Opinions of Mid Sussex Minors' work?

[wibble_puppy]

Hi all,

My new van is very sound underneath and has a new interior, but has had a poor (though glossy) paint job and is showing signs of rot under the paint . My aim is to have a van which will last me for the foreseeable future and I am therefore planning a fairly major restoration next spring/summer so that it can be restored to a completely sound condition.

I live in Sussex, in the middle bit down near Brighton. I have ME and also am not yet very technically savvy so I need to get a garage workshop to do most (ok pretty well all) of the work for me. I can strip the paint from the van, but then need a workshop to sort out all the bodywork, to a very high standard, and a paintshop to do the respray.

I've read and digested the owners' club helpful guide to professional restorations, and I know that I need to get a detailed quote from each company, and ask to see examples of their work. I also know that it's a good idea to speak to members who have had work done by them - the problem is that as a new member (this time round) I haven't yet embedded myself in the MMOC network, so I am a bit puzzled as to the best way of going about getting members' comments on the companies I have in mind.

Obviously Mid Sussex Minors is the closest place to me, but I am considering other places, and while I have met John from MSM (he kindly came with me to check out the van before I bought it) and liked him lots, I would be really grateful for any references people can give me who have used them for bodywork and/or paintwork and have good (or, god forbid, bad!) stories to tell. I'm sure John won't mind me asking this as I'm sure he has complete confidence in his work, I know he prides himself on the quality of it .

It doesn't seem a good idea to ask people to leave messages on the public board! So perhaps people could email or IM me? My email addy is juliet at brainfog dot org.

I've checked the board and can't see anyone else having done this, but Rob Thomasson has kindly said that he feels the board is a good place to ask for such opinions, so I hope it's okay by everyone else.

I'd be really grateful for any tips anyone can give me about MSM

Looking forward to hearing from you,

juliet

[Gareth]

Yup, so long as it's constructive, not defamatory and doesn't end up in a shouting match, it should be ok.

If you have a genuine grievance with a company, I'd say that this is not the place to air it - take it straight to the company concerned. It's distressing for all when grievances turn out to be totally unfounded or based on misunderstandings, especially when most can be easily resolved through the proper channels.

Aside from that, I see no problem.

[wibble_puppy]

Yup, so long as it's constructive, not defamatory and doesn't end up in a shouting match, it should be ok.

If you have a genuine grievance with a company, I'd say that this is not the place to air it - take it straight to the company concerned. It's distressing for all when grievances turn out to be totally unfounded or based on misunderstandings, especially when most can be easily resolved through the proper channels.

Aside from that, I see no problem.

thanks very much for that Gareth I totally agree with you about taking real grievances to the company concerned

cheers

j

[rayofleamington]

I've checked the board and can't see anyone else having done this

it actually happens quite a bit, but probably more with PM's due to the T&C's ;-)

[Kevin]

Obviously Mid Sussex Minors is the closest place to me, but I am considering other places, and while I have met John from MSM (he kindly came with me to check out the van before I bought it) and liked him lots, I would be really grateful for any references people can give me who have used them for bodywork and/or paintwork and have good (or, god forbid, bad!) stories to tell. I'm sure John won't mind me asking this as I'm sure he has complete confidence in his work, I know he prides himself on the quality of it

Juliet I have not had any direct dealings with them but 1st impressions can count for a lot, he should not mind letting you know of recently completed works and asking the owners what they think, or better still see if your local branch can offer any pointers as bodywork - paintwork is such a minefield. In our branch the only recent paint jobs that have been done have been at home ones and the owners are not interested in doing them for anyone else, so we are a bit snookered as to who to reccomend, and the only local place to me is an MG recommended one but they are not cheap.