Lights, Camera… Carburettor: Filming in a Hove Garage
There are some locations that simply feel cinematic the moment you walk into them. You can plan a shoot for weeks, build a set, control the lighting to the last lumen… or you can walk into a working garage in Hove and realise that reality has already done most of the production design for you.
That was the experience when Carney and Felix found themselves filming inside the wonderfully authentic surroundings of Auto Top Service. The project brought us together with producer Victoria Furness and the glorious team at EDF, who managed the rare feat of making a busy filming day feel relaxed, collaborative and genuinely fun.
A Garage That’s the Real Deal
Film crews are famously good at spotting authenticity, and Auto Top Service has it in spades. It’s a proper working garage—tools neatly arranged, engines mid-operation, and that reassuring background soundtrack of ratchets, compressors and mechanical wisdom.
But the real star of the location is the man who runs it: Babak.
Spend five minutes watching him work and it becomes clear why customers talk about him with near-mythical admiration. The place runs on a mixture of precision engineering, calm competence and the sort of quiet friendliness that instantly puts people at ease—whether they’re bringing in a temperamental gearbox or a camera crew with tripods.
“Possibly the Best Mechanic in the World”
We’re not the first to say it. The internet appears to agree.
Customers consistently praise Babak’s honesty, skill and attention to detail. “I have 100% confidence in Babak and would not consider going elsewhere.”
In fact, review summaries across several platforms highlight the same themes again and again: exceptional mechanical knowledge, genuine care for customers, and the kind of reliability that turns first-time visitors into lifelong clients. After spending a day filming there, we can confirm that the reviews are not exaggerating.
A Film Crew in a Working Garage
Filming in real locations always comes with surprises. On this shoot that meant working around the rhythm of a functioning garage: cars arriving, diagnostics underway, and Babak occasionally gliding through the frame with the serene focus of someone who has solved thousands of mechanical puzzles.
Rather than being a challenge, it added energy to the shoot. The environment was alive, textured and completely authentic—exactly the kind of place that gives a film a sense of reality you simply can’t fabricate on a soundstage.
The EDF team were brilliant collaborators throughout, bringing enthusiasm, patience and a clear creative vision. Victoria Furness kept everything moving with calm efficiency, which is no small feat when you’re balancing cameras, crew, cars and an actual business continuing around you.
The Best Locations Are Real Places
What made the day memorable wasn’t just the footage we captured. It was the people.
A welcoming production team. A crew enjoying themselves. And a garage run by a man who clearly takes enormous pride in his craft.
Sometimes the best locations aren’t dramatic landscapes or elaborate sets. Sometimes they’re tucked away on a quiet road in Hove, filled with tools, engines, and the steady expertise of someone who might genuinely be the best mechanic in the world.
And if your car ever needs attention while you’re in town, you now know exactly where to go. 🚗🎬