Highly commended

Awards 2007 AAMI

Highly commended

These shops didn't win, but perhaps they should have, and in some other year they would have. We acknowledge that judging panel shops is an imperfect process and here we honour the repairers whose shops were of a very high standard and impressed the judges.
Many of our highly commended shops have been past winners and will win in the future.

PRO DENT REPAIRS, ALBION, QLD

In 1991 panel shop owner Roger Hill was looking for a new challenge. With a panel beating background, he had run his own shop for some years but felt it was time redirect his efforts into a business that would take him into later life. That lead him to open a shop specialising in paintless dent removal (PDR).
"Few people understood the process at first," he says, "and even now not many do. There are limitations to PDR but the vast majority of small dents, especially hail damage, can be removed without the need to refinish."
While there are many PDR operators around Australia, very few have a shop to which customers can bring their cars for repair. Pro Dent is one of those exceptions.
With a staff of four, the company provides a mobile service in fully equipped vans. Hail storms are the major source of work, along with a steady stream from dealerships, car yards and insurers.
While Pro Dent uses the usual range of long shafted tools to push dents out, it also uses the gluing method of pulling the dent out using a slide hammer. Hill says this alternative has revolutionised PDR and given it a much wider range of operation.

LUTON SMASH REPAIRS, SMITHFIELD, NSW
If ever a new shop has the 'wow' factor it is Luton Smash Repairs owned and run by Luke Soldatic and his sons. It dominates its surroundings more than most other repair shop we've seen.
The Soldatics had been looking for a new bodyshop home for five years when they came across the tyre store building at 73 Victoria Street. Already a big space, they extended the back and reconfigured the rest to give them a massive 3600 square metres of floor space. Not only that, but they created 40 customer car parking spaces and more staff parking at the back. The appearance of the shop alone has brought a flood of walk-in enquiries and technicians wanting to work there. Insurers are reacting to the new shop positively too, when they see what is destined to become a major contributor to smash repairs in Sydney's western suburbs.
Although some equipment was brought from the old shop, most of it is new. The paint shop, for instance has two new Saico ovens, a mixing room and three bay prep area with full downdraft and portable IR drying.
The shop was just a few weeks from being fully signed, organised and cleaned and so was not really ready to be judged in the best new shop category. But come 2008, this is a shop to watch ? from many viewpoints.

DOMROY PRESTIGE AUTOBODY, MOOROOKA, QLD
Dominique Dalessandro opened his shop in 1981 with partner Roy Olive and in 1993 bought him out. Since then the business has expanded with the purchase of adjoining buildings so that now there is a separate paint shop, a separate assembly area and washing and detailing across the road in yet another company building.
The whole complex is pulled together through colour and architectural style, and presents as one of the best and roomiest panel shops in Queensland.
Domroy has a staff of 26 people using the best equipment available: Galaxy ovens, Glasurit paint, Car-O-Liner benches, welders and electronic measuring, Hercules dust extracting arms, and portable IRT infra red units. The shop runs on Auto Quote and BMS.
With a line up like that, and skilled technicians to work the equipment, it is little wonder that Domroy is such a highly regarded shop.
The throughput of cars comprises about half prestige and half family. Domroy has close links to BMW, Peugeot, Subaru and works for all major Queensland insurers.
When asked what he saw as the greatest challenge facing panel shops at the moment, Dalessandro said that, beside the obvious shortage of skilled labour and good apprentices, the change in the way insurance companies were channeling work was unsettling the industry.

KITS CRASH REPAIRS, ASHMORE, QLD
Kits is a shop that strongly reflects the personality of its owner, Kit Anderson. On one hand he's a tough realist and astute businessman while, on the other, he's a fastidious and artistic restorer. His work is all around the shop, from his beautifully appointed office to an 'as new' old petrol bowser, an Edwardian cabinet and, adding a touch of humour, a television set that seems to show a Once a prodigious panel beater, Anderson now works strictly on the business, not in it; that's when he not busy with children's charity work which is his passion.
The 19 employee shop is run day to day by experienced manager, Jeff Nugent. Kits is equally at home repairing low cost Japanese cars up to top prestige models such as BMW and Jaguar.
Early this year the company bought the building next door so that now it is able to divide beating and assembly from painting.
Apart from being a previous winner in the Paint & Panel Autobody Repairer of the Year, Kits was awarded the Supreme Gold Coast Business Excellence Award in the trades professions and services category last year.

SANICK MOTOR BODY WORKS, FAWKNER, VIC
Owner and originator, Santo Zappulla runs Sanick with his son Tony ? who will eventually take over the shop. But neither works in the shop, they both work on it. They quote, Santo Zappulla has been in the smash repair industry for 39 years, and like many of his contemporaries, owns the property the business occupies. But that hasn't kept him from doing outstanding community work for which he has been honoured.
Although the shop is quite expansive, it employs only 12 people.
Based on its efficiency, Sanick will took part in RACV's trial of real time and real money in Victoria Ð which is still running.
The shop uses PPG paint, a Car-O-Liner speed bench, and a Prospot inverter welder.
When asked what he sees as the greatest challenge facing the industry at the moment, Santo Zappulla said the growing number of total losses.
"Ten years ao if was around 37 per cent," he said, "but now that has risen to 48 per cent. That is a real threat to repairers."

