Mick Dunn Motor Repairs voted best 2022 Mackay and Whitsunday mechanic
Securing good staff has been tricky for many trade business owners, but the two-week wait for this mechanic comes down to his reputation, honesty and a gentle nature.
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A Mackay mechanic has won over the community with his honest and gentle nature.
Michael Dunn started Mike Dunn Motor Repairs in 1975, with his son Michael Dunn Junior who began his apprenticeship at the shop in 1978 at age 15.
Michael Junior — who has been named Best Mackay Mechanic for 2022 — took over the business in the late 1990s after his father retired.
Mr Dunn’s sister Kathy Davis has also worked in the shop since she was a young girl, with 23 years in office administration for the business.
She said Michael’s popularity within the community could be attributed to his gentle nature.
“Because I get to deal with the customers I know how much they think of Michael,” she said.
“All the ladies say he is so lovely and then Michael’s wife will say ‘yeah you don’t have to live with him’.
“He does so many hours and I know how much they think of Michael.”
She said many of their customers has been getting their car fixed at Mick Dunn Motors since it opened 47 years ago.
“People now know his granddaughter and about the family,” Ms Davis said.
“We have had customers back when dad first started the business and we now have their kids and their grandkids now and now we are heading into the grandkids.
“It is kind of amazing to see over the years.”
Ms Davis said customers commented on Michael’s honest approach and trusted his opinion.
“He is very honest with people and they like that,” she said.
“Michael talks to them after he fixes them, so they don’t just hear from the office girl but the person who has actually worked on their car, and I think that is a huge thing for people.”
Despite the business’s success, he has struggled to keep staff over the past few years, with many leaving for more money in the mines.
“We do some big hours, start about 6.30am and finish at about 8.30pm sometimes,” he said.
“We have put quite a few apprentices through but it is hard to get good people now, and you put a lot effort into them, but they are gone pretty much straight away.”
“You can’t compete with the money they give them out there.”
Mr Dunn is not only known around Mackay for his kind and gentle nature, but his reputation for fixing and servicing old vintage cars.
He said over the years he had repaired many old model cars such as Camaros and Cadillacs.
“We have old EK Holdens that we take care of, they are older than I am,” Mr Dunn.
“We have Ford Falcon GT that we look after.
“Being one of the older Mechanics in Mackay I have knowledge about the older cars.”
He said there was usually a two-week waiting period for people wanting to fix or service their car, with customers booking their cars in months in advance.
“We are handling it but we do get booked up,” he said.
“We always try and look after our regulars.”
Mr Dunn said the industry was constantly changing with advancement of technology and car safety.
“Even putting in windscreen wipers is a specialised job, because they have to put cameras in and you have to set them and have papers to show that,” he said.
“Years ago you pull a motor out and put it back in again on the same day.”
“Now it is a two-day job.
“It is a challenging job but I still enjoy it.”
Covid-19 has also increased the time cars spend in repair, with deliveries from southern states taking longer than usual.
“People are not in the warehouse to deliver stuff and you have cars hanging around a little longer than you want.
“A lot of the warehouses are in Victoria so it can take three days to get up here.”
Mr Dunn said he was surprised when he heard he was voted Mackay and Whitsundays best mechanic in the Daily Mercury’s ‘Best of’ series.
“It was a surprise and a big shock,” he said.
“It was a bit out of the blue.”
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