14 replies to this topic

[Jim the Grin]

I'm thinking ahead here as my MOT isn't up till may but I'd like to know of any good mini mechanics in or around Brum. I've had VW's for years & struck up a real good relationship with a VW mechanic & would like to get to that point with my Mini. I like it when a mechanic "knows" your car.
Any help greatly received people.x

[maggies_minder]

where abouts in brum are you??

old skool minis deal with mine more often than not, they're based in perry barr.

[MiniMonty]

I can wholeheartedly and massively recommend Sheppards in Halseowen.
In fact I cannot recommend them highly enough !

Run by a Father and Son with a couple of "lads" learning the trade, the Father knows Minis backwards and restores / rebuilds Morris Minors, MGs and
Rileys as a sideline to the garage business.
He genuinely knows every nut, bolt, washer and the whole electrical madness of the Mini. I found them after a bad experience with Old Skool and what they quoted
£675 and two weeks for, Sheppards sorted for £100 cash the next day. They do all their own welding but they know all the local geezas for engineering (heads etc),
bodywork / re-chroming / paint / and will get you the best price in Brum every time. They get quality parts from somewhere cheaper than Minispares (and I heard that "somewhere"
in Birmingham there is a warehouse stacked full of original Rover / Leyland parts that were "liberated" from Longbridge during the dying days - but you didn't
hear that from me - right ?)

The bloke just has years and years of experience with "real" engines and actually IS old skool. So he's also the sort of bloke you can just talk to for advice even though he
knows he'll get no business or money from you. Proper deep knowledge from years and years of getting greasy and a genuine love of cars and engines. And the son has his
Bsc degree in mechanical engineering.

They are a registered VOSA MOT centre and although they wouldn't ever allow anything dangerous through they are "understanding" on the
common sense things that some money grabbing idiots will pull you up for on an older car.

Don't expect a dolly bird receptionist and piped music - it's a garage not a "service centre" and it's the land of porta-cabins, puddles in the concrete and scary dogs - but they completely know their stuff
and will always be totally honest about what's to be done, what it will cost and when it will be ready. (which, for me, is refreshing).
I've never been asked to pay a penny more than the original quote and the one time something did crop up they called me and asked in advance if I wanted the genuine Jaguar part
(at £145:15) or the alternative (at £33:50). Good attitude. Good service. Good people.

Since I got to know them I've taken the Mini, two Jags, a newish Land Rover and a brand new BMW there for all sorts of routine and unique things
and every time they come up trumps on quality, time and price. I wouldn't go anywhere else now.

I don't know where you are in Birmingham but in my experience (having had a few old cars) it's worth crossing town to deal with someone who
properly knows the car and who'll be completely honest and genuine. Go and check them out - say I sent you

Contacts etc.,
Sheppards
Unit C / Highway House
250 Coombs Road
Halesowen
West Midlands B62 8AA
0121 561 5222

Go in the gate - drive straight to the end and they're the first of two on the left.

Best wishes
Monty

[Carlzilla]

They get quality parts from somewhere cheaper than Minispares (and I heard that "somewhere"
in Birmingham there is a warehouse stacked full of original Rover / Leyland parts that were "liberated" from Longbridge during the dying days - but you didn't
hear that from me - right ?)

That doesnt happen to be one of minispares suppliers located in perry barr does it?
If so, i went there before for something, excellent place. they have EVERYTHING.

[Clubber Lang]

They get quality parts from somewhere cheaper than Minispares (and I heard that "somewhere"
in Birmingham there is a warehouse stacked full of original Rover / Leyland parts that were "liberated" from Longbridge during the dying days - but you didn't
hear that from me - right ?)

That doesnt happen to be one of minispares suppliers located in perry barr does it?
If so, i went there before for something, excellent place. they have EVERYTHING.

The place in Perry is probably Old School Minis, they do stock 'most' parts off the shelf. I have always found them pretty helpful and i think they are normally reasonable for their repair work too. You get what you pay for, it takes time to correctly spot weld a new panel, prep and paint it but they will also do cheap m.o.t. repairs but are not an m.o.t. station. They have restored some really nice cars. The two bodywork guys Stuart and Roy attend a lot of concours events with their cars and i have even seen a Genuine Neville Tricket sprint shell in there place being restored. They do a lot of shows and do sell a lot of the cheap chrome junk along with better quality items. If you are local they are worth a shout as it doesn't hurt to get more than one quote. I take my car there as you can probably tell and would happily let them loose on anything except engine tuning/building in which case mines being built at Southam mini Warwickshire. Gearbox repair/build i would recommend Guessworks off this forum.

