OT-ish: Paging Beav and Owen

I may well need the services of a bodyshop where I can trust folks to
actually do what I want and do a proper job so I was wondering
whereabouts in the country you are? I know that Owen's in/near
Reading...

Background is that I've had a couple of repairs done on my RX-7
convertible and I'm not happy with the quality of at least one of them
(and I guess I'll find out in the next couple of days if the MOT tester
is as unhappy about it as I am). I'll try to get the bodyshop I used to
sort it out and redo the repair the way I want it to but if it turns
out that they're not really interested in doing that, I need someone
else to sort out the mess[1].

Travelling a reasonable distance to get this work done isn't really a
problem - at the end of the day I go to the other side of Reading from
here (Ashford) just to get it serviced. Owen, I know you said that you
guys aren't normally interested in taking jobs where the customer is
quite far away but I'd rather not experiment with bodyshops again so
I'd rather go to someone I've met before, even if it was "just" in a NG.

I'd like to point out that I'm not expecting mate's rates or anything
like that, just good workmanship.

As a potential bonus (depends on how you look at it), the other RX-7
I'm in the process of buying will need a decent respray in the same
colour[2] within a year or so and I do tend to turn into a repeat
customer if I'm happy with the workmanship.

[1] Repair of the outer sill - there was a bit of rust that needed
cutting out but instead of letting new metal in it looks like the guys
plated over it (although they did cut out the rust, supposedly). If I
wanted to plate over the rust I would have welded that myself...
Anyway, unfortunately this messed up both the shape of the bottom of
the sill (the rest is spot on) and a seam on the sill right next to it.
The more often I look at that, the more pissed off I become...

[2] The One True Colour that is, and I know that it's a bastard to
spray.

 

Owen's not here atm, but I can tell you he works in Ewelme, Oxon.
Beav's oop north somewhere. The peeps at Owen's bodyshop pride
themselves on the quality of their work. They are not the cheapest
because of that, but you can trust them.

If you are prepared to deliver and collect, I don't see why distance
would be a problem for them. They are way off the public transport
track though (nearest bus is at Benson, 2 miles away) so you would
need to go with a mate in/on another vehicle. Or try to persuade
Owen's lot to collect/deliver. And I may recall wrongly, but have you
not met Owen on a BOTAFOT?

--
Marina Mayes - Reading, UK. To email me remove XX from my address
SR250 - gone. BOTAFOT12, BOD#2, BOTAFOS#2
KotLBOD#s, KotLBOTAFOS#s,IMC#2, Tart#10-19, SR#3
I never give in to fear or blackmail; I always give in to temptation.
"You're a national treasure" - porl, 18.1.03

 

We're up in Bolton. (lancs, so it's in t' frozen (although remarkably warm)
norf.

We can do that, in fact we do it a lot. There's apparently a few bodyshops
that don't seem to give a ****, but we're different. Ask Christofire.

I've met a lot of NG'ers in real life and they're usually far better face to
face.

We don't do anything but.

I'll see if my photobucket thing is still working and shove some pics of
paintwork we're responsible for and you can draw your own conclusions about
whether or not we're up to the job. 'Ang on a mo....

http://www.sendspace.com:80/folder/qtxkil

I've checked and it still works, so you can have a butcher's if you want.

A common (nasty) trick, because it makes forming the new metal easier.
Doesn't help long term though as any rust migrates to the new steel too
quickly.

If I

The prep work for a black paint job is a twat, you're right, but I think
I've posted a couple of a Skyline we did in black, so you'll see how we deal
with the one true colour.



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

snip

We are here...

www.tvrbodyrepairs.com & www.lotusbodyrepairs.net 01491 825294.

Ewelme, Oxfordshire, OX10 6HQ.

HTH...

 

Which is exactly what I need...

Well, given that the car is actually an MOT failure I may have to get
it transported by now...

Hmm, I don't think so - I recall that we had a long chat about paint at
one point, though.

 

Hmm, that's a tad far too be honest. Need to check the logistics for
that - distance per se isn't a problem and I *think* I can fly Gatwick
to Manchester.

Well, the don't give a flying cluck seems to have been more than true
this time 'round. I've just come back from the MOT station and they
pretty much failed the car on not even being bodged, let alone
repaired, properly - the plate welded onto the sill (the one I didn't
want) wasn't properly seamwelded to the bottom of said sill. In fact,
it wasn't seamwelded at all.

That's what I like to hear.

I did, that looks rather good. But that's job #2, job #1 needs sorting
out first.

Yup, and they didn't even do it properly. The problem now is that I'll
have to get pretty much every area they touch stripped and re-done
because I've completely lost my faith in their ability. Let's just hope
I can at least get some dosh back without going to the small claims
court.

Looking good, that.

Could you ping me a number I can call you/your shop during the week at
one point so we can have a chat about how we could try to do this?

 

Noted, ta. I'll be in touch during the week.

 

If it's too far, I won't be pissed off that we don't do the job. I fully
understand that we in t' frozen norf are off most people's radar.

We don't even do work that bad for a fucking *cosmetic* repair, let alone a
repeair to structural member. The cunts of this world are breeding.

No pressure at this end. If you want us to do any work, we're more than
happy to, but if not, then I'm sure you'll find someone who won't play the
**** when they're doing the job. I won't guarantee that though

I wouldn't hold my breath. Fortunately, we've never been in a position where
a customer wasn't satisfied eventually, so we've had no experience with
anyone getting overly irate (you can't please everyone every time though, so
we've had a moment or two) but we've been in the position where *we* were
far from happy with services paid for and the general reaction to that from
them was "Tough shit, sue me". Sometimes it's best to just let it go as the
stress isn't worth the cash return. Well it wasn't for us.

