Frequently Asked Questions

Free Initial Assessment

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• Do I need to book an appointment?

  Not if you're a patient person and don't mind waiting if we need to free up a car ramp to lift your vehicle up for its assessment. We have no problem with you popping in anytime during our opening hours without pre-booking as long as you're prepared for small potential delays.

• Why is the assessment FREE, What's the catch?!

  To be honest it's as much for our benefit as yours. The last thing we want is to take bookings for vehicles without any idea of the state of them or the work involved. We don't want you to be disappointed if the job is more expensive than you expected so it's better to pre-assess. Similarly there are occasions when we have to decline the job if the damage is too extensive or there's a significant question of economic viability. We'll always be up front with you.

• Do I have to wait with the vehicle while the assessment is done?

  We would prefer it if you did. We like to be able to show you the underside of your vehicle and point out any suspect areas so you have a proper understanding of what we are proposing to do.

• I dont want an initial assesment, do I have to have one?

  If you decide to not take us up on our inital inspection then we will provide you with a report on the condition of your vehicle when we begin work but we cannot provide ANY sort of ACCURATE pricing guesstimate without seeing the underside of the vehicle.

• How long does the initial assessment take?

  On average the initial assessment takes 30 - 40 minutes but can be longer if there's significant corrosion present as we will be trying to determine whether repairs are going to be needed.

• Is there a risk to having the free assessment?

  In the main, the initial assessment is a visual inspection of the underside, however we will gently disturb (similar to the MOT tester's hammer testing) any heavily corroded areas to determine the extent of the problem and whether welding is going to be needed. If it's rotten, you could end up with a hole previously hidden in the rust. This is an unavoidable risk to having the inspection.

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Transport, Collection & Courtesy cars

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• Are there courtesy cars available?

  We do have a couple of older BMW 3 Series courtesy cars. These tend to be booked weeks in advance and are only available strictly by prior arrangement. There is no hire charge, you will need to add fuel and inform your insurance company though.

• What happens if my vehicle turns out to need repairs and ends up being with you longer, do I have to return the courtesy car before my vehicle is ready?

  No. If the car has been loaned to you, it remains with you whilst your vehicle is with us.

• What are the terms and conditions of borrowing a courtesy car?

  We like to keep things simple so the terms are very straightforward.
  1. You return the vehicle in the same condition as it was in when you borrowed it. They are older cars and not perfect but we do not expect them to reappear with a panel caved in or a massive scratch. Any damages caused by you must be paid for by you or your insurance.
  2. You return the vehicle with the same level of fuel as it had when you took it. Please don't be the knob that rolls it through the gates spluttering and gasping, that's just rude!
  3. No smoking. Smoking kills and it smells disgusting, do what you like in your own possession but please don't taint ours or we'll bill you for intensive cleaning to get rid of that stink.
  4. Once your car is done and ready for pickup, we ask for swap over within three days please.
  5. Any speeding tickets, parking fines or similar issues that happen during your borrowing period, will be attributed to you and your details provided to the relevant authorities.
  6. If you cease works (ie. the repairs are too much) you need to make arrangements to return our car sameday please. We appreciate you may be scrapping your vehicle but we can't loan ours out indefinitely whilst you find replacement vehicle.
  7. Finally, please remember a free courtesy car is just that, a courtesy! If the car isn't good enough, posh enough or anything else enough; there are car hire centres in Cardiff Airport or Bridgend.

• Do you offer a collection / drop off service?

  Yes within a local radius. We are happy to come and collect your vehicle and then return it after the works with prior arrangement. We don't charge for this service but it is strictly limited to within 10 miles of our workshop at CF717PB. Sometimes if you are literally just outside the radius we will agree to bend the rules or offer a chargeable option for those further afield. Ask if this is of interest to you and we can advise further. We are fully insured to drive any vehicle up to £1million in value.

• My car isn't roadworthy at the moment, do you offer recovery services?

  Not directly ourselves. My truck (and it's driver) retired a few years back and as they are an irreplaceable duo, we outsource to three local businesses we've had good dealings with. We can either arrange this for you with one of them or we can give you their details and you can haggle a deal. These guys can cover all bases from lowloader to trailer.

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The Process

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• How long will it take?

  On average the complete rust proofing process takes 3 days. If however there is significant preparation needed because the vehicle is at stage 2 or above then it will take longer depending on how bad the corrosion is. If there are welding repairs or extensive preparation required it will take at least 5 days, sometimes considerably longer if the vehicle has stage 3 or 4 rust. Equally there can be a waiting list for the fabrication team. We would of course keep you informed of any delays or changes to the timescale. Our focus is the job being thorough & done properly, not on speed. If you opt for high quality repairs i.e. not patching then the work involved can be quite considerable

• How much of the vehicle do you treat? Will you repair bodywork?

  We do not offer any form of bodywork repairs. Our rustproofing process is for the underside parts of the vehicle. We do the sills and wheel arches and if requested we can do the engine bay if you have a project vehicle and the engine is out. up behind the bumpers can be treated and any cavity areas injected. On project vehicles (usually trailered as a stripped shell) we can also treat the inside floor plan. We are happy to remove basic interior trim and carpets in these cases. For additional cost we can remove the door cards and treat the inside of the doors including the base cavity.

• What happens if you discover my vehicle needs extra work?

  Sometimes when we start a job on an older car or one where its been subject to living outside over winter the condition may be worse than the customer expected. If we find very big issues or the underside needs some restroation work we will send you some pictures. Most things we find are small but sometimes they can mean larger repair bills, especially if panels need to be replaced. This is the point of the free inspection.

• What happens if you find substandard repairs or masses of filler during the preparation?

