By Margaret Maccoll
The Kombi Shop at Doonan has established its reputation as the go to place for Kombi refurbs across the country but the origins of the business owned by Nick and Keri Parker-Davies hail from the UK.
Kombies are commonplace across the UK but Nick’s love affair with Kombis was sparked one day when the mechanic spotted a restored one pass him by in the street and he saw it as a challenge to buy an old one and restore it to his own specifications.
He found a split screen in California, had it shipped over and restored it mechanically over nine months with his four-year-old son Connor watching. When he went searching for resources to restore the internals nobody was doing it.
Having established his own garage at the age of 21, Nick knew how to set up a business so he did and Bus Guts was born and his Kombi business began.
With the Kombi completed he and his team took it to one of the biggest trade shows in the world, took 17 orders and gave out 3000 business cards in a day.
“As people started coming to the garage to have their Kombis done they’d say can you do the engine. It went on for 3-4 years and we ended up being like a VW shop,“ he said.
After a decade Nick and his family decided to move to Australia.
“We visited on holiday in 1999 and really liked it,“ he said.
“I didn’t know what to do when I got here. I thought I better do what I do best.“
Nick set up a small garage in Doonan and discovered a lot of people around Noosa liked Kombis.
He’d already established contacts across Europe and the UK for parts and within three years there was a team of seven, all specialists in their fields.
“It’s a really good team. They’ve all got the skills,“ Nick said.
A total Kombie makeover averages about 12 months but can take anything from 8-16 months.
There’s fabrication and welding metal parts. Some parts you can’t get so you have to make them, Nick said.
After a four month welding process the vehicle moves on to the body shop where filling, rust removal and body straightening takes place, then it’s on to the paint shop for a 5-6 coat process completed by Nick’s son Connor, now a qualified mechanic, painter and panel beater.
From there the vehicle moves to the build shop where all manner of designs have been undertaken including carpets, cookers, fridges, electrics, windows depending on what the owner desires.
Finally the Kombi moves to the mechanical repair stage.
“We have the best part of a dozen vehicles at different stages at any time,“ Nick said. “It’s a pretty cool concept. We build a bespoke service. People look through the range of colours, interiors and design it dependent on their lifestyle. There’s no set rules as to what you can have.“
Nick said one customer wanted fake python vinyl interiors and they all laughed at the idea. “When it was done we all said ’ that looks very cool“.
The Kombi Shop is at 2/677 Noosa Eumundi Road, Doonan. Phone 5471 0331.
