Upgrading 4x4s is booming business, and Queensland’s Paddy O’Shea’s 4×4 Garage is probably the brightest workshop of all. Words and images from Iain Curry
You can’t miss Paddy O’Shea’s 4×4 Garage. Painted the brightest of greens, from the roadside it looks like an Irish bar superstore. But it’s four-wheel-drive builds, repairs, servicing and accessories rather than pints and shamrocks on tap here. The garage is an eye-catching extrovert on the road to 4×4 nirvana at Queensland’s Noosa North Shore.
It’s an ideally placed workshop for enthusiast locals and holidaymakers looking for advice and new bits for their 4x4s. Or, as manager Jake Smith explains, emergency repair help if things go wrong while adventuring.
“Everybody up here is booked out weeks in advance, but we always try to move things around or make space for anybody in need,” he says.
“Off the beach, it’s mainly broken parts like CVs, tie rods, suspension, that sort of thing. That’s easy work for us as everyone here’s knowledgeable in the area. We also see a couple of drowned cars, but there’s sadly not much you can do about that.”
During my visit there’s a very capable looking Land Rover Defender with NSW plates parked out front. A lady comes
in to collect it, full of appreciation and questioning why the repair bill is so low. It appears Paddy’s 4×4 has saved their Queensland adventure. Jake said it had injector problems and he found time to investigate it following a cancellation. He feared it’d need parts out of the UK, but he removed a dodgy injector, cleaned it, it ran fine after a test drive and there was one very happy customer.
The business opened only a few years ago, and immediately was faced with the uncertainty of Covid. “It was definitely a good time and a hard time, all in the same period,” says Jake. “We started it from scratch, we had zero customers and we set about getting the really strong client base and following we have now. Through Covid we were doing free vehicle inspections for locals if they were concerned about anything. We were trying to help the community as well as trying to build our foundations.”
Jake intimately knows this industry. The 32-year-old served his apprenticeship at off-road specialist Opposite Lock, has worked for Toyota on its off-road range, and owned and modified his own 4x4s across the years. “I knew there was a big call in the market for 4×4 suspension (upgrades),” he says. “We offered our prices low for suspension and lift kits, and it just hasn’t slowed down. We were doing two or three lift kits a day, and now we always do at least one daily.”
It is obvious business is booming, and Jake puts some of that down to government incentives helping people during Covid. People wanted to spend money on their vehicles, and with restricted overseas travel, plenty wanted to own and then arm their 4x4s for serious adventuring on home soil. Supply of the likes of suspension components and certain tyres wasn’t easy at times, but Jake says it’s much improved this year. A lot of work performed is on brand new vehicles – 4×4 SUVs and utes are enjoying record sales, and owners have dollars to spend on upping capabilities and, let’s
be honest, chasing rugged good looks.
“Certain types of suspension suit certain types of use,” Jake explains. “There’s remote reservoir, fully adjustable amazing shocks out there, but I wouldn’t try to sell those to someone who is just going to do some beach driving. We only suit to what they need by talking customers through options.” Same for older vehicles with failing or sagging suspension – Jake will find out what the vehicle’s used for, and the weight it’ll carry, and advise which new setup should work best.
Jake reckons popularity of these vehicles has surged as today’s offerings are safer and more family-friendly than the more utilitarian hardcore 4x4s of old. “A bigger family wanting to do a bit of travelling can get something like the Ford Everest,” he explains. “It has safety, options and versatility. They can do so much off-road but easily go to the shops in it too.” The reception area features an accessories shop – suspension kits, towing options, lighting, oil catch cans, recovery gear and the like – all the tempting stuff enthusiasts want to see. Paddy’s – named after Patrick O’Shea, the wonderfully Irish name of the father of one of the shop’s owners – has Jake and Ashley at front of house helping customers; a senior mechanic running the workshop; plus another mechanic and an apprentice in the spacious facility.
Jake’s talents are also utilised on the tools when needed. Inside, there are a couple of two-post hoists and a four-poster with wheel alignment machine. “When we do a suspension kit, nothing gets outsourced,” Jake says. “We do the kit, put it on the four-poster for the wheel alignment, do a road test and finish it. I love working for a small business. We all interact as a family basically, and I feel you can give more to the customer. There’s a more personal interaction, and we get a lot more smiles from customers. They’re not coming in upset with a product, but asking for help or information.”
These sound like words from somebody who has endured the less positive experiences that inevitably come from working for a large company. “I’ve worked at Toyota, I’ve worked at a dealership, so I know the meaning of being a number,” Jake says. “If you’re sick and bored of spinning filters or doing warranty work all day every day, there’s the thought to try something different. Will it be beneficial? For me, working for a small business, it’s 100 per cent yes.” Paddy O’Shea’s 4×4 Garage is an example of the right workshop setting up at the right place at the right time. But its expanding, loyal customer base and positive local reputation is all about hard work and professionalism… helped along the way by that bright green paintwork, of course.
Find out more at www.paddys4x4.com.au