It’s been four years since we last visited Parramatta Smash Repairs when they were just beginning
a workshop overhaul. You can take it first-hand
that the change has been utterly transformational.
irst opened in 1966, Parramatta Smash Repairs was founded by manager Ryan Simpson’s grandfather Cec.
Ryan is the first generation that didn’t go into the trade: “They needed help in the office, so they put me straight in that.” However a love of cars is in the Simpson DNA and as well as wanting to repair them correctly through the business, Ryan enjoys pushing them to their limits on the race track.
This prestige repair business has a giant footprint and is one of the largest independently owned shops we’ve come across. You’ll make your 10,000 steps a day no problem traversing the site and Ryan certainly doesn’t have to watch his waistline. And yet still it wasn’t big enough for their needs. “We probably have about 110 cars parked in here at the moment, but at our peak times we’re closer to 180,” says Simpson.
Despite a car park to rival that of supermarkets and a positive village of outhouses they decided to expand. This was in addition to refurbishing the panel shop and installing a brand new Lowbake paint room. The family bought an adjacent building and has turned it into a Mercedes-Benz exclusive panel shop.
It was an old tyre shop next door, which eventually came up for sale. While the purchase looked convenient, it turned out to be a little more trouble than they bargained for.
“So, we bought it, and then the tenants set fire to it,” Simpson explains.
Being an old tyre shop - next door to a warehouse filled with paint - things didn’t go well.
“They had sixteen fire trucks there battling it. It did actually damage part of the workshop, the roof, but thankfully it didn’t set fire to anything else.
“It then took about two years through council to get what we wanted to do there,” says Simpson.
It did give Parramatta Smash Repairs the opportunity to tailor the space to the specific needs of fastidious Mercedes-Benz. There are very few repairers in Australia that have dual representation of BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The relationship with BMW is undoubtedly Parramatta Smash’s oldest and is highly valued, but, in recent years, the amount of Mercedes work flowing through the business has been immense.
“Mercedes is the newest brand for us, and very important given the volumes we repair.” says Simpson.
The new Mercedes-Benz workshop is stunning and bursting with new equipment – shiny new Car-O-Liners, huge bays, beautifully painted floors. There’s a gorgeous customer area which is currently being used for training (lucky team) but will likely be a VIP pick up area for Mercedes-Benz customers.
“It’s pretty well done” says Simpson, in a classic example of understatement. “It’s funny now, because it’s so much bigger than the original panel shop, the guys seem to love it.” Understandable.
Over in the paint shop there’s a extra high booth to accommodate sprinter vans. The paint shop is strategically located in between both panel shops. The business is approved for four brands altogether with Lexus and Subaru being the other two. Simpson casually points out another new shed to help with storage.
The business takes its legacy seriously and is committed to bringing on the next generation of technicians with six panel apprentices, a mechanical apprentice and four paint apprentices.
All we can say is grandad Cec must be proud of what the family has achieved. It’s a challenge to run such a large site, to create a culture of order and cleanliness that premium OEMs demand and to continually evolve and develop the business. The team have risen to those challenges and are positioning the business to be in good shape for when Ryan’s children are ready to take over the reins.
judges' comments
Sam Street
An amazing transformation from our last visit and the team has done everything is said it would and more, much much more. This is a benchmark business for those looking to become a prestige repairer.
Judge Powell
This immaculate refurbished repair facility built on a sound reputation is methodically increasing its volume of repairs, whilst still maintaining the high-ranking impeccable standard of repair expected by the two big European badges.
shop stats
Size: 4,500m2 workshop 12,000m2 property
Staff: 54
Type of work: All types
No of cars per week: 70-80
OEM approvals: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Lexus, Subaru