About Whatlington Garage in Battle

The story of our site goes back further than most garages can claim. During building works, a number of historic artefacts were uncovered on the premises, suggesting the land may originally have been used as a saddlery or blacksmith’s workshop, serving our local community long before the motor car arrived.

By the late 1920s or early 1930s, the site had evolved with the times and was operating as a petrol filling station, as you can see from the photograph from that era. As vehicle ownership grew, so did the business, and motor repair and servicing became an increasingly central part of what the site offered.

For a number of years, the premises were home to Haveux, a well-known Citroen 2CV specialist, from whom the current owner purchased both the site and the business in the late 1980s. At that point, the garage also held main dealer status for both Yugo and FSO vehicles, and the current owner, trained through Volkswagen and experienced with classic air-cooled models including the Beetle, brought a hands-on technical background to the business from the outset.

During this period, the site was genuinely central to village life. Alongside the garage, it operated as the local petrol filling station, post office, and general store. Over time, as vehicle repair and servicing grew to fill the business, those other functions gradually closed, allowing the team to focus entirely on what they do best.

Today, Whatlington Garage operates from the same site it always has. We’re VW Group specialists with a particular focus on Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, and Skoda, though we carry out servicing, repairs, MOT testing, and advanced diagnostics on most makes and models.

Our Team is Built on Experience

Our team of 14 includes City and Guilds-qualified technicians and an ex-Audi technician, with decades of combined experience across a wide range of vehicles. We’re equipped with OEM-level diagnostic systems, including VW ODIS, Bosch KTS, Snap-on, and Autel, alongside Absolute 2 and 4 wheel laser alignment equipment, giving us the tools to work to dealer-level standards without the dealer-level overhead.

We’re proud to be part of the Bosch Car Service network, and accredited by the RAC, Which Trusted Trader, the IMI, and the RMI, and are committed to maintaining the high standards that both these organisations and our customers rightly expect of us.

How We Work

We think good communication is as important as good technical work. If we find something during a service or diagnostic check, we’ll call you directly, explain what we’ve found, and share photographs before anything is touched. Every recommendation is based on your individual vehicle’s history, mileage, and needs, not a standard checklist applied to every car that comes through the door.

Visiting Us

We’re based in Battle, conveniently close to the A21, and serve drivers from across Robertsbridge, Hastings, Bexhill, Hurst Green, Winchelsea, and the surrounding area. Our heated waiting area has free Wi-Fi, hot and cold drinks, a customer toilet, and on-site parking. If your schedule doesn’t fit around ours, out-of-hours key drop is available, and local collection and delivery can be arranged on request.

Get in touch with the Whatlington Garage team today if you have any questions or if you’d like to book your vehicle in for repairs, an MOT test or maintenance work. You can call us on 01424 870 307 or click below to send us an online enquiry.

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