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Jaguar Bryanston bids farewell to Gert Cloete

24 Aug 2018

Long-standing Jaguar technician Gert "Gerrie" Cloete, who has worked on Jaguar vehicles for more than 46 years, has hung up his overalls for retirement.

Gert “Gerrie” Cloete, technician at Jaguar Bryanston, retires after 46 years

Cloete has built a sterling rapport with both the staff at Jaguar Bryanston and its customer base. For the technician, a job didn’t end with just a job card. Whether a Jaguar was in for a simple service or a major repair, he would go the extra mile to ensure the vehicle and its owner left happy.

Overlooking a missing plastic clip or loose piece of cosmetic trim was never an option for Cloete and often he would address issues out of his own accord, rather than relying solely on service schedule mandates. It was his impeccable attention to detail and expertise that Jaguar Bryanston customers came to appreciate and trust.

“Customers are friends. You meet someone and you build a relationship with them. I can say the same for each of their cars.” says Cloete.

The 65-year old is proudly old-school in his approach to repairs. While a good portion of modern fixes involves electronic diagnostics and computerised input, he prefers to tackle challenges the old-fashioned way – with his hands. A finicky window switch in a vintage Jaguar XJ, for instance, might require a dab of mechanical ingenuity rather than a costly replacement. Cloete prided himself on his ability to delve into a component’s intricacies to diagnose the problem.

Cloete developed a love for the British marque while working as a young apprentice for the Sydney Clow Leyland dealership in Selby, Johannesburg in the early 1970s. He qualified as a mechanic in 1975 and followed the Jaguar brand through its various South African custodianships for nearly five decades.

He’s worked side-by-side with long-time friend and colleague Fanie Delport, the current dealer principal at Bryanston, from the very beginning of his career. The pair has been stalwarts of the Jaguar brand since the Sydney Clow Leyland days and has been at the Bryanston retailer since its opening in 1997.

Cloete’s intimate understanding of various Jaguars’ inner workings and the passion he put into his profession will be dearly missed by both Jaguar Bryanston and its customers.