Chipsaway - help me?

[Diver944]

Have any of you ever used Chipsaway to have any work done on your cars? I had a quote myself a few years ago for some stonechips and a few parking dents, and I watched the operator repair some chips on a Mondeo so they were completely invisible.

I have searched many many car forums this weekend and there is lots of feedback, mostly good, some very good and an occasional bad. They are a franchise outfit and of course it all depends on the skill of the operator in your area, but on the whole I think they have a very good reputation as a company.

However most feedback seems to be from mass market cars and there is very little from fussy owners of prestige cars such as Porsche etc. Would Porsche owners use someone like Chipsaway or would they prefer to spend 2-3 tmes the amount on a full panel respray at an OPC?

The reason I am asking is I am thinking very strongly of taking on a franchise myself. After 20 years working in IT, I have the 'opportunity ' to get out with a nice lump sum. So I am looking for a new direction and want it to be something automotive, which has surprised me by becoming a passion ever since I bought my first Porsche.

All feedback is welcome []

 

[Fen]

A sometime poster on here (who is fussy) used a Scuffs franchise to repair some minor chipping on the front of a Guards red S2 cab. The work was laughable and in the end it turned nasty and he had to get the whole car resprayed, luckily at their expense. The Exeter Scuffs franchise closed before it was all resolved.

I'd have thought people like us would seek you out if you were good and fussy though, Paul. Funnily enough I looked at a Plastic Surgeon franchise when I was made redundant from the oil industry for the second time about 6 years ago. Instead I got into IT full-time [8|]

 

[Guest]

A colleague at work recently had a bad experience using Chipsaway on his 996 cab, metallic light silver. They bodged a repair on the front-bumper, and it ended up going into a bodyshop at their expense.

I've no idea if this is representative though, he's the only prestige car owner I know who has used them.

As Fen says though, I'm sure you could do well with word-of-mouth from satisfied customers - I'd certainly be pleased to go for a cheaper option that proper body shop work if I could be confident of the quality of the results.

 

[944turboS]

I would think that an eye for detail should soon build yourself a good reputation, this would only be enhanced by being man enough to admit your wrong if a job does go pear shaped before things turn ugly, which is the point at which the cowboys head for the saloon & the profesionals gain the upper hand.

 

[Yoda]

I had a minor scuff on the front bumper of my old Boxter S done by Chips Away. The guy was highly recommended and owned a concourse winning Alfa so was familiar with detail/scrutiny etc. The work he did was good but I have to say that I wouldn't use one again. There was a little overspray, some imperfections and generally not a factory look. Cost was about £165 and having done at home was an advantage. For about £250 I could go to a good body shop and have the whole bumper done with a much better finish.

Really depends on how fussy the customer is, I am very fussy so it is not for me.

Regards

 

[Diver944]

All usefull stuff - thanks guys.

I am visiting their workshop and training centre next week and have a whole host of questions for them. On the paint side of things I am of the opinion (which may change) that their technique is not so suitable for older cars, with faded paint, many years of wear etc but with newer mass produced cars it's much more successful.

Then there is their paintless dent removal and interior trim fixes to look at also. The good thing is my own two cars have plenty of parking dings to practice on []

I had a VW Polo courtesy car from JZ Machtech last year that I stupidly reversed into a wall and gouged the plastic bumper horribly. They used a local 'magic repair' man and it truly was invisible, even when I knew exactly where the gouge was []

 

[Alpine]

I was thinking of using chipsaway to repair some minor corrosion on my alloys. Do you think they would be any good for that? I had seen an advert by Amazing Alloys in porsche post, but I think they are down south (Reading?)

 

[Guest]

I know of an ex-Solus (Porsche approved bodyshop) chap who has since bought his own Chipsaway franchise. His work is good, and he knows the finish expected by Porsche owners. He says he will not do dents as he is only an expert on paint. He covers parts of London. Drop me a PM if anyone needs his contact.

 

[944turboS]

Phil,
This guy does wheel refurbs for OPC Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham. He is based in Burntwood Staffs.

Gaz Harris (07863) 126984

 

[sawood12]

I have used them on the wifes Polo and found them to be very good. She had a small dent and a stone chip that had gone rusty. He said both were no problem but warned me that they do not guarantee agaisnt the rust with the stone chip. Both repairs were invisible. I don't know if there is much variation with quality from franchise to franchise but I was happy with the work and would use them again.

 

[Guest]

ORIGINAL: KYO

I know of an ex-Solus (Porsche approved bodyshop) chap who has since bought his own Chipsaway franchise. His work is good, and he knows the finish expected by Porsche owners. He says he will not do dents as he is only an expert on paint. He covers parts of London. Drop me a PM if anyone needs his contact.

But what about Paul.......

Anyway, good luck whatever the road you take.
I'm on the fence about it really. Probably leave the chips to accumulate so that it needs a respray, on the other hand...

 

[Guest]

A guy who has a Chipsaway franchise has just bought a house over the road from me - a new one which wasn't cheap. So there must be money in it.

I know of a guy who is independent and does similar work and is said to be excellent. It isn't difficult to do but you need to be a fussy, perfectionist type with an eye for detail. I'd make sure their training is good because there are so many types of paint and finishing products and chemicals that react, you could end up with a disaster on your hands.

If you're are thinking of working on older cars the job gets more difficult. What ever the colour it oxidises (sp) over time and will never match without tinting. On close inspection what looks like a few chips could be rusting from under the paint so to do the job properly, the panel needs to be striped back to bare metal.

Good luck anyway.

 

[Guest]

I'm a newly started ChipsAway franchisee. Give me a bell if you like on 01352 770435 or 07880688040

Patrick

 

[944turboS]

Patrick,
Give us a clue where your area is please.

 

[chrisdenton]

Paul

I use chips away on a fairly regular basis. We run a small fleet of company cars that we lease on 2-3 year deals. If we return cars with any visible scratches or dents we get whacked big style, chips away are a fraction of the cost and usually get the job done in a day or two. I was chatting to the franchisee and company cars are his bread and butter business but he also does work for the Jaguar Owners club which he takes more care and charges more for.

 

[Guest]

I'm in North Wales (Mold area)