About Us

Pakenham Accident Repairs was first established in 1980 the same location as Geoffs Panels and traded as this until 2005/06 when it was renamed Pakenham Accident repairs and in 2009 David Galenda purchased the business retaining the two existing tradesmen, a panel beater and painter.

Within 6 months the staff increased to an apprentice spray painter and two extra panel beaters to cope with the increasing workload.Today Pakenham Accident Repairs has seven full time tradesmen (not including apprentices) and three full time administration staff members. David & Con (both fully qualified panel beaters) oversee the workshop with a focus on quality control and safety. David mainly focuses on the overall management of the business these days.

David Galenda has been in the smash repairs industry since leaving school in 1984. He trained as a panel beater with Coffey Ford Dandenong and has worked in panel shops throughout the southeastern region. His first management experience was with Motor Trend, Dandenong as Workshop Foreman.

Since taking over Pakenham Accident Repairs in 2009 David and his staff have undertaken the full range of smash repair work on passenger cars, vans, and light commercial vehicles. Staff and turnover have grown significantly as well as the size of our workshop/office expanding the whole length of the building. The business has built a strong clientele through insurance work, private work and strong customer relationships that bring repeat business and a genuine commitment to quality and service.

Pakenham Accident Repairs is a privately owned and operated Australian company.

Pakenham Accident Repairs is a member of I-CAR, an international industry body with an Australian chapter that services the needs of the panel beating and repairs industry for information and updates on vehicle technology.

Director, David Galenda attends local I-CAR meetings, and we plan to use some of its relevant training courses for our tradesmen over time. As a thriving and forward-looking business, we have already started adapting to the impact of new technology on how we undertake vehicle repairs. For example, we have bought, installed, and had our tradesmen trained in the use of an inverter welder, which is needed for the high-tensile steels now used in car construction.  The newly installed Seetal Spray Booth is a way we are using new technology to improve our throughput and responsiveness. It has improved workshop flow and productivity by about 25%.

Paint technology is an ever-advancing field. A PPG paint technician works with our spray paint team 2-4 times a month to educate them in the latest innovations in paint technology, colours and colour matching, and to demonstrate new techniques. We understand that adapting to the new technology in cars - and to the new technology available to our industry - will be crucial to the sustainability of our business and maintaining customer satisfaction with the quality and timeliness of our work.