Paul Matty Quote In Classic Car this month

[richgilb]

He is quoted as saying that only 4 or 5 companies in the country know how to spray a Lotus Elan properly. I beg to differ.....I got mine done at Central Garage in Barnsley and he ticked all the boxes when I questioned him about taking it back to plastic, ensuring the damp stays out (and blisters don't appear) and about repairing cracks so they don't come back. I acknolwedge I may need up to 3 years to see if he was as good as his word, but I went to see it at several stages and saw the work he did under the paint. The finish is also very smooth. I would also trust the 2 companies that Spyder use.....that leaves only one or 2 left in the country then!

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

He is quoted as saying that only 4 or 5 companies in the country know how to spray a Lotus Elan properly. I beg to differ.....I got mine done at Central Garage in Barnsley and he ticked all the boxes when I questioned him about taking it back to plastic, ensuring the damp stays out (and blisters don't appear) and about repairing cracks so they don't come back. I acknolwedge I may need up to 3 years to see if he was as good as his word, but I went to see it at several stages and saw the work he did under the paint. The finish is also very smooth. I would also trust the 2 companies that Spyder use.....that leaves only one or 2 left in the country then!

I'd suggest that he's implying that 1 of those 4 or 5 is him or his with the motto "why look further & fare worse"
C'mon Rich, he's in the "business 'innit

On the other hand you can fall foul of some so called "specialists", they only need to make one tiny mistake or rush part of the preparation due to distracting "other business".
I can tell you all about that

I often wonder how much extra business went Option 1's way after the Jeremy Thuston +2 thingy in Classics Monthly

Cheers
John

[EMA7K]

In defence of Paul Matty I don't think his company actually does any re-painting. They probably use one of the 5 businesses he thinks can do it properly. Having had experience of at least half of the UK listed lotus specialists some are better than others. Some are no more than back street con artists others are well respected and trusted specialists with in depth knowledge. Choose with care!

Gareth

[richgilb]

No, but they do offer paint services. Let's all get our cars sprayed at Paul Matty's because he knows the only 4 or 5 Lotus expert spray shops in the country. Glad I didn't - not at his quoted 6 and a half grand prices anyway.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

In defence of Paul Matty I don't think his company actually does any re-painting. They probably use one of the 5 businesses he thinks can do it properly. Having had experience of at least half of the UK listed lotus specialists some are better than others. Some are no more than back street con artists others are well respected and trusted specialists with in depth knowledge. Choose with care!

Gareth

Hi Gareth

please excuse my quite normal cynicism. It's an age thing
Paul & the guys who work at Matty's are a good bunch.
There was once a "mirror finish" yellow Elan body awaiting assembly in the workshop, which I admired & Paul did tell me the name of the local paint shop that he uses but it's no longer in the memory bank.
It's just that they, like practically all of the "long established specialists" all have their "soap boxes" & tend to express strong but not necessarily totally correct oppinions on all things Lotus.
My experience has been to listen intently, go away & let it all "go through the mill"
There's a lot to be learned that way but as always, the rule "buyer beware" must be observed.
As far as my personal Lotus Elan re-paint experience is concerned:- The owner of many superbly restored Lotus in Munich recommended his "pet" painter.
That painter did my Elan but made errors which showed up over one to two years; extremely dissapointing considering the amount paid.
Therein lies one big problem, many of the paint problems don't show until much later so you don't have much of a leg to stand on with any form of claim.

Whilst on the subject, does anybody know how many years guarantee do the "big names" give on their "X" thousand pound jobs?

Nix f?r ungut
Grumpy ol' John

[richgilb]

Took me a year and a half to find someone I was happy with. Must have got 15 quotes all together. It was the NYLOC that sorted me out finally, with a unanimous vote for Central. Paul Matty got not a mention.....mainly because of distance I guess.

And as you say, I won't know for a few years whether the job's a goodun or not.

[EMA7K]

Re. Paint jobs I guess you get what you pay for. In 1986 I decided to repaint my Elan myself. I did the stripping of the old paint, the repairs to the fibreglass and even put in sealer and primer, all under the supervision of my brother-in-law who was a professional (back street) sprayer. In the end I chickened out and let him put the final coats on. The job was amazing, but three years later my poor repairs started to show through. Sadly my brother-in-law died an early death-I reckon not too much Health and safety while using 2 pack.
In 1990 I had a new elan shell painted by a local Renault dealer. It was in 2 pack and was the first car done in their new facility. Nineteen years one the finish is still good. Neither were Lotus specialists but both did a good job and the cost was low. I suspect there are many competent companies out there offering re-sprays on plastic cars, you don't have to spend ?6000

Gareth

[bcmc33]

There was once a "mirror finish" yellow Elan body awaiting assembly in the workshop, which I admired & Paul did tell me the name of the local paint shop that he uses but it's no longer in the memory bank.

I'm pretty sure Matty uses Option 1 - they are only 15 minutes away from him.

[alexblack13]

I'll second that. frank at option 1 told me that himself.

AB...

[alexblack13]

On the warranty side. Frank said. ''Anything going wrong with your paintwork (other than normal W&T) bring the car back and it will be rectified''. Never gave me a time limit. He reminded me that there was NO filler in the bodywork to shrink etc...

Still super happy with the job. Jeremy's + 2 job was directly responsible for me going to option 1. Disappointed the big wazuk chickened out of finishing the car though. Astonishing bodywork.

AB....

[worzel]

Hi

I imagine that for PM's statement to have any merit all of the bodyshops within the UK would have to assessed!

John

[alexblack13]

I second that also..Just his opinion. Lots of good bodyshops out there.You just need to find them.
AB...