[Beej123]

I can wholeheartedly and massively recommend Sheppards in Halseowen.
In fact I cannot recommend them highly enough !

Run by a Father and Son with a couple of "lads" learning the trade, the Father knows Minis backwards and restores / rebuilds Morris Minors, MGs and
Rileys as a sideline to the garage business.
He genuinely knows every nut, bolt, washer and the whole electrical madness of the Mini. I found them after a bad experience with Old Skool and what they quoted
£675 and two weeks for, Sheppards sorted for £100 cash the next day. They do all their own welding but they know all the local geezas for engineering (heads etc),
bodywork / re-chroming / paint / and will get you the best price in Brum every time. They get quality parts from somewhere cheaper than Minispares (and I heard that "somewhere"
in Birmingham there is a warehouse stacked full of original Rover / Leyland parts that were "liberated" from Longbridge during the dying days - but you didn't
hear that from me - right ?)

The bloke just has years and years of experience with "real" engines and actually IS old skool. So he's also the sort of bloke you can just talk to for advice even though he
knows he'll get no business or money from you. Proper deep knowledge from years and years of getting greasy and a genuine love of cars and engines. And the son has his
Bsc degree in mechanical engineering.

They are a registered VOSA MOT centre and although they wouldn't ever allow anything dangerous through they are "understanding" on the
common sense things that some money grabbing idiots will pull you up for on an older car.

Don't expect a dolly bird receptionist and piped music - it's a garage not a "service centre" and it's the land of porta-cabins, puddles in the concrete and scary dogs - but they completely know their stuff
and will always be totally honest about what's to be done, what it will cost and when it will be ready. (which, for me, is refreshing).
I've never been asked to pay a penny more than the original quote and the one time something did crop up they called me and asked in advance if I wanted the genuine Jaguar part
(at £145:15) or the alternative (at £33:50). Good attitude. Good service. Good people.

Since I got to know them I've taken the Mini, two Jags, a newish Land Rover and a brand new BMW there for all sorts of routine and unique things
and every time they come up trumps on quality, time and price. I wouldn't go anywhere else now.

I don't know where you are in Birmingham but in my experience (having had a few old cars) it's worth crossing town to deal with someone who
properly knows the car and who'll be completely honest and genuine. Go and check them out - say I sent you

Contacts etc.,
Sheppards
Unit C / Highway House
250 Coombs Road
Halesowen
West Midlands B62 8AA
0121 561 5222

Go in the gate - drive straight to the end and they're the first of two on the left.

Best wishes
Monty

You on a comission?
I live in Stourbridge so will be taking the mini there tomorrow, i'll say you sent me, you never know, you might get a bottle of wine next Christmas!

[maggies_minder]

as clubber lang said anything body work or paint then old skools stuff is top notch, basic engine or electrical gremlims and they are fine. anything to serious and they probably arent that great.

they rebuilt my front end after a smash and charged me less than my excess on my insurance which is great considering im 22!
they would let me pick the car up so i could drive to work then i'd drop it back the next morning for them to carry on working on it.
after some agrro with a part they tried to fit, they gave me a traders pass to the IMM at longbridge so i could drive straight into the show and park pretty much anywhere.

some of the cars they put out are awesome again like clubber lang said, stuart's restored clubby is top quality and a real showcase of his/their work.

never had any issues with them, let them no your budget and they'll find a way to sort it for you.

[Carlzilla]

Wasnt old school mini's, cant remember the place now, i have a receipt somewhere

LEACY MG! just came to me
They stock all the bits minispares dont, as in wiper wheelboxes and wiper motor brushes etc

[maggies_minder]

Wasnt old school mini's, cant remember the place now, i have a receipt somewhere

LEACY MG! just came to me
They stock all the bits minispares dont, as in wiper wheelboxes and wiper motor brushes etc

as a member of sutton minis we get 15% off (i think from leacy) they are next to the job centre which is witton not perry barr (it might fall right on the border) about 1minute drive from the Villa.
never used them but a couple of our members have.

