Clients reviews about IKIGAI MOTORS, Import Vehicle Compliance & Maintenance Workshop

I had the pleasure of purchasing a Japanese Import Mercedes Benz from Sama from Ikigai Motors, and I cannot recommend him highly enough. From start to finish, he went above and beyond to help us find the perfect car. What truly sets Sama apart is his genuine and honest approach—there was never any pressure, just a clear commitment to making sure we were fully informed and comfortable with our decision. His knowledge of the vehicles was impressive, and his customer service is second to none. He took the time to listen to our needs, answer every question, and provide insightful recommendations. It’s rare to find someone who cares so much about their customers, and Sama truly exemplifies exceptional service. If you're in the market for a vehicle, I highly recommend reaching out to Sama at Ikigai Motors—you'll be in great hands! ~ M p

Sama and the team at Ilagai Motors are excellent. I'm very happy I've found my new local trusted mechanic. I was advised by another mechanic that my clutch needed replacing and that it would cost $5000. I looked around and found Ikagai, whose quote for the clutch was lower. Here is the kicker - my clutch did not need replacing at all! After the Ikagaai team replaced my spark plugs and engine mount, they called and informed that my clutch did not need replacing at all, as it was fixed with their repair. They had even ordered the new clutch in for me as that's what I told them was wrong. They even showed me the old spark plugs and the broken engine mount for my reference - no mechanic has ever done that before I'm just so grateful that I met these lovely men who weren't just trying to make a big sale off a woman who has no idea about cars. Thank you so much and I will definitely be back 🙏 ~ Kristy K

Friendly, skilled, and competitively priced! After a long search, I finally feel like I’ve found the right mechanic for my imported Toyota Hiace Super Custom. At other garages, I was upfront about it being an import, but each time I picked it up, I’d hear, “That took twice as long as expected.” Even a Toyota service center, confident they could handle it, acted like it was a nightmare and tried to charge me double their fixed quote. Not the case with Ikigai Motors. They managed the job with no hassle and no complaints. I’ll definitely be back for my next service! ~ David C

I first made contact with Osama in May. I went to him to enquire about a wheel chair access vehicle. I did buy a vehicle from interstate but not from him. I had a lot of trouble dealing with Vicroads as it was an imported vehicle, I required compliance certificate, VASS engineers report etc. I apptoached Osama again as I thought he would have good knowledge a these imported cars, etc vicroads law, regulations and requirements. Once compliance certificate requirements satisfied it was time to get RWC. Osama organised RWC, this is when the delay and issues began. The parts were very hard to source, eventually he was able to source it from Japan. It took over a month to get it etc. Osama reassured me would get the car registered he was doing his best, delays were inevitable. Once all documentation, RWC Osama and his team attended Vicroad RWC inspection appointment on my behalf. Yesterday I picked up our baby. Yep a long hard labour ...but we finally after 4 months....we are happy and thank our new friend Osama, his family and his team. ~ Teresa P

Osama and Badar, you guys have become like brothers from another mother to me. I want to thank you both so much for your work, your professional work ethic, your knowledge, your thoroughness, leaving no stone unturned. It is coming back to you 10 fold. Thank you so much for looking out for me in taking care of my car. Your honesty, openness and transparency is top-tier professionalism. I would trust you guys with my life. I congratulate you every time you tell me you’re busy 😂👌🏼you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be 👍🏼 And for everyone else reading this, if you have a Japanese make and model, Osama and Badar are your bros 👊🏼 they have connections in Japan which just makes their work here even more valuable, and it’s hard to find people as hard working and honest as these guys 👍🏼👍🏼 i would give em 10 stars if i could. In terms of parts, these guys are connected to get quality parts your car needs. Get your car inspected by these guys and you’ll be sure to know exactly what’s happening with your car and they’ll fix it up for you too ✨🏎️💨 ~ Sasha S

Had a great experience purchasing a Toyota Crown, Osama kept in contact with me from the initial message to driving the car out of the yard. Friendly service, asking as I would enter if I'd want a drink of some sort. The whole process took about a week or two from enquiry to driving out even the car had only just recently been shipped to Australia. Thank you people at Ikigai. ~ Titan S

Made an enquiry about a JDM car to get more information on pricing. Sama had a similar car on his lot which was not quite what I was looking for nor am I quite ready to purchase. He was happy to help to research another example. Sama was very responsive and helpful and when ready to purchase will definitely make contact again. Thanks for the helping me Sama. ~ Matt C

