Valued Ultra Tune customers, please be assured Ultra Tuneâs top priority is your, and our team members, safety.
If youâve had recent contact with a confirmed COVID case, or if you are experiencing any COVID like symptoms, please do not attend any of our centres.
Ultra Tune workshops are following expert advice from the Australian and State Government Health Departments to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
Here at Ultra Tune weâve taken a range of precautionary measures across all of our workshops that include:
Comprehensive hygiene standards for all Ultra Tune team members, including washing and sanitising hands regularly.
Avoiding skin-to-skin contact.
Wearing gloves in customersâ cars and disinfecting surfaces such as door handles and the steering wheel.
Disinfecting after handling keys and cash.
Disinfecting areas of common use, such as our service counters.
Advising all Ultra Tune team members that those who are feeling unwell and/or have been in direct contact with someone who is unwell must follow self-isolation guidelines as issued by the Australian Government.
Requiring all Ultra Tue team members who have returned from overseas to not return to work before self-isolating for 14 days.
Paid, comprehensive interior vehicle sanitation programs â at certain centres across our network.
Ultra Tune will continue to monitor this situation closely and act quickly on the advice of the Australian and State Government health authorities adapting our COVID Safe protocols as necessary.
Here at Ultra Tune, we canât get enough of a roadie! Whether it be a quick weekend trip, or a longer holiday, there is something so special about hitting the road and finding some space. In the current climate itâs not possible to travel so freely, but we thought it would be fun to highlight some of our favourite roadies to inspire you once we can all travel safely again.
Australia is known for itâs unreal landscape and this makes
a driving holiday all the more amazing. Whether you want the coast or mountains
or desert, there is something for everyone!
Here are our top 5 iconic and thrilling car journeys in Australia:
The Great Ocean Road â this is such an iconic drive and for good reason â the coastline in Victoria is just spectacular and awe inspiring. This roadie is perfect for a shorter trip; as you can drive it in a day. But a weekend would give you more time to explore the local beaches and towns. At the start of the road is Bells Beach which is popular with surfers for its beauty and dramatic surf. This stretch of road is famous for the 12 Apostles, huge limestone rocks which rise out of the sea and are located in Port Campbell National Park. Perfect for an all year round roadie, but especially great off season, as Summer is much more busy with tourists. At the end of the drive is Cape Otway Lighthouse – Australiaâs oldest mainland lighthouse, and visit the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre where you can learn about ancient aboriginal life.
The 12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road
East Coast of Tasmania â This stretch of coastline is just beautiful, including the famous Bay of Fires where the beaches have some of the whitest and finest sand in the world. Binalong Bay is a must see â it was voted the best beach in the world by Lonely Planet and for good reason. Another stunning beach here is Jeanneret Beach, framed by the orange linchen-coloured boulders which are famous in this conservation area. Another great stop on this trip would be Freycinet National Park which features the infamous Wineglass Bay. Starting in Hobart, you could easily drive up to the Bay of Fires in a long weekend but we recommend give yourself 5 days in order to really explore. You wonât want to leave!
Bay of Fires, TAS
Gibb River Road WA â This is an iconic 660km adventure and one for a longer trip, encompassing some of the most spectacular scenery Australia has to offer! It is only open outside of the wet season, and a 4WD is a must through this rugged Kimberley wilderness. Must sees on this trip are the Windjana National Park where there is a brilliant camping spot and swimming at Lennard Gorge. Also the El Questro Wilderness Park which takes you past the popular swimming spot at Durack River crossing, Jackâs Waterhole, the Cockburn Ranges and the outstanding Pentecost River. One for a longer trip, we recommend taking 2 weeks to really explore and relax.
Alice Springs to Uluru â This trip takes you to the red centre of Australia, with the magical Uluru taking centre stage. Alice Springs is the at the epicentre of the Explorers Way (a 3000-kilometre route from Adelaide to Darwin), and is the main hub for anyone looking to explore the Northern Territoryâs outback. The beautiful landscape here is simply breathtaking, with indigenous dream trails and many places to camp under the stars. Our favourite spots include swimming at Ellery Creek Big Hole and Ormiston Gorge as well as hiking Mt Sonder.
Ellery Creek Big Hole, NT
Melbourne to Daylesford â This is a short day or weekend trip which is perfect for city dwellers to escape to the country. Driving out of Melbourne into this part of Victoria is so relaxing and when you get to Daylesford there are so many things to do. At itâs heart is Hepburn Springs, home to the largest concentration of mineral springs in Australia with Hepburn Bathouse a calming oasis and a great place for a weekend retreat. Visit the Daylesford Lake for a walk around the jetty or you could hike a trail nearby such as the Goldfields Track. A short roadtrip out of the city but well worth it.
Lake Daylesford, VIC
Ultra Tune keeps you safe on the road! From car tuning, to roadside assist, we are never far away! Download our app, available on iTunes and Microsoft.
Numerous complaints to the ad watchdog about sexism, sexualisation and the promotion of convicted rapist Mike Tyson in Ultra Tuneâs latest ad have been dismissed.
In a detailed response to the complaints, the brand said: âThe advertisements do not promote nor endorse any sexual harassment, or assault. He [Tyson] has been punished for his crime committed over 25 years ago in accordance with the law.â
A majority of the complaints featured in the Advertising Standards Boardâs ruling focussed on the inclusion of Tyson, who was convicted of rape in 1992.
