Hills Brakes Clutch and Suspension

Hills Brakes Clutch and Suspension Specialising in; Brakes, steering and suspension. Special vehicles only now. I started the business in 1995 but have been in the industry since 1982.

I achieved the IAME (Institute of Automotive Mechanical Engineers) award going through my trade as a general mechanic. In 1988 I began to specialise in the brake and clutch industry working for Girlock/Checkpoint Brake and Clutch. I've always had a keen interest in suspension tuning and set up all through my trade. I have worked on vehicles from the 1920's to the present year. I am the owner, work

er, floor sweeper, so you know who will be working on and looking after your pride and joy. I am still passionate about my trade and enjoy working at it as a perfectionist! If you are one of my long standing customers thank you for you continued support. If you have not tried me yet I would love to meet you and your car! Cheers, John Rice

Well it’s official we are sold!I have been in Birdwood now for 34 years since 1991 and have ran our family business here...
03/06/2025

Well it’s official we are sold!
I have been in Birdwood now for 34 years since 1991 and have ran our family business here for 30 years. I have been so lucky to operate from the farm property and have enjoyed being with my family and watching my kids grow up throughout that time. Enjoying the small things like having breakfast and lunch together (something not possible if I was working for someone else) It also had its funny moments working from home, one that comes to mind is when my son Jack (about 3 years old) escaped the safety of the house fence, and bought a beer out to me at about 10 am in the morning. That’s a bit early mate we will save that for the end of the day 😂🍻❤️.
We started with more or less with a blank canvas as far as the property goes and built a beautiful home to add onto the original 1890’s cottage in the same style, we created beautiful gardens and shedding to suit us. Although an incredible amount of constant work with renovations for about 20 years, it has been so rewarding.
Over the years I have met so many great people through my business and many of those customers becoming friends. I am so thankful!
With so many years of life here times changed for me just like many people I went through a marriage break down in 2015 that was absolutely devastating for me and the kids. But life goes on! I recon the whole town knew in no time at all, something I love about a small town. I had so much support from locals, customers and friends. I can’t name them all but someone that bought a smile to my face at the time was Darren DeBoar, he came into the workshop and said I hear you are single now! And from that so much helpful conversation was had.
Life moves on for me and a few years later connecting with a friend that had gone through a separation herself. Amazing how your life changes and you can be lucky enough to find love again. Karen and I have been together now for just over 7 years and last year had a beautiful small wedding here in our gardens. We now have 5 amazing kids/adults together and wouldn’t want it any other way!
So for us now new life, new challenges and beginnings. We are moving down south to Hindmarsh Valley for a sea change.
As for work those who know me well, know I can’t stop, so my plan at the moment is to still keep up my passion with repairs and modifications to special vehicles. However that will be a bit further down the track when I’m set up again. Thank you Birdwood and Hills townspeople for your friendship and support over all these years I will miss you. 😊

On to the second bottle of this amazing home made sauce. (We are addicted) Someone had left it at our door with some fru...
14/01/2025

On to the second bottle of this amazing home made sauce. (We are addicted) Someone had left it at our door with some fruit when we were on holidays last year. We asked around but didn’t find out who the generous person was. We thought someone would have asked what we thought of their sauce and then we could have thanked them, but still no clue and it’s been about three months. So if you are reading this THANK YOU so much! however we are now addicted to it and are very worried for when it may run out😁

Merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year, I hope you can spend time with family and enjoy a safe new year. I will b...
19/12/2022

Merry Christmas everyone and a happy new year, I hope you can spend time with family and enjoy a safe new year.
I will be closing Friday the 23rd of December and reopening Monday the 16th of January.
I will have the answering service on so you can leave a message and I will return your call when I am back. Cheers John

A couple more beautiful cars in the workshop. Ready for cruzin
19/12/2022

A couple more beautiful cars in the workshop. Ready for cruzin

This week has a Euro feel!
01/12/2022

This week has a Euro feel!

Mal’s & Gina’s beautiful Holden Trailblazer. Now all fitted out with IRONMAN gear from Hills Brakes Clutch & Suspension....
01/12/2022

Mal’s & Gina’s beautiful Holden Trailblazer. Now all fitted out with IRONMAN gear from Hills Brakes Clutch & Suspension. Some fitted by Mal and some by Hills Brakes. It also has a new suspension lift kit to go with all the accessories. Wheel Alignment also done in house to get it steering well after the work.
Now it’s time to find that hard to get to fishing spot off the beaten track. Enjoy guys. John Rice

I normally don’t get time to post the vehicles I work on as I’m busy working on them 😁 Here are some of the interesting ...
25/11/2022

I normally don’t get time to post the vehicles I work on as I’m busy working on them 😁 Here are some of the interesting ones I managed to take a picture of. My apologies if I have missed your car. I really appreciate everyone’s business and I enjoy sorting out the problems. Cheers John.

