It's been a few years since we visited this previous award winner in the Adelaide Hills. Tom and Lucia Campaniello have been very busy upgrading their business.
Mount Pleasant Crash Repairs doesn't have a lot of competition nearby and you could argue that they didn't have to invest the time and money they have because their customers don't really have anywhere else to go. That was actually one of the reasons for redesigning and expanding the workshop says Tom: “We just weren't able to get enough cars out. Its old layout wasn't efficient so we decided we needed to put the extension on.” A brand new paintshop from Termomeccanica in Italy, which Tom sourced on a trip to Autopromotec in Bologna a couple of years ago, a workshop extension, two more benches and floor racks, a hoist to get the cars off the floor and a new measuring system and the shop is putting out double the volume with the same staff.
While they were at it they re-did front of house too with better customer and office facilities. “The boys are happy. Not only do they have a better workshop environment including the hoists so they don't have to lie on a cold floor in winter, there's a much nicer staff room too.
As you can imagine the shop is approved for every insurer and it has more than its share of heavy hits. “Adelaide gumtrees are particularly unforgiving,” says Tom. Like many business minded repairers who specialise in heavy hits, Mt Pleasant Crash Repairs doesn't do average repair costs. “I tried it for a year and it didn't work.”
What many repairers are finding who aren't in the fixed cost model is that while price might be the number one priority of many insurers, key to key times and customer service are number two and three. If you can excel in these then slightly higher costs are not so much of an issue. Having their own mechanical workshop is also a big help with key to key times and because it also offers retail servicing they are the one stop shop for motorists over a large area.
Tom and Lucia say they have provided 'better' customer facilities, but they are in fact stunning. Professional, stylish and homey all at the same time, it reflects their personality and the passion that they have for the business and their customers. I especially liked the antique fire extinguisher mounted on the wall of the toilet. All in all a superb crash repair business placed anywhere in the country, but especially impressive given its location.
Powell's points
Tom and Lucia’s repair business has always been well presented, organised and capable of catering for repairs across a wide spectrum. Instead of hooking up the van and taking off into the sunset they have undertaken a comprehensive refurbishment to improve and maintain their high standards of repair.
Shop Stats
Size: Workshop 2250m2
Staff: 14
Type of repairs: All types
Avg cars repaired PW: 20
Avg key to key: 7 days