A glamorous mechanic has revealed the unusual way she cuts costs when it comes to repairs – including using a £5 salad spinner.
Avryl Henry runs her own vehicle repair company, and slashes costs by using budget tools like the rather uncouth kitchen item.
The 37-year-old says thinking differently about tools had helped her to stand out in the male-dominated industry, while also saving drivers money during the cost of living crisis.
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Her most unusual ‘tool’? A £5 salad spinner she bought on a budget website.
“In the last couple of years, I’ve started looking online for tools, especially for the smaller bits you don’t always think about,” Avryl, from Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, told What’s The Jam.
“I use a salad spinner from Temu to dry my polishing pads.
“It leaves them just moist enough to work with properly – if they’re too wet, the product goes everywhere.”
Avryl shared the idea in a video on Instagram which went viral with 112,000 views.
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She said: “People message me all the time saying it’s saved them loads of money compared to buying specialist equipment.”
Avryl first got into mechanics as a teenager after spotting a local performance garage and asking for work experience instead of following classmates into more traditional careers.
She said: “I loved it straight away, especially the hands-on, dirty work.”
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She left school at 15, went on to college and completed a three-year apprenticeship before moving into bodywork and detailing, eventually launching her own business.
Now self-employed, she says keeping costs down is key – for both her and her customers.
She said: “If you’re not spending a fortune on tools, you don’t have to charge as much for the job.
“It also helps me work quicker, which saves customers money on labour.”
From sanding discs and polishing kits to detailing brushes and drills, she says many of her everyday tools are low-cost alternatives sourced on platforms like Temu – with little difference in performance.
Avryl uses rubbers to remove white polish marks from black plastic trum, saving time on masking.
She also uses small beauty tools for touch-ups.
The mechanic added: “There’s a perception you need expensive branded gear, but I’ve found similar items for a fraction of the price, and they do exactly what I need.
“People want good results without paying over the odds.
“You don’t need a massive budget – just a bit of creativity.
“A lot of what I do is very precise – removing scratches and restoring finishes – so you have to be inventive.
“I also do false lashes on the side, so I’ve got a lot of small beauty tools from that work as well.”
“I use them [beauty tools] for paint touch-ups on the cars too – you’ve got to be creative with it!”
Despite still being a minority in the trade, Avryl says attitudes are slowly shifting.
She said: “When I started, there were hardly any women doing this – you need a thick skin, but your work speaks for itself.
“Don’t let anyone put you off.”
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