Starting your own business can be similar to starting your own family – it takes years of gentle nurturing before they stand on their own two feet. Waz Ziebell has experience in both. With one small child and another on the way he is kept very busy as his business, Cairns Customs and Car Sound continues to grow. Motor Trader caught up with Waz to learn all about his business.
Words: Lara Wilde
It seems like the team at Cairns Customs and Car Sound do everything. Tell us about the products and services on offer in your workshop?
WZ: Where do I start! We try to offer a ‘one-stop shop’ approach by covering all aspects of automotive electrical and mechanical diagnostics, servicing, repairs, calibrations and upgrades. To do this effectively, I’ve split my business over two separate workshops just metres apart. One focuses on the mobile electronics, electrical, air conditioning and accessory fitting side of things, while the other focuses on mechanical, alignments, ADAS and insurance assessment portions of the business. We stock in-car entertainment systems, driver safety systems, immobilisers / alarms and security systems, dual battery / solar / canopy fit-out components, lighting upgrades and much more.
Your business is well known in Cairns and Far North Queensland. How long have you been established?
WZ: For 10 years I have been working hard to build my brand and reputation locally. We were at a different location when I first opened the doors almost 10 years
ago and I was commuting in from the southern end of town each day losing valuable hours away from my family and my business. Purchasing this building was a great move to bring the two together allowing me to live and work close to the same location.
With such a broad skillset it can’t have been a normal story to get you started. What is your background in the industry?
WZ: I started a school-based mechanical apprenticeship in the late ’90s and have been involved in the industry ever since. I went out on my own nearly 10 years ago, specialising in mobile electronics and accessory fitting and have now expanded the business significantly. I’ve continued studying along the way and now have auto electrician, air conditioning and hybrid/EV qualifications under my belt.
Are you still hands on in the business today?
WZ: Very much so. I’m still on the floor of both shops and I am hands-on in the office. You’ll usually find me carrying out electrical diagnostics / repairs or ADAS calibrations.
Who is in your current team?
WZ: We have the best bunch of auto sparkies, mechanics and customer service professionals in the region! My partner Kristen is in the office with Chantelle. Dan, Brock and Dylan join me on the tools in the workshop.
Do you sponsor any local motorsport and individual competitors? What role does it play in your marketing activities for the business?
WZ: We get behind the local burnout scene, in particular a few of the grassroots competitors. While we do have a few stickers on cars, we’re in it to support
the community, we don’t expect to win work from it.
Do you or your staff actively compete in Motorsport?
WZ: I don’t compete currently, but I would like to build a track car in the future. One of my staff, Brock, is heavily involved in both speedway and burnout competitions.
How much importance do you place on social media for your business?
WZ: I placed a lot of importance on social media in the early days of the business. It was 100 per cent of my advertising and was an excellent return on investment. Nowadays, it has dialled back somewhat as the rest of the industry has caught up and the socials are saturated.
What do you see as the greatest advancement in technology for your business?
WZ: The inclusion of ADAS repair and calibration as well as hybrid/EV repair to our business. Also, adding CNC to our business, and preparing for 3D scanning, modelling and printing. Additionally, to a lesser extent, the shift away from pneumatic tools to almost exclusively using battery-powered tools.
Do you consider that the advancements in electric cars will have an impact on your business?
WZ: I guess it already has. Training has already been undertaken by my staff and me, and we recently held a Hybrid/EV training event for MTA Queensland at our new workshop. I feel once the warranty period expires on current hybrid and EVs, we (and the auto community) will see a great influx of work on these vehicles. While we are all geared up to take on this future influx now, most of our current work on these vehicles is a steady trickle stemming from the collision repair industry, and aftermarket accessory areas (dash cams etc). The other immediate impact we’ve noticed is the withdrawal of hybrid / EV information from some data suppliers which will no doubt effect future repair processes.
What has been the greatest benefit of your MTA Queensland membership?
WZ: I first joined MTA Queensland about 4-5 years ago. I really appreciate the diverse range of support membership offers me as a business owner and the growth opportunities MTA Queensland provides via their training.
What are your greatest challenges?
WZ: Finding enough time in the day and sourcing quality staff. It is great to be busy and a great team of staff make the business run smoothly but hiring great staff is about more than just skillsets. It is also about finding people who fit with your culture and are as invested in the success of the business as you are.
What training do you do with staff?
WZ: Staff and I attend local Autotech and Valhalla training nights as well as TAT webinars whenever possible. We try to attend everything we can that is offered locally. Key staff and I have also attended MTA Institute hybrid and EV skillset training courses in the last 12 months.
What advice would you give to a young you starting out in the industry?
WZ: Find a good mentor and absorb as much as you can. Learning doesn’t stop when you knock
off. Live and breathe your trade and you’ll succeed.
What are your plans for the next few years?
WZ: From a pragmatic perspective in the business, if the immobiliser scheme being trialled in Cairns and TSV goes well, I see a lot more of them in the future. I am also in the process of getting my mod plate license so we can do that in-house as well. We are seeing a huge opportunity to grow the ADAS diagnosis, repair and calibration portion of the business. Personally, I want to delve into 3D scanning, 3D printed and CNC machined parts. Finally, I want to complete a Cert IV or better in TAE so I can start giving back to the automotive community by teaching the next generation.
What cars do you own?
WZ: I’ve reduced the fleet of regos in recent years and now only have a newer model Toyota Hilux and my toy, a ’67 HR ute. The ute is a project with big plans so stay tuned for a reveal one day soon.
What do you do with your spare time?
WZ: Spare time? What’s that? I am building my business and raising a family. Kristen and I moved into an apartment close to the workshop so I could be available for clients with odd drop-off and pick-up hours. We try to take a holiday every so often but when we are in town we focus on building the business.
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (October 2023)
1 November 2023
