will be transferring to Carrington Cars.

Sterling Motors will close on December 28 after which Dave hopes to enjoy his hobbies from his home in Brixworth.

As well as playing lead guitar in a Northampton band, he hopes to get out and about with his new metal detector.