It sold at the Jap car show in Peterborough a couple of years ago for 12
grand and it wasn't there as a show car. The Skyline boys were pissed off as
they had two black ones for sale and they didn't get a nibble after ours was
parked up. It's even better in the metal than it is in the pics and I
haven't got any pics of it after it had been flatted, buffed and polished
which is when they REALLY show any defects, or look their best.

Yep. In fact I'll ping you two numbers. Mine and the Boy-chic's coz he's the
wielder of the guns and it's his business, I just go there to **** him up



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

It's not that you're that far North, it's more that I am this far
South...

What are public transport links like to your place?

Indeed they are. The funny thing is that out of this disaster, the MOT
place has acquired a customer who is happy to go back there for more
MOTs and tyres (because they're a local tyre & exhaust place) simply
because of *their* way of treating the customer. For starters, they
don't treat MOT customers like idiots...

I'm a tad risk averse at the moment so I don't really want to try each
and every bodyshop in my corner of the world .

Well, I have to work this out - I'm not sure that I would want them to
touch the car again. I'll see what they say and if they're cunts, well,
I've been on UKRM long enough.

A phone call to Trading Standards and possibly the VAT man would
probably be a good start...

*Ding*

My other RX-7 is showing the defects and if I like it as much as the
convertible, I'd want those sorted out next winter.

<checks inbox, empty as usual>

Well, I'll have a look into the logistics of getting the car to either
yourself or Owen - as it's a definite MOT failure complete with nasty
sheet I don't really want to be caught by an ANPR van so I either have
to get it transported or I have to buy another <shudder> Range
Rover/Land Rover and find myself a car transport trailer.

 

Strangely, very good. We have "Park and Ride" about 5 minutes from our place
where youo can board a shiny new tram linked direct to Manchester city
centre, or the train station in Bolton (a biggish one) and we're only 20
minutes from the airport.

Or they've done a "deal" with the newly acquired customer where an MOT
"won't be a problem" IYKWIM.

For starters, they

I know the feeling, but with us it's been auto electricians. It used to be
the case that an auto electrician knew how to find a problem, but lately,
even if they KNOW what the problem is, they're fucking useless at sorting
it.

That's how I am with a local sign making company. He fucked us over big
style last year, costing me an almost complete paint job on an LC 125 when
he cut the vinyl sheets after sticking them to the paint. When I pointed out
to him that the job was utter shite, he peeled the stickers off leaving
score lines everywhere. "We didn't do that" he told me. Now this week when I
wanted to order a new sign for the front of the unit, he was all over us
trying to get the work. Either thick as **** or he's got skin as thick as a
fucking rhino, but he got fucked off.


I'll see what they say and if they're cunts, well,

And they don't know that

Well we're alsways prepered to do a righteous job, as eveidenced by the
pics. We even do pink

Should be there by now.

Borrow one?



--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

That sounds good. It also appears that I can fly from Gatwick to
Manchester, which is even better.

Auto electricians - aaarrrgggghhhh. Most of them aren't even as clever
as the multimeter I have, and that's a fairly basic model.

You're right, the idiots *must* be breeding.

They may find out the hard way, though.

Whatever you do, you will _not_ paint any of my RX-7s pink.

Car transport service off ebay, most likely. It'll simply take me too
much time to tow it up there and drive back, plus the guy I'd normally
get a trailer from has sold all his trailers and is awaiting a new one.

 

And getting you to Manc Airport won't be a problem either.

I've discovered that too.

They are. The firm we went to for the new signs haven't bothered getting
them done either, so we're still signless.

It's strange how word travels, be it a good word or bad and I've seen the
reslts of a shop upsetting a newsgroup regular go down the tubes when its
customer base disappeared almost overnight.

Not to mention the fucking shite spelling

There's a wide variety of pinks y'know. From the ridiculous to the eye
blistering. There could well be one in there just for you

We use a local guy who's cheap, but he doesn't do distance work anymore. Bit
of a twat, but he's been ripped off so he's chosen to limit his liability by
sticking with the lower cost/local jobs now.

It'll simply take me too

Bugger.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Good stuff.

Well, I think I've managed to almost calm down by now. I phoned the
guys with my list of complaints and they actually started arguing that
they knew *exactly* what they were doing and that it was my MOT
tester's fault and not theirs. Splendid idea, abuse your customers if
they complain.

Funny that. I've also got the suspicion that this place may be removed
from the list of bodyshops a certain individual may recommend in the
future.

I somehow doubt that

That's a pity - I'd prefer to use people like that instead of some
random bloke off ebay...

Actually given that after some arguing, the guy agreed to at least
inspect the work, it maybe possible to get the car at least road-legal
so I can drive it up to your place, depending on how much damage they
do when they try to "fix" the problems. Although they were not happy
when I pointed out that (a) the car would have to be recovered to their
place as it's not MOT'd and (b) I wasn't going to pay for that.

I doubt that I have made new friends.

 

It makes you wonder what they use for brains.

We do a good range in black too, just in case

Us too, but when you've travelled to South Wales, picked up a car and then
returned it, only to find the cunts say "You've dinged the car and you're
either paying for it, or we're not paying you" it makes you think twice
about doing runs that long.

Oh, that'd go down well.

Hehehe, but you've made a lifelong "I know this bunch of cunts" stories to
tell.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

Indeed that did.

I got some funny looks from my colleagues when I hung up the phone. Until
one of them stated the bleedin' obvious - "they're being a bit stupid,
aren't they?"

That sounds better

I can see that.

They still haven't agreed to it, but that's mostly because I haven't found a
transport service that'll do it for (IMHO) a reasonable amount of cash.

I'm trying to keep the stories short as they're really pissing me off...