So, with a touch of wear and steering being so important I didnt buy a Triumph rack and change the Lotus bits, I went for a "proper" rack from Matty
s…at twice the price. As youre supposed to never regret buying the best I also had High Peak Classic Auto Services fit it, steering still being so important ! So, on one lock the tyre was fouling the anti-roll bar and on the other the turning circle was enormous. I rang Matty
s and the parts man said hed ask in the workshop and ring back. He didn
t. I rang again and he apologised and would ring back. He didnt. That night I e-mailed them, no response. So, the following Monday I rang again. He suggested the rack had been fitted in the left hand drive holes but this isn
t possible. I suggested the spacers were incorrect, he didnt know. So, I unfastened the gaiter, had a look and e-mailed the photos showing each of the "spacers" to be flimsy aluminium tubes, each 3/4" long. "Something
s not right" he said and forwarded the pics. to the rack manufacturers. I rang again,again and he offered to send out a new rack. Fair enough, “but will you pay for High Peak to change the racks”…“errrrr” ! I said just send the proper spacers which they did and Ive had them fitted and all is well. So will they pay the labour? forget the inconvenience. We
ll see.
So…
Jim
…if you want to make sure a job is done properly, do it (or at least check it) yourself…?
Annoying isn’t it - looks like you should have gone down the Triumph rack + Lotus spacers route after all…
Matthew
Unbelievable! But pretty common. Lots of the parts I bought when doing the resto’ did not fit. They all needed fettling. Handbrake cable 80mm ish too long for eg. Handbrake rods not long enough! I have quite a long list.
Check everything yourself. A decent home diy mechie could do better than a lot of those pros’s 'caus the dont give a toss.
Alex B…
Hi Everyone
I been buying stuff from Paul Matty for over 20 years and I’ve never had any problems with them and always found them very helpful. I guess to be fair they are to some extent at the mercy of component suppliers but that not really any excuse. All in all I’m a little disapointing to hear this but hopefully it’s just a one off
Andy
I’m sure everyone at sometime has a bad time with a specialist. The addage ‘if you want it done right do it yourself’ does not always apply if you do not possess the mechanical skills. Over the years I have attempted many things (including a complete chassis off re-build) but as I get older and have less free time to work on cars I have come to rely on specialists. I have used 4 recognised specialists in the UK and had problems with 3 of them. I have been using Paul Mattys for the last 8 or 9 years. They have serviced and repaired my cars and rebuilt one engine and recently supplied and fitted a 150BHP engine to one of my elans. At all times they (and in particular Roy Bury and Paul) have been helpful. One thing that I have found very important with Paul and Roy is that they are honest people. They have never misled me on any of my dealings with them (unlike the other 3 specialist companies). I’m sure that if what they supplied was wrong they will put it right. As with everything, a little diplomacy goes a long way.
Gareth
Hi Guys,
I deliberately never said who I delt with. I believe all the people involved are very honest and very reliable. BUT… Another example… Complete s/s exhaust. For a sprint. Main long down the chassis tube ‘‘has to be ‘trimmed’ to length’’ OK can live with that… Main tube to silencer connection… enlarged and slotted section about 5 mm over diameter!!! Impossible to get a seal clamping it up. Way to big. This required a modification to get it to fit.How do people without the right gear get round this?? For god’s sake…Both from the same (NAMELESS) supplier. Both in the same package/delivery. And they dont fit!!!. Tel’ call to supplier met with complete indifference. Not interested really. The manifold was so bad it was returned and I repaired the existing. It was awfull. The pipe to flange welding was terrible and the pipes overlapped the flanges by quite a bit. It did not fit the studs either.
Apart from that it was well made.
I had lots of situe’s like this. Probably better than parts not available though I suppose.
Even worse with bits for Lambretta’s. Most of which is cr*p from India…
AB…
I’d echo what Gareth says. The parts team have always been helpful and honest with me and they’re probably the only second-hand car dealer I’d trust.
Faith restored, Mattys have refunded in full the cost of fitting the proper spacers. Credit where it
s due.
Jim