From Start to Finish

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From Start to Finish

The dedicated team at The Surgery understands that alongside buying property, restoring your classic or collectable car could be one of your life’s major investments. We know that you’ll want to work with a company whose processes you can rely on to provide a great end result. With our key concern being to fully meet our clients’ expectations, we deliver what’s been agreed on in an efficient, informative and timely way.

It doesn’t matter what stage of need your car is in, The Surgery can return your classic to its former beauty for you. We’re happy to provide full project management, or partial management with referral to our proven networks for clients wanting more “hands on” input.

Our Process

1. Consultation and Assessment

This first step involves a face to face, online or phone discussion on the scope of the project. This includes specific wants, needs, and expectations that the client has.

A physical appraisal of the vehicle in its current state follows, either at The Surgery, off-site or via photos on the internet if required.

2. Appraisal Estimate

As a starting point, an initial estimate of areas able to be assessed is provided.

Some areas may need disassembly in order to be fully assessed and accurately priced, and delivery of the vehicle to The Surgery allows this next step to happen.

Each estimate is customised in as much detail as we are able to provide for your vehicle. These estimates take time to compile and as such, there is a small fee of $165+gst which is refundable upon your first invoice when work commences.

3. Private Project Photo Gallery

Your gallery will get updated with photos before each task begins, stages during, and when the task is completed, allowing you to follow our progress step by step. Learn more about our private project photo gallery HERE

4. Disassembly

As required for a full quote to be completed, or as the first step of work on the project.

Digital photos are taken as a record of the parts that are removed and stored.

5. Working Quote

This provides descriptive detail of all work required and provides the work detail and budget for the project.

Once accepted by the client in full or part, a project timeframe is agreed upon.

6. Fabrication and Repairs

All rust is removed from areas to be repaired, and new steel is welded in place to produce a permanent repair.

These repairs are completed to LTSA standards and carry our 10-year guarantee and a digital photographic record.

Any fabrication or repair work requiring repair certification can be carried out and supported by The Surgery and directed through the legal requirements via our network of Certifiers.

7. Filling, Finishing, and Straightening

Intensive and detailed hand finishing work, to make repaired panels smooth, straight, and blemish-free, ready for the first stage of paintwork.

8. Paintwork

Our paintwork is all two-pack or waterborne and to high quality, having won several concourse awards for the finish.

9. Rustproofing

We provide comprehensive rustproofing using a pressure pot cavity wax injection system.

This is applied to the upper and under the body.

10. Reassembly

11. Outwork

The Surgery operates within a network of excellent tradespeople, so can easily provide services for Auto Electrical, Upholstery, and Mechanical work required as part of the project.

The majority of this work is provided on The Surgery’s premises.

12. Detailing and testing

This step sees hand finishing and attention to detail, final systematic quality checks, and test driving of the vehicle, to ensure that expectations are met.

13. Completion!

Internal Pipelines - Medium/Large Restorations, Small ongoing Maintenance and Compliance

The workshop operates several internal pipelines, which allows us to cater for work of all shapes and sizes with different lead times for each of them due to demand. Our pipelines can sometimes see delays due to the scope of work growing once the vehicle is in our workshop. For example: if a small WOF issue rust repair turned into a larger job or required parts to be ordered international after work began, this would be rescheduled into our medium to large restoration pipeline.

Medium to Large Restorations Work

Our large jobs pipeline covers the widest range of work which includes; full bare-metal restoration, EV conversions, mechanical upgrades, interior changes, major upholstery work or just a refreshed exterior repaint.

Small Ongoing Maintenance Work

Our small jobs pipeline cover work that can generally handled within a few hours to a couple of weeks. These include, small WOF issues rust repairs, small chassis repairs, engine services and upgrades, electrical issues, weather seals and leaks, and detailing.

Entry Compliance to New Zealand

Compliance for vehicles in New Zealand requires us to work in with compliance inspectors to first assess the vehicle so that it can either be approved or a list of items can be provided for us to address for compliance approval. This work can rage in size and may require the vehicle to be placed in storage while we schedule this work in and or wait for any parts required.

Wait list and Schedule Challenges

One of the many challenges we encounter with all our existing and new clients is that the initial work requirements can change while their vehicle is in our workshop. This can grow from a couple of additional items to an entire bare metal restoration or even a full engine swap for an EV conversion.

We work with initial requirements for planning purposes and additional requests can, of course disrupt our schedules.  Our focus is with you, the client, the work and the requirements to make the restoration or work on your vehicle the way you want it, and expect it to be.  Each client in the workshop, and each new or returning client, enjoys the same privileges when in the workshop.  The impact of this is that it can add unexpected time delays – sometimes not insignificant, to clients who are on our wait list. Our administration team endeavour to update these clients about any delays to arrival into the workshop, and to minimise delays where practicable.

Once you have received and approved your project estimate, our administration team will provide you with a tentative month that we intend to schedule your vehicle to arrive at our workshop.  This information is given with the best knowledge we can forecast at the time. We will keep you appraised of check in dates as we are able to, and approximately 1 month in advance of the indicated month, we will either propose a date for check in or advise of delays and revisions to the dates.

In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, like many other businesses, we have been impacted by the effects that have rippled across the globe. Unexpected delays with freight for regular stock and specialist parts from our suppliers, lockdowns and increases in staff absences are some of the many challenges we face. We appreciate your understanding and patients.