Nakama Workshop

01/07/2022

Hi everyone !

We have some gloomy news today. Our mechanic Tin has made the decision to change his career path, taking on a new industry altogether. Tin has been an integral part of our company's growth since 2015 and it is deeply saddening that he will be leaving the team. If your car has been to our workshop for mechanical work it was most likely done by Tin, please take a second to send him love in this post so he knows he's appreciated ! We wish him the best of luck on his exciting new journey and his future 🤍

Moving forward, unfortunately it also means that we will no longer be taking on any mechanical work at Nakama. Instead we will shift our focus back to our panel beating and spray painting side. We are forever grateful for those of you who have trusted us to service, maintain and modify your cars. Thank you.

25/06/2021

It’s rainy and depressing outside..

Can you brighten up our day with some of your project cars ? Drop photos of your cars mid progress, almost complete or fully done ones. Preferably ones that got out of hand from your original plan 🤣 Most interesting project will receive some goodies 🎁

03/02/2021

Dear valued customers,

This morning we learned that the individual who contracted Coronavirus in Victoria this week also visited our premises. They dropped off their car for servicing but did not remain in the shop afterwards.

As a precaution we will be closing our business immediately for two weeks for cleaning. We understand this will lead to some frustration but we put our staff’s and your health above all else.

All members of our team will have their COVID tests done today and will remain isolated until their results are given, and if necessary the two full weeks in isolation. If you or anyone you know has dropped into our shop this week we urge you to go get tested as well.

For the customers with cars in our workshop we will individually clean and sanitise your car before recommencing work on them. For those who have bookings with us in the next two weeks, we will contact you to reorganise.

We apologise for the inconvenience. After all the lockdowns in 2020 the last thing we want to do is close our doors, but we must keep within the guidelines for COVID safety.

We’d like to remind those who are feeling sick, or have coronavirus symptoms - for the sake of the ones around you, friends, family, loved ones and for the sake of businesses - please have your tests done and stay home.

Thank you,

- DT Panels / Nakama team.

26/01/2021

Hi everyone 👋

We are looking for one experienced / qualified automotive spray painter and one experienced / qualified panel be**er to join our team for an immediate start.

Applicants should be punctual, efficient, able to work unattended and most of all, proud of their work. We have a tight knit team and we work together to provide the best results for Melbourne's automotive scene.

For spray painters - we work with DeBeer solvent paint, and mostly DeBeer / Body Shop products.

For panel be**ers - we work with anything from smash repair to custom / panel replacement / fibreglass and filler work.

We are offering above industry rates.

If you fit the criteria and are looking to apply, please message us here or call Vu on 0402 611 670.

Tag all your painter / panel be**er friends please 😊

Thank you

- DT Panels / Nakama

29/10/2020

We will still be taking mechanical bookings though :)

Hello !

It's been a while hey ? Victoria has finally reopened after several months of restrictions and we're glad we can reopen our doors !

In this lockdown we have had time to assess and review our workshop and come up with some new strategies to help improve our efficiency, taking on a new direction and being mindful of our team's health and wellbeing.

From a business perspective we realised were constantly under the pump due to the sheer mass of daily inquiries and bookings even after the move to the bigger workshop. We found we were ALWAYS working at full capacity, which meant that sometimes we would fall behind when it got even busier. We hate missing deadlines and do our best to cater to everyone, but we just simply couldn't keep up.

We are very grateful to be in the position that we are (especially after surviving through COVID restrictions), but we also don't want to let our workmanship slip just because our workers are tired or we're overlapping jobs.

In a bid to become increase efficiency, we won't be taking anymore bookings this year. This will give us a chance to finalise the remaining cars that we have in the workshop pre lockdown, and start 2021 with a fresh slate.

We will also be cutting down our workshop opening hours. We will now only be open Monday to Friday, 9-5pm, and closed on the weekends. After working 6 days a week for 15 years, this is a very important change for our team. Happy staff means efficient staff.

As for the new direction, we will cutting down on custom work. Fibreglass work, bespoke guard work and moulding of bodykits onto metal panels often costs us many hours of labour, many of which we had to underquote just so the customer would be happy.

We have decided that from now we will favouring smash repair insurance work first, fitting pre made plastic kits (Flow Designs / Maxton etc), then paint work and resprays last. Anything outside of these will be quoted at a market rate, which will seem expensive for most, but we need to be able to account for the exorbitant hours of labour involved with custom work.

We appreciate everyone who has supported us and helped us to reach this position, but it's time for us to look after ourselves and our families. Thank you for your business, loyalty, and respect for our decisions.

Cheers,

- DT Panels

04/08/2020

Hello citizens of Facebook !

We hope you are all staying safe during these uncertain times.

With Stage 4 restrictions now in place, we would like to reassure all our customers that our workshop is considered essential and will remain open throughout the lockdown.

To align with the new restrictions, we are open by appointment only. We ask that you do not drop in unannounced for the next 6 weeks at least, and for those who do have bookings, sanitise upon arrival. (And definitely do not visit if you are feeling unwell.)

If you already have a booking and are worried about the 5km radius rule we can send you an SMS / proof of booking upon request so you can feel confident travelling to our workshop.

As a side note, our panel side is still very much booked out, and we will endeavour to work through the backlog before taking in new bookings. Our mechanical side is fairly busy also, but you can still make bookings via our inbox !

As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding, not just through the COVID situation, but throughout the last 15 years, and hopefully the next 15 years. Let's get through this together ! 🤍🤍🤍

- Vu

29/05/2020

Hi everyone !

Our business is growing and we are looking for one qualified automotive spray painter and one qualified panel be**er to join our team !

The clientele we work with are generally more particular about their cars as they are mostly projects with bodykit additions and full resprays. We like our private / insurance smash work too though !

Applicants should be punctual, efficient and most of all, proud of their work. We have a tight knit team and we try our best to work together to provide the best results for Melbourne's automotive scene.

For spray painters - we work with DeBeer solvent paint, and mostly DeBeer / Body Shop products.
For panel be**ers - we work with fibreglass bodykits, most of which need some prep work, custom / panel replacement / body filler work.

If you fit the criteria and are looking to apply, please message us here or call Vu on 0402 611 670.

Tag all your painter / panel be**er friends !

Thanks

- DT Panels / Nakama

20/05/2020

Jake’s car has come a long way since it first came in and we’re glad he continues to choose us to be a part of his journey despite the travel distance. A quick clutch replacement this time around and he’s back on the road. How nice are the Evasive spec TE37s 😍

📸 Instagram:

12/05/2020

A minor service completed on Danny’s bagged WRX !

A quick reminder that we log book service and maintain all car types 😉 We don’t discriminate ! 😄

📸 Instagram:

08/05/2020

Your friendly neighbourhood S2000 workshop.

24/03/2020

Hi everyone !

The world is a crazy place right now hey ? Hopefully you are all doing your best to stay safe and healthy.

For us at DT Panels and Nakama, we will work through until further notice. However, we are adopting a strict no-contact policy. Our roller door will be closed, and our office will only be open for appointments ONLY. We would appreciate it if customers who may be feeling unwell not to visit our workshop during this time.

Thank you for understanding during this trying time.

- Vu