Servicing & Repairs
Scheduled servicing and the repairs that come up between services. Reviewers have had alternators replaced, batteries charged and tested overnight, a belt squeal sorted and a camping trailer's brakes fixed.
Palmer St, Katherine East NT
An honest mechanic in Katherine, for locals and for everyone passing through.
Servicing and repairs, rego inspections, auto air-con and straight technical advice from Tonic at TJ Auto Tech. Broken down on the way through? Ring him.
5.0 from 46 Google reviews5.0 out of 5 stars from 46 Google reviews
Open 7 days: Mon-Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 12:30pm-5pm
- Apprentice Training
- Mechanics
- Servicing & Repairs
- Rego Inspections
- Auto Air-con
- Technical Advice & Support
The workshop
What gets done on Palmer Street
It's all on the sign out the front, and it's all in the reviews: proper diagnosis, the repair done right, and the reasons explained so you know what you're paying for.
Rego Inspections
Inspections for registration, done at the workshop on Palmer St. Give the workshop a ring to book one in.
Auto Air-con
Car air-conditioning work, listed right there on the sign. In Katherine that's not a luxury, so get it looked at before the heat does it for you.
Pre-purchase Inspections
Looking at a used 4WD? Get it checked before you hand over your savings. One buyer came in on the advice of two Katherine locals and left knowing exactly what they were buying.
Technical Advice & Support
Tonic explains what's wrong and what your options are, in plain terms. It's the thing reviewers mention more than anything else.
Apprentice Training
TJ Auto Tech is an automotive training workshop as well as a mechanic, and says so on the shed: Automotive Training & Mechanics.
Passing through?
A breakdown on a big trip doesn't have to end the trip.
Katherine sits where the Stuart and Victoria Highways meet, and plenty of Tonic's customers are a long way from home: travellers from Germany, a couple towing a camping trailer, a Prado that limped in on a Saturday afternoon. They all got the same thing. A proper look, a clear explanation, and the car or trailer back on the road.
Stuck in town? Call 0409 043 213“If you’re passing through Katherine and run into trouble, this is exactly the kind of mechanic you hope to find.”
About
Tonic takes the time to explain it.
TJ Auto Tech is Tonic's workshop at 2 Palmer St in Katherine East, a big steel shed with a hoist, an office and a red-dirt yard out the back. It runs as an automotive training workshop as well as a mechanic, and it's open seven days.
Read the reviews and the same words keep coming up: honest, patient, knowledgeable. People mention how he explained the problem before fixing it, how he came in at the last minute (injured) to get a couple's trailer sorted, and how a pre-purchase inspection stopped one buyer from sinking their savings into the wrong 4WD. One German couple reckoned he knows exactly what he's talking about, especially with Toyota.
“don't forget to service your beautiful machine.”
Look for the zebra
Red letters on the green shed.
The sign with the running zebra is on the shed at 2 Palmer St. Same number on the sign as on this page, and it goes straight to Tonic.
- Address
- 2 Palmer St, Katherine East NT 0850
- Phone
- 0409 043 213
- jujika@gmail.com
Google reviews
“Maybe the guardian angel of cars and travellers.”
5.0from 46 Google reviews5.0 out of 5 stars from 46 Google reviews
5 months ago
5 out of 5 starsCan’t recommend Tonic enough.
I had a failing alternator and managed to get my Prado into Katherine on a Saturday late arvo.
Tonic went out of his way to help. He’s very knowledgeable and took the time to explain everything, which made a stressful situation much easier to deal with. He diagnosed the issue properly and, once parts arrived, replaced the alternator quickly, charged and tested the battery overnight, and even sorted out the belt squeal at the same time.
Got me back on the road. If you’re passing through Katherine and run into trouble, this is exactly the kind of mechanic you hope to find.
Really appreciate the help, thanks again mate.
6 months ago
5 out of 5 starsTonic is an absolute legend and maybe the guardian angel of cars and travellers. We had a break issue with our camping trailer which had the potential to derail our trip. Not only did he come into his workshop at the last minute to assist, he did so injured. He fixed our issue and was so reasonable in price, just wanted to make sure we were ok. Thanks Tonic. Tom and Ash
4 months ago
5 out of 5 starsTonic conducted a pre-purchase inspection on a 4WD. I was about to dump all my savings on a new car and was really hesitant about buying a car with mechanical issues to deal with in future
As soon as you meet Tonic very quickly you know you’re in safe hands, he is a genuine mechanic and is extremely knowledgeable and seems to take a lot of pride in his work..
I was referred to see Tonic by two Katharine locals and could see why quickly and warranted me writing this review
3 months ago
5 out of 5 starsFinally, an honest, attentive, patient and friendly mechanic. After we ran into serious trouble with our car, Tonic was a huge help in explaining the situation to us and gave us lots of advice. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Thanks for everything, Tonic. Take care.
3 months ago
5 out of 5 starsWe had in issue with our car and got the best help we could wish for! He was so friendly and gave us maaaaaany recommendations for our car. I'm sure he can fix everything and know exactly what he's talking about, especially with Toyota.
Thanks again for your quick help!!
xx your German friends
Reviews quoted word for word from TJ Auto Tech's Google listing. Read them all on Google
Hours & contact
Open seven days in Katherine East.
Calling is quickest. For anything that can wait, send the details below and it'll land in the workshop's inbox.
Opening hours
| Monday | 8am-5pm |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 8am-5pm |
| Wednesday | 8am-5pm |
| Thursday | 8am-5pm |
| Friday | 8am-5pm |
| Saturday | 8am-5pm |
| Sunday | 12:30pm-5pm |
2 Palmer St
Katherine East NT 0850