New sign writing for the work Ute. A Awesome job by Chooks Custom Grafix at Woodside. Fantastic work at a great price an...
28/10/2022

New sign writing for the work Ute. A Awesome job by Chooks Custom Grafix at Woodside. Fantastic work at a great price and nice people to deal with.

1951 Cadillac Fleetwood. Another beautiful cruiser!
23/03/2022

1951 Cadillac Fleetwood. Another beautiful cruiser!

Green is nice! Some of the beautiful cars in today.
21/03/2022

Green is nice!
Some of the beautiful cars in today.

02/12/2021

A mate in WA just posted this and thought it was a great one to share 😁

CUSTOMER: "How much will it cost to do this job?"
CONTRACTOR: "$2,800 Dollars."

CUSTOMER: "That's WAY too expensive for this job!!"
CONTRACTOR: "How much do YOU think it would cost?"

CUSTOMER: "No more than $800 Dollars - MAX!! It's a simple job!"
CONTRACTOR: "I can't prioritize my time for so little."

CUSTOMER: "People in your line of work are so greedy."
CONTRACTOR: "Sorry you feel that way. Why not do it yourself?"

CUSTOMER: "But... but... I don't know how to do any of this."
CONTRACTOR: "For $900 Dollars, I'll teach you EXACTLY how to get this job done. Then you can spend $800 to do the job and you'll still be saving $1,100 Dollars - PLUS... you'll get the knowledge and experience for the next time you want to do a job yourself."

CUSTOMER: "Deal!! Let's do it."
CONTRACTOR: To get started you'll need tools. So you'll have to buy a welder, a grinder, a chop saw, a drill press, a welding hood, gloves and a few other things."

CUSTOMER: "But I don't have all this equipment and I can't buy all of these for one job."
CONTRACTOR: "Well then for another $300 more I'll let you rent my tools... and you'll still be saving $800 Dollars."

CUSTOMER: "That's cutting into my savings. But I'll rent your tools."
CONTRACTOR: "Okay! I'll be back on Saturday and we can start."

CUSTOMER: "Wait. I can't on Saturday. I only have time today."
CONTRACTOR: "Sorry, I only give lessons on Saturday, because I have to prioritize my time and my tools have to be at other jobs with other customers all week long.

CUSTOMER: "Okay!! I'll sacrifice my family plans on Saturday."
CONTRACTOR: "Yeah... me too. Oh... and I forgot... to do your job yourself, you also have to pay for the materials. Everything is in high demand right now, so your best bet is to get your truck and load up at 6AM before everyone else gets there."

CUSTOMER: "SIX AM??? On a Saturday??? That's way to early for me. And also... I don't have a truck."
"CONTRACTOR: "I guess you'll have to rent one. Do you have a couple of strong men to help you load and unload everything?"

CUSTOMER: "Ummm... ya know... I've been thinking. It's probably best if YOU get this job done. I'd rather pay someone to get it done correctly than go through all the hassle.
CONTRACTOR: "Smart move, sign this and please get out of the way so I can work."

THE REALITY IS THIS...

When you pay for a job, especially handcrafted, you pay not only for the material used, but you are also paying for:

- Knowledge
- Experience
- Tools
- Services
- Time
- Punctuality
- Accountability
- Professionalism
- Accuracy
- Labor
- Sacrifices
- Safety and Security
- Payment of tax obligations

No one should denigrate a professional's work by judging prices - ESPECIALLY when they don't know all the elements or costs necessary for the production of such work.

This was just a remix of an old story I once heard and I am sharing this in support of craftsmen, specialists and entrepreneurs everywhere!

You can't haggle over a service that you don't actually have the skills or knowledge to do yourself. You can't get a high quality gourmet dinner party for the same price as a Happy Meal from McDonald's. And you can't be mad when skilled people actually KNOW their own worth.

Be smart. Trust a reputable professional. And never forget... that you ALWAYS get what you pay for.

Address

2912 Onkaparinga Valley Road
Birdwood, SA
5234

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+61885685314

Website

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