VISION AUTO SMASH REPAIRS, ARTARMON, NSW
In addition to regular smash work Jerry Yahya's shop is unusual in that it customises its clients' cars, especially nigh performance Nissans and Hondas. The shop is therefore anything but ordinary.
Vision is impressive from the street and inside has overcome a shortage of space by placing its prep and paint shop upstairs. But that hasn't meant a cutback on reception which is one of the best designed we came across in the judging tour.
Yahya has a strong sense of industry well being and supported last year's militant movement for a better deal over choice of repairer and the code of practice. He is also an advocate of real time, real money but says its success or failure will come down to the skill and experience of assessors.
Although Vision does work for most of the major insurers, 70 per cent comes in via repeat customers or referrals.

LEN BAKER PANEL BEATER, BURSWOOD WA
A four wheel drive and big hit repair specialist, Len Baker has 40 years experience in the panel shop industry. Although his shop is in a traditional style both inside and out, it runs top quality equipment, including two Monarch 882 booths, Prso Spot welder, four Monarch prep bays, an Auto Robot 5000 bench and four scissor lifts, a wedge and clamp floor system and Car-O-Tronic measuring.
He also runs Auto Quote Ð and is in sync with Terry Flanagan in that he loves the DOS version and doesn't want to change to windows.
Len Baker deals with most WA insurers, being one of the first shops they turn to with big hit 4WDs.
Like many shops in Perth, Len Baker could double its output if it could attract another 10 technicians ? but in Baker's case it also has the room and equipment to accommodate them.

AUSTRALIAN CRASH REAPIRS, ALLENBY GARDENS, SA
Mario Cavallo is one of the grand figures of the Adelaide smash repair scene. Arriving from Italy in 1961 when he was 14 and unable to speak any English, he now owns (among many other assets) Australian Crash Repairs, the leading factory appointed BMW repairer in South Australia. The shop specialises in prestige work, with badges from Mini, Subaru, Saab, Alpha Romeo and even the iconic occasional Rolls-Royce.
"But BMW is our backbone," Cavallo says. "We're about to upgrade our reception to include the BMW look, but we're well on the way already." He gestures around the room at the predominantly silver decore.
Australian Crash Repairs employs around 18 staff and has the best equipment available. A recent addition was a dedicated aluminium bay to handle the increasing number of aluminium bodied cars, especially BMW. But what dominates the business is the larger than life presence of Cavallo himself, a mechanic by trade and self confessed car nut. His collection of work-in-progress projects would keep five people busy.

SA CRASH AUTO BODY REPAIRS SA
Owner John Bonifazi, two other technicians and one receptionist operate one of Australia's neatest and cleanest repair shops. The potential for expansion is obvious because the shop is well equipped with a Lowbake oven, prep bay and a superb wash bay. There is a Crashaligner pulling system with in-floor rails and a hoist.
Bonifazi says that he's had some distractions over the past couple of years but now he's ready to build up the capacity of the shop again.
SA Crash is one of only two factory approved Prius repairers in Adelaide and the shop gets support from other Toyota brands as well.
In addition to an immaculate shop, Bonifazi is big on customer service, with threef free loan cars, comfortable reception and a policy of giving every customer a detailed explanation of the repairs that will be carried out.
SA Crash was a previous award winner is looks likely to win again in the future.

ALPINE CRASH REPAIRS SA
Tony Russo's Alpine Crash Reapirs, tucked away in an attractive Adelaide residential street, is the epitome of stability. The shop carries 10 staff, many of whom are long term with Russo.
The shop was opened in 1989 and because it cannot expand beyond it present size, Russo has put his money into top draw equipment like Globaljig alignment, Glasurit paint, Low Bake and CMC ovens, Trisk infrared and Festo dry sanding. It runs Easy Quote Plus and the BOSS Australia management system.
The shop is a preferred repairer for AMP Suncorp, CGU and Western QBE.
Russo is an industry minded proprietor, being a founding member of I-CAR in Australia and is active in several trade associations.

ULTRA FINISH ACCIDENT REPAIR CENTRE VIC
Frank Marinelli's shop in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton is one of the bigger shops in Melbourne with a staff of 28. At that size, each group of technicians has a leader and they meet every second day for work scheduling and suggestions.
There are two other shops in the Ultra Finish group, in Mulgrave and Braeside, but the Clayton shop leads in water conservation initiative by harvesting roof water and storing it in a series of plastic tanks at the side of the building. The water is recycled Ð so that the shop's three detailers can continue to freely wash cars.
The shop has excellent equipment, including two Car-O-Liners (including the latest vision measuring system) and two Lowbake ovens. It runs the PPG management system and DNS Quote Plus.