  This depends on you and what standard of repairs you have requested. We can remove any filler or substandard welding repairs and redo the process properly but obviously this increases the costs to you. We would always advise against leaving filler repairs in place of proper metal work but obviously it's your car and your choice.

• Can I cancel the repairs if they are worse than I was expecting?

  Yes. It can happen that a vehicle turns out to be hiding some very unpleasant surprises. We've seen some horrors, one minute you're gently sanding and all of a sudden half the area disintegrates into to rust dust. If the worst happens and its obvious that there's serious repairs needed we will be straight in touch with pictures / videos and to ask whether you want to come and see the problem. We'll have that dreaded conversation about the extra costs if you decide to continue with repair options. Then you'll have some time to make the decision on whether to continue and fork out for repairs or stop at this point. If you choose to cease works at this time, we will simply bill for the time spent preparing the car to this point and you can dispose of or remove the vehicle. Please note that very rarely can a car still be driven safely if there's been structural corrosion and large holes have appeared. We will need you to sign a disclaimer confirming that we have advised you of the unroadworthiness of the vehicle.

• Why can't you just apply a coating of black waxoyl like my mate's garage does?

  You can! We won't! Many Garages Do! However this is most definitely NOT rustproofing. Applying product over the top of rust is pointless, the damage is already there just hidden. If an MOT tester uses his magic hammer the hole will still appear through the waxoyl. Equally waxoyl has a shelf life of twelve months so protection is somewhat limited.

• Can I see the underside after the work is done?

  Of course. We are happy to show off our workmanship. However if we have cars on all the ramps when you arrive to collect, there may be a short delay while we free one up to be able to lift your vehicle in the air for clear access to the underside. We also provide plenty of pictures of the process and its results.

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Warranty

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• Is there a guarantee?

  Yes. All our workmanship comes with a 5 year guarantee and certificate of warranty. Rustproofing treatments last on average for 5 to 10 years depending on where the vehicle is stored, and how much road salt the underside is exposed to. Off roading can also cause wear to the underseal and this can lead to corrosion in damaged areas. Please do not clean the treated underside with hot or steam washing and avoid using corrosive cleaning chemicals which may affect the treatment. We guarantee our rustproofing treatment for 5 years subject to an annual inspection and fair usage policy. This means that we need to see the vehicle within a month of the anniversary of the treatment for an inspection, repairs to any damaged areas and top up of cavity injected areas if applicable. Fair usage means that the warranty may be affected by damage to the underside. The warranty period on vehicles being used for saltwater fishing where the vehicle is exposed to a saltwater bath on a regular basis is 3 years subject to an annual inspection. Cavity wax injection can overrun and some spillage from the holes is not unusual or detrimental to the process. We only expect the cavity wax to be at its best and most effective for a period of twelve months, we must top up the cavity wax with each annual warranty inspection, hence the small annual fee.

• Are repairs fully guaranteed too?

  All our Rustrepairs have been done to a very high standard and received extra protection using seam sealer right around the weld joins and zinc oxide primer. We expect our preparation process to expose any areas where corrosion has taken hold sufficiently enough to cause holes but short of stripping the car to a bare shell it is impossible to be certain there aren’t hidden areas which will continue to develop (we have seen a couple of instances where the rust was hidden under the rear seats on the upper inner arches not exposed during the work on the outer underside arches). The annual inspection allows to assess whether any problems are developing. We limit our treatment to the underside of the vehicles up to the inner sills and inner wheel arches. We are not a body shop and do not offer paintwork, any treatment or painting we provide to the outside of the vehicle (outer sills for example) will generally be black and have the textured finish of normal under seal. Wherever possible we try to keep to the manufacturer original line. This can have paintwork applied to the top of it at a body shop if so desired. All work of this nature is done on a best effort basis and warrantied accordingly. Any new panels or sections (such as sills) supplied with either be OEM quality or OE quality and are afforded the full guarantee supplied by the manufacturer / supplier of the parts fitted. We fully guarantee our fitting workmanship.

• Why do I have to have an annual inspection for my warranty?

  As long as you attend for the annual inspection and agree to recommended top ups as advised, we will roll on your warranty year by year. We only expect the cavity wax to be at its best and most effective for a period of twelve months, we must top up the cavity wax with each annual warranty inspection, hence the small annual fee.

• What happens if I'm unhappy with the treatment results?

  We are very proud of our process and want you to be 100% satisfied. All our workmanship is fully warrantied and in the unlikely event you have any concerns, please get in touch for us to find a solution. Please also be assured that you are always most welcome to pop in for a free inspection.

• If I sell the vehicle does the warranty transfer with the vehicle to the new owner?

  Yes as long as they have the paperwork from the treatment.

• How much is the annual warranty inspection?

  £85. This covers the cavity wax top-up and inspection time along with any minor treatment top-ups. If you've significantly damaged the underside (can happen with offroaders or super low cars) we will advise if we need to repair and reapply treatment in that area and what any cost may be to do so.

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Payment

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• Do I need to pay a deposit?

  No. We only bill at the end of the job and don't take your money until the process is completed. Naturally once the vehicle is done, we require payment prior to removal of it from site.

• What are your payment terms?

  Invoices are payable on receipt; we do not offer credit. Payment and removal of vehicle is expected within 3 working days or storage charges and late payment interest is applicable. Storage charges are £20 per calendar day. Invoice disputes do not release the obligation for storage charges and there is a lien on your vehicle until payment is received.

• Can I pay by credit card?

  We do not have card processing and cannot accept debit or credit card payments. Bank transfer is preferred or cash if necessary. Payment in full must be received prior to removal of the vehicle from site.

• Can I pay by installments or on a credit plan monthly?

  No. Sorry but we offer no credit facilities, all work will need paying for in full on completion of the job.

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