Page 58 - Australian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2020

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BEST NEW – SOUTH AUSTRALIA
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020
FINISHLINE AUTOBODY REPAIR
THERE’S A LAMBORGHINI IN EGG-YELLOW GALLARDO PARKED OUT THE FRONT OF FINISHLINE ADELAIDE. BEING A BODY SHOP, THAT’S NOT SO UNUSUAL. WHAT IS STRANGE, IF ONE WERE HONEST, IS YOU’D RATHER BE LOOKING AT THE SHOP.
“We put down our mobile meeting desk, plug in our laptop, and we’re ready to go,” says Les. “With iBodyshop, you can take your customers’ details and all the parts are already in the system.”
The other thing that draws the eye of course is the little cafe in the corner, with its gleaming coffee machine and platter of pastries and fruit: “I make the best coffee. I know exactly which button to press,” says Les.
Entering the workshop, the feel of in- finite space continues. It is, of course, spotless. Music wafts in from secreted speakers up inside the walls. It’s tiled. All six-hundred square metres of it.
SHOP STATS
I
WISH IT WAS MY LAMBO,”
says Les Khabbaz. “But we spent all our money on
the building.”
is, nevertheless, a bloody
nice building. It’s probably more of a ‘complex,’ to be more precise. This stun- ning renovation is the culmination of an almost 40 year odyssey into the world of paint and panel.
Let’s start by saying they’re not muck- ing about. There’s 103 solar panels on the roof, generating somewhere in the area of 34kW: but its still not nearly enough.
Once you’ve stopped gawping at the exterior, a step into reception is a step into the future. And the future is clean.
“It was Ray’s idea for this new look. He’s done everything,” says Les.
Ray, of course, is Ray Khabbaz, Les’ brother and business partner since they set up Plush Cars Collision back in the ‘80s.
Being perfectionists, the Khabbaz brothers eventually wanted a chance to level the slate, and reopened under the sleek new Finishline moniker. Everything not completely necessary to the smooth functioning of a bodyshop was ejected.
“We’ve set up reception in a way that’s clean and minimalistic, but welcom- ing,” says Ray. “I don’t like clutter.”
What does draw the eye after walking in the front door, however, are the two widescreen LEDS running stats, tracking the progress of the crash and restoration jobs in the workshop out back. It’s anoth- er little feature that has the business owners singing the praises of iBodyshop.
It
STAFF: 8 plus 1 part time
WORKSHOP SIZE: 600m2
OEM APPROVALS: Genesis
NO OF CARS REPAIRED: 6-10 per week OTHER SERVICES: PDR, restoration TYPE OF REPAIRS: All