In response, Ultra Tune said it takes its responsibilities â including the AANA Code of Ethics â very seriously and noted the brand âagrees sexual harassment, assault and rape has no place in our societyâ.
âHowever, we note that Mr Tyson served his punishment, publicly acknowledged his deep regret and remorse for that period in his life, and has re-joined society. Since that time, he has rebuilt his career as a celebrity personality.â
It also noted: âOur use of Mr Tyson does not promote his convictions nor condone sexual harassment in any way.â
The advertiser went on to detail its view that the ad could not be found to vilify, humiliate or ridicule women because âthe advertisements are clearly designed to be hyper-realisatic and comedicâ, noting âa road incident can happen to any person, regardless of gender.â
Ultra Tune also refuted the claim the ad exploits or degrades women, arguing: âAt all times the female actors are fully clothed in fancy dress clothing. The fancy dress clothing was used to reinforce the comedic aspect of the advertisement. Their clothing is clearly not the focus of the advertisement.â
The Board also didnât take issue with the womenâs attire, saying it is consistent with Henâs parties or costume parties. It said the womenâs appearance was âsexy, [but] their behaviour is not sexualisedâ.
It also again noted the âhyper-realâ nature of the advertisements, which in its view, ensured the community would not take safety pointers from the womenâs actions: âThe Board considered that the fantasy nature of the advertisement, the likelihood of a tiger appearing in the street, and the fact the vehicle was shown to crash all amounted to an overall impression that would be unlikely to suggest or condone swerving to avoid an animal on the road.â
The Board thus dismissed all the complaints against Ultra Tuneâs ad.
Sean Buckley of Ultra Tune was recently interviewed by the AAAA (Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association) regarding the inquiry into the behaviour of vehicle manufacturers attempting to monopolize the after-sales car service market and drive up the cost of car servicing.Â
Australia and New Zealand remain the only countries worldwide where manufacturers have been able to quarantine vehicle servicing data making it near impossible for independent service providers to properly service more recently manufactured vehicles.
After months of effort and preparation, Sean Buckley and Ultra Tune, with other independent operators, managed to address the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) regarding the anti-competitive nature of the manufacturerâs behaviour.
The ACCC werenât impressed and legislation will be enacted in 2018 creating a level playing field upon which independent service providers, such as Ultra Tune, will be able to favourably compete on price and workmanship with vehicle manufacturers in the after sales service market.
The ACCC found that many car manufacturers have not factored consumer guarantee rights into their complaints handling systems and new car buyers are losing out as a result. These rights provide remedies for consumers if their new car experiences a failure, including a right to a repair (without charge) for a minor failure, or a replacement of the car or a full refund for a major failure.
The ACCC has identified five key issues contributing to the difficulties consumers are having enforcing their consumer guarantee rights:
car manufacturersâ focus on warranty obligations to the exclusion of their consumer guarantee obligations
there is a dominant âculture of repairâ underpinning car manufacturersâ systems and policies for dealing with car defects and failures
the widespread use of non-disclosure agreements by car manufacturers when resolving complaints
the lack of effective independent dispute resolution options for consumers
particular features of the commercial arrangements between car manufacturers and dealers.
Ultra Tune Business Development Manager Rod Cedaro told an audience at Mumbrellaâs Automotive Summit, âThe empowerment there was they [the women] actually were forward-thinking enough to actually exit the carâ.
âWe donât see a problem with the ad, we get very very good cut through with the ads,â Rod Cedaro noted, drawing attention to the fact only one complaint to the Ad Standards Board was upheld and contending it was only âbanned on a technicalityâ.
The âtechnicalityâ was the implication the women died once being hit by the train.
The ad was then re-cut to show the women walking away from the accident.
âServicing a car isnât the most engaging thing you could do and the fact that I am sitting here, talking to you about the ads and Kmartâs not, probably shows that we are getting a bit more cut through,â the national marketing manager noted.
âI donât want to berate Kmart, but who remembers a Kmart ad versus Jean Claude Van Damme?
âAll of our ads are designed to get cut through, are they controversial? Yes and no,â he continued.
âYou have got a choice and year-on-year 19% growth would suggest we are getting the cut through from the ads.
âI look at Ultra Tune these days as really a marketing company that happens to service cars.â
Our amazing franchisees are at the heart of Ultra Tune! As the company has grown, so have our franchisees and their spirit, dedication and work ethic is crucial to the success and reputation of the Ultra Tune brand. We are excited to announce a new show where you can learn more about our Ultra Tune franchisees and how they operate on a day to day basis!
Stay tuned for the new Ultra Tune Franchise show!
Pictured here are Ultra Tune franchisees Ross, Shane, Richard, Scott and Pat, from various South East Queensland and Victorian stores, they are joined by Queensland State Manager (Joel Willing) and National Marketing Manager (Rod Cedaro).
Stay tuned for the upcoming Franchise Show, hitting Channel 7 screens at midday on Sundays in late September.
Sean Buckley is proud to present the new Ultra Tune advert featuring Laura Lydall and Parnia Porsche. Filmed on location in Melbourne, Australia in January 2016.
