Page 66 - Australian Paint & Panel Nov-Dec 2020

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BEST NEW SHOP – VICTORIA
PAINT&PANEL NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020
IQAUTOBODY
IQAUTOBODY OFFERS CUSTOMERS A DEALERSHIP EXPERIENCE AND THE OPTION TO WORK, PLAY OR RELAX WHILE THEY WAIT.
SHOP STATS
SHOP SIZE: 1500m2
STAFF: 5
TYPE OF WORK: Driveable
OTHER SERVICES: WHEEL REPAIR APPROX CARS PER WEEK: APPROX 50 OEM BADGES: NO
W HILE IQ RUNS A FLEET OF mobile repair and respray vehicles it also has a num- ber of static locations . The company IQ decided it needed a presence in the city’s east to service its AutoXCarCare membership. Mem- bership to AutoX is offered to new ve- hicle owners at dealerships which cov- ers them for minor damage – scratches, dents or wheel whoopsies to keep their pride and joy looking brand spanking new. It has the approval of Mercedes- Benz. That’s a particularly important
demographic for IQ.
“We’ve got about 14,000 members
now, and in Melbourne, most of them are in the eastern suburbs. But, our sites are mostly in the western suburbs, so we needed something over here as well, the traffic conditions lead to a lot of ac- cidents,” said operations manager, Steve Coombes.
“The wheels are a big part of it, because there are so many cars with the diamond- cuts now. Just being able to do them prop- erly is a big selling-point for us.”
The latest site marks a decade of growth for business owners Jason and Sandra Noach, who began the business as a mobile PDR repairer and now have six static locations in both Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
While heavier work is directed back to the repair centre in the East, fairly size- able work can be completed at the cus- tomer’s home. “We’ve got small vans just to do paint work, and larger vans with tyre-fitting equipment and the dia- mond-cutting machines,” says Coombes. “It’s very much like in the UK, where smart-repairers are very popular. People don’t want to lose their car for a long time for a little bit of damage now.”
Offering such a flexible, professional service to customers has proved ex- tremely popular. Having such a diverse service offering is also very profitable. If the customer has to come in to this stat- ic site then they are in for a treat.
“We’ve gone down the dealership- style of customer service, with a greet- ing area and a we’ve got a longer-stay area,” Coombes explains. “Because we