Great experience. Can recommend if you are looking for a mechanic that understands Japanese imported cars. After going to a few other mechanics in Melbourne who didn’t know how to work on my van, I found Ikigai great and trustworthy. They even had a second independent mechanic’s opinion before starting work to ensure they were 100% on the issue. Happy with the results. ~ Matt J

These boys are men of integrity. They never miss a beat with great communication. The Duo fit for their roles of customers service and engineer to the T. They are knowledgeable and have a great network that extends to Japan. I would say honest Aussie battlers looking out for you. I hope they stay around for a long time as I’ll be counting on them in the future for sure. 👍🏼 ~ Frederick L

The team at Ikigai Motors are awesome. They quickly diagnosed and sourced parts for my Japanese import to get the aircon up and running for summer. They also sourced a new apple play compatible head unit to connect to my iPhone and installed to perfection. Quality work, reasonable price…Nice guys too! ~ stefan t

Absolutely awesome joint to get your JDM dream car !!! Team were super helpful and nice throughout the process of inspection to buying and absolutely lovely to deal with. If you are looking at importing a car through these guys or picking one up from the lot, you are in the right place !!! Thanks so much boys :) ~ Lucas G

I bought a Toyota Alphard hybrids 2021 from Ikigai motors. Osama was very helpful and trust worthy. He organised all documents like VicRoads transferred, vehicle warranty and Roadside assistant. My wife and I are happy with the price and services here. I can recommed to anyone if you want to buy a car here. ~ Chi N

Recently got my brother’s Sorento serviced from this place. A completely hassle-free and pleasant experience! So pleased with the service that I HAD to bring my Xtrail in for a check-engine light. Again, fixed it within a day! Called me to explain what was wrong and the price it would incur before proceeding too. Amazing customer service! ~ ehtesham g

Decided to use ikigai motors to look after the maintenance on my hiace, so far had a full service & a new water pump supplied & fitted, so far so good, happy to continue with ikigai motors.very nice family run business very friendly & helpful thanks to baddar osarma & sisters ( HIGHLY RECOMMEND IKIGAI MOTORS) 👍😊🐾 ~ Kerry M

Sama and his brother know what to do. Great customer service and reliable. Highly recommended. You can trust whatever you need to do. I had an imported Japanese car they fixed the language and all other issues in a sec. Which no one else could do in Melbourne!!! Well done guys. You will have a bright future I can tell you. ~ Roozbeh M

Not one to write google reviews but this is well deserving of one. I dropped my car off at IKIGAI motors and was blown away by the service, the entire team went above and beyond to accommodate everything that required fixing in such a timely manner with great constant communication with every step. Would highly highly recommend. ~ Amber H

Very friendly and experienced team. Treated very kindly the whole time. They got my car in straight away and assessed the issue, and gave me time to make the correct decision. They are experts on all things Japanese cars and even have the ability to import special models for a good price. I will certainly come back ~ Tom M

The team at Ikigai took care of my 2001 Daihatsu Terios with ease. Finding a confident mechanic for such a niche Japanese car isn't easy. They also resolved my transfer case leak with no issues. Highly recommend Ikigai for Daihatsu and Japanese 4x4 owners. ~ Cordelia A

Amazing Ikigai family so patient and so kind. All of them are so professional. Osama and Bader are so good in cars. They have delivered us a beautiful car with all the features we wanted. It was perfect. This is the Toyota Alphard 2016 Executive Lounge. Well done guys and thank you. ~ Anna M

The level of professionalism at this dealership is second to none. I spoke to Osama about importing a new car and was thoroughly impressed with his knowledge. I felt comfortable that he would be able to find the right fit for me. Would highly recommend to anyone!!! ~ Alexandros A

Purchased a car from Ikigai Motors, and the experience was smooth. Kudos to their mechanic, Badar, for a thorough check and ensuring everything was in top condition. His expertise added confidence to my purchase. Grateful for the seamless process and a reliable team. ~ Akshay W

Got my car serviced yesterday, very professional mechanics , they also buffed my headlights for free and showed me the oil they were using (castrol) so this was very reassuring as I’m always skeptical while getting my oil changed with other workshops. I’ll recommend it to all my friends. ~ Shaheryar M

Saman and the team found me the perfect Celsior and made the importing process as easy as possible. I definitely recommend Ikigai motors for their professionalism, service, and knowledge of importing. A+ !! ~ Andy B

My partner recently purchased a car off of this business and I have to say they were excellent! Great service, and they made sure the car we purchased was perfect before we travelled to get it! Would highly recommend and would use again! ~ lorinda w

Reviews from our customers

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