Club 80-90 Forums

Hi Everybody,

getting married this summer and of course the van is going to feature quite prominently on the day, as well going away on our honeymoon in it. Going around the Hebrides (Barra, Uist, Lewis and Harris), it's going to be amazing and I can't wait!

I want the van to look as tidy as possible for the big day and that means getting the slight orange rust beginning to come through in the seams sorted out. I don't think replacing panels will be necessary just yet, so I'm hoping for some expert treatment of said seams and a fresh touch up of alpine white over the affected areas.

I live in Lewisham, SE London. Anybody had any experiences, good or bad, with any of the body shops around this way? Or if anybody has a recommendation a bit further afield I'm happy to travel a bit for a good job.

Thanks everyone, have a good weekend working on/having fun in your vans.

Simon

I can recommend Eagle Auto’s in Swanley so not too far - currently got my bus in there for a bit more work (had to wait 3 months though).

Give Tom the owner a call on 01322-666050.

I’m just having something similar done to my t25 and after much research and asking around as well as seeing other jobs from the same place, I opted for Peacocks on Chadwick Rd Peckham, se15. Pop down with the van and have a word. Have a great time in the Hebrides, we went last year and had a wonderful time.

Thanks for the tip, peacocks seemed great and the price quoted seemed pretty reasonable so the vans going there next week. There was an auto sleeper there already getting a respray, wondered if that was yours? I’ll post pics when I get the van back and report back on the quality of work.

Yes, that’s my van, picking it up tomorrow, really pleased with the colour and the finish. The body condition was much better than I thought it would be once it was stripped with just some rust around the screen which was removed and welded. They are a really nice can do bunch. Good luck with yours.

Hi, drumsofdoom, just wonder if you would be interested in sharing your experience with Peacocks, i’m
also looking for a garage SE London area to carry out some bodywork repairs.

Thanks
Michael

acsrmml48 wrote:Hi, drumsofdoom, just wonder if you would be interested in sharing your experience with Peacocks, i’m
also looking for a garage SE London area to carry out some bodywork repairs.

Thanks
Michael

Hi Michael,

I would say overall that I wouldn't go to Peacocks again. Yes they were cheaper than other quotes I got, but I have to say the job they did was pretty rough on the whole. A fair few paint runs which weren't buffed out, paint build up in some areas, some bits a a few gaps in coverage so I had to touch some bits up myself afterwards. Lots of overspray on window seals and other places, they didn't mask off very well. And I noticed rust starting to come through less than 2 weeks after they finished the work. I think perhaps they didn't grind back as thoroughly as they could have, and maybe didn't use a good rust-inhibiting primer or something. They also put by mudflaps back on and it's really messy with the sealant. i did a much neater job myself when I installed them.

like I said they were cheap, and they turned it round pretty quick too. But I wish I had saved a bit more money and got a better job done.

He also scratched up my rear bumper pretty bad and claimed it was already like that when I bought the van in (it definitely wasn't). Fair enough though, he resprayed that for me, but not without outright denying he did it first.

Hope that helps. You're welcome to come have a look at my van if you like. The work was done in April, so we're 2 and a bit months later now.

Hi, I’m really sorry to hear about your experience with Peacocks. It’s always difficult relying on the recommendations of other people as we all have different expectations especially when it comes to work on our vans and one recommendation doesn’t actually mean that you will receive the same service when you have work done, bit like builders really ! I hope that it hasn’t spoilt your honeymoon. I’d be really interested in seeing your van when you have a minute, maybe one weekend ?

Regards
Michael

I've recently bought a T25 to travel the uk now that I've retired from teaching. However, I have noticed a few rust blisters appearing do rust converter sprays work in stopping the rot? https://www.tiltrak.com/product/dinitro ... converter/ Before seeking a bodyshop to repaint and touch-up. I've been reading some horror stories in this thread with rust reappearing after only a few weeks.