[Jim the Grin]

Cheers for the info. I live in Moseley which is 3 miles from the city center so Perry Bar sounds about the closest. I'm only looking at a good service & getting the car looked over. Only had this one a few months & because of the dark nights & weather I've not really had chance to have a good look at it. I'm so not mechanically minded (I nearly had kittens when I recently changed the fan belt) so I could do with a trained eye to give it a look over.
Do any of you know of any Mini clubs in Brum? I had a look in this forum but couldn't really find any?!?!? Am I just being dumb?

Soon be summer!


.

[maggies_minder]

another shameless plug for sutton minis,

linky:

http://suttoncoldfie...niclub.webs.com

Edited by maggies_minder, 10 January 2011 - 07:13 PM.

[dannyboi88]

If you need any help or advice on the mini you could pop over to my mates workshop in Shirley, he looks after quite a few minis around the area. Also owns a saloon and van himself. His business is body and paint but knows a lot when it comes to the engine and mechanical side of things. We spend the odd weeknight in there helping out with whatever he has to do. Drop me a pm if you'd like to know the address and his mobile number?

Thanks Dan

[Jim the Grin]

Cheers Dan. I know Shirley well. Got family round them ways!

[Beej123]

I can wholeheartedly and massively recommend Sheppards in Halseowen.
In fact I cannot recommend them highly enough !

Run by a Father and Son with a couple of "lads" learning the trade, the Father knows Minis backwards and restores / rebuilds Morris Minors, MGs and
Rileys as a sideline to the garage business.
He genuinely knows every nut, bolt, washer and the whole electrical madness of the Mini. I found them after a bad experience with Old Skool and what they quoted
£675 and two weeks for, Sheppards sorted for £100 cash the next day. They do all their own welding but they know all the local geezas for engineering (heads etc),
bodywork / re-chroming / paint / and will get you the best price in Brum every time. They get quality parts from somewhere cheaper than Minispares (and I heard that "somewhere"
in Birmingham there is a warehouse stacked full of original Rover / Leyland parts that were "liberated" from Longbridge during the dying days - but you didn't
hear that from me - right ?)

The bloke just has years and years of experience with "real" engines and actually IS old skool. So he's also the sort of bloke you can just talk to for advice even though he
knows he'll get no business or money from you. Proper deep knowledge from years and years of getting greasy and a genuine love of cars and engines. And the son has his
Bsc degree in mechanical engineering.

They are a registered VOSA MOT centre and although they wouldn't ever allow anything dangerous through they are "understanding" on the
common sense things that some money grabbing idiots will pull you up for on an older car.

Don't expect a dolly bird receptionist and piped music - it's a garage not a "service centre" and it's the land of porta-cabins, puddles in the concrete and scary dogs - but they completely know their stuff
and will always be totally honest about what's to be done, what it will cost and when it will be ready. (which, for me, is refreshing).
I've never been asked to pay a penny more than the original quote and the one time something did crop up they called me and asked in advance if I wanted the genuine Jaguar part
(at £145:15) or the alternative (at £33:50). Good attitude. Good service. Good people.

Since I got to know them I've taken the Mini, two Jags, a newish Land Rover and a brand new BMW there for all sorts of routine and unique things
and every time they come up trumps on quality, time and price. I wouldn't go anywhere else now.

I don't know where you are in Birmingham but in my experience (having had a few old cars) it's worth crossing town to deal with someone who
properly knows the car and who'll be completely honest and genuine. Go and check them out - say I sent you

Contacts etc.,
Sheppards
Unit C / Highway House
250 Coombs Road
Halesowen
West Midlands B62 8AA
0121 561 5222

Go in the gate - drive straight to the end and they're the first of two on the left.

Best wishes
Monty

You on a comission?
I live in Stourbridge so will be taking the mini there tomorrow, i'll say you sent me, you never know, you might get a bottle of wine next Christmas!

Dropped it in this morning to them, told me it would be done at 5 and just get there for then (dont bother phoning) half way there at 4:30 got a call saying it wont be ready today and get it tomorrow.

Gonna have to pull something special out the bag for me to ever use them again!

[MiniMonty]

Dropped it in this morning to them, told me it would be done at 5 and just get there for then (dont bother phoning) half way there at 4:30 got a call saying it wont be ready today and get it tomorrow.

Gonna have to pull something special out the bag for me to ever use them again!
[/quote]

Ouch - sorry to hear that mate - that's below par for them.
Hope it works out well tomorrow.