This report comes to you from the passenger seat of a very ropey hire Holden Captiva with bald tires which has made navigating a cold and rainy Melbourne a bit more exciting than it should have been.
We've seen a great selection of shops in Melbourne from small to large, family owned, franchised and corporate entities.
First up was Five Star Panels in Tullamarine - theoretically close to the airport, but not according to Neil Powell's ancient Sat Nav which tooks us on a ridiculous scenic route. Not only were we greeted with fabulous cakes but a hugely improved workshop as Fred Sleman and his team have doubled the size of the facility.
BMW Melbourne was next. Under the helm of Bob Dziemianczul (we didn't try to pronounce that one) the workshop has expanded to include a mechanical area for accident related repairs and air conditioning regassing. Loved the consumables cabinets and workshop benches in here.
After this it was on to an old favourite - Mercedes-Benz Autobody. This shop is 10 years old and still clean, tidy and working like clockwork. Powell was impressed with the tool tracking systems they have - each tool is logged onto the system and logged out when its used so that a member of staff will know where to find it at all times.
Captial SMART Rowville - the network's new head office site was our next port of call. It's a very impressive place with great employee facilities. The SMART Plus new workshop was also impressive.
Capital SMART Mulgrave was next and yes after four SMART visits we are getting to know the lie of the land.
Last visit of the day was RMA Knoxfield. We’ll maybe visit this shop again next year as it is very newly opened and not yet fully staffed or equipped.
This editor loves meeting lady shop owners, not nearly enough of them in my opinion so it was great to encounter Julie Pettett at Brighton Panel Works which specialises in prestige car repairs as our first facility on day two.
RMA Braeside Automotive Innovation was next. It was encouraging to see a young and enthusiastic management team and unusual to see an endraft spraybooth – haven’t seen one of those for a while.
Our first Fix Auto shop visit followed next. Owners Frank Marinelli and Damien Edgar are excited about their future within the global franchise.
Last but by no means least was the very impressive B & A Motor Body Repairs, a family business which has grown and developed consistently over the last 40 years.
As long as we don’t have to brake too hard, we’re on track to the airport now to arrive on the Gold Coast tonight and continue judging tomorrow.