I remember when motor cars were simple to fix.

[screenman]

Another one.

 

[Drago]

Bolts not studs, so it ain't a Ford.

5 bolt, so not a small car. BMW?

 

[screenman]

Porsche.

 

[screenman]

Porsche.

Well done, you win.

 

[Drago]

911?

 

[screenman]

911?

Not a clue, I fix these things daily and I seldom know what model I am playing with. I know the customer is spending £10,000 on the bodywork.

 

[raleighnut]

Not a clue, I fix these things daily and I seldom know what model I am playing with. I know the customer is spending £10,000 on the bodywork.

For a Porsche that doesn't surprise me, I worked in the stores (Parts department) of Clarks of Narborough and at the back there was the bodyshop that also did work for Roger Clark Cars (same company but they were Porsche/Lotus where Clarks were Austin Rover)

All the new parts came through to us before the bodyshop got hold of them and we retained the paperwork, a great game was 'Guess how much', now things like front wings you could understand being expensive (like £500+) but it was little things like the screws that held it on that were ludicrous, there would be a bag of 8 selftapping bolts/screws that were £7-£8 each.

BTW this was in 1985.

 

[screenman]

A sun visor for a 1953 VW split screen mini bus was purchased at a price of £2000 recently by one of my customers, a small round rear light £500.

The front wing for that Porsche is £875+vat, for a Peugeot 206 wing about £25.

 

[Illaveago]

I can remember working in a coach works in the 90's when one of the chap's came in from the motor factors. He had overheard a customer wanting some paint for his Nissan Primera GT mk 1, the colour that changes from green to purple. The customer was told that it would be £360 a half litre and was special order only.

 

[screenman]

I can remember working in a coach works in the 90's when one of the chap's came in from the motor factors. He had overheard a customer wanting some paint for his Nissan Primera GT mk 1, the colour that changes from green to purple. The customer was told that it would be £360 a half litre and was special order only.

Chameleon, even insurance premiums were higher for that colour. A few paints out there now costing the bodyshops £1 a ml. Or a £1,000 a litre.

 

[Illaveago]

Chameleon, even insurance premiums were higher for that colour. A few paints out there now costing the bodyshops £1 a ml. Or a £1,000 a litre.

It does seem silly that the price of the paint could write the car off.

 

[Drago]

I can remember working in a coach works in the 90's when one of the chap's came in from the motor factors. He had overheard a customer wanting some paint for his Nissan Primera GT mk 1, the colour that changes from green to purple. The customer was told that it would be £360 a half litre and was special order only.

Ah, that was the MKII P11 Primera, t'was called Mystic . An ex neighbour of mine had one. He got some scratches and the paint costs to do a couple of doors were indeed horrendous. Before Nissan would release the paint he had to prove he owned the car (they didn't want Lax Mower types doing their Paxos in it) and it was honest to god delivered by securicor. I remembered marvelling at the massive costs to repair minor damage to what was, under the paint, a humdrum family saloon. Nutter.

 

[DaveReading]

Ah, that was the MKII P11 Primera, t'was called Mystic . An ex neighbour of mine had one. He got some scratches and the paint costs to do a couple of doors were indeed horrendous. Before Nissan would release the paint he had to prove he owned the car (they didn't want Lax Mower types doing their Paxos in it) and it was honest to god delivered by securicor. I remembered marvelling at the massive costs to repair minor damage to what was, under the paint, a humdrum family saloon. Nutter.

I had a Sunbeam Alpine in my youth, and when it needed a bit of touching up I couldn't find a match for the colour anywhere.

So I tracked down the previous owner, to be told "Oh, I had it resprayed to match my Rolls".

I ended up at the local RR dealer where I asked them to tell me what the colour was called (sand, IIRC). They were quite happy to order me a litre of paint.

 

[Drago]

My Grandad was the UK manager for Lancia in the sixties and early seventies. Every year or so my grandmas Austin 1100 was refreshed with a new Lancia paint job, and my grandad had his caravan and Land Rover painted to match.

 

[gbb]

Chameleon, even insurance premiums were higher for that colour. A few paints out there now costing the bodyshops £1 a ml. Or a £1,000 a litre.

The MD of my former company had a Bently Continental with a non standard paint colour. A door got damaged, repaired and apparently the paint job alone was £5k.