29 replies to this topic

[LolaAuto]

Let us know how you get on with Chris (Retro) will be interesting to know how he complares on price

Yeah will let you know pal

[garrett3]

Go with retro.

I have nothing great to say about ashley/mad about minis etc.

[Shifty]

Since the company in question is also a member on here, I have alerted them to this thread and given the chance to reply

[E.L.M.O]

Since the company in question is also a member on here, I have alerted them to this thread and given the chance to reply

Yeah thats only fair.
It would be interesting to see the reasoning (if any is given, there perfectly in their right to not want to give us a reason) in to why the interior has gone up £200. Possibly they have had to change their supplier and this new one is a lot more expensive? As I said, it would be interesting to know.

I havent got anything against them personally. Ive just always talked to Chris about my needs and he seems to understand my strange ideas and want for something slightly out of the norm. (i hate off the shelf!)

[bert998]

Your ideas aren't as strange as some Neil!

Typically a Retrim of front and rear seats is £375, which includes painting of the frames, repairs to foams and a flexible approach to the style of the upholstery.

Edited by bert998, 26 March 2011 - 06:41 PM.

[Davethepioneer]

I had a full red leather interior done by stuart at ashley james and they did a fantastic job which went smooth from start to finish. Im sure there will be a reasonable explanation for the price hike but as with everything in life you have a choice. Ive never used retro retrims but if there that good then stick with them its that simple. Its very easy to slate someone and for there reputation to be tarnished. I would definatly recommend ashley james and i will be using them again for some other little bits if im not happy with the price they give i will go elsewhere but as stated earlier im sure there is a good reason for it

[E.L.M.O]

Your ideas aren't as strange as some Neil!

I bet!
I was happy that you knew what I meant by the headlining and the way I wanted it to flow off the roof and down the rear bulkhead.

[bert998]

Will you be in the pickup at Malvern Neil? We can work out the best plan of attack for the pillar work if I can get off the stall for 5 minutes

[E.L.M.O]

Nope wasnt there. House hunting today!
You going to newquay?
Or l2b?

[ASHLEY_JAMES_AUTOTRIM]

Dear All.

Firstly thanks to Shifty for pointing out this thread.

In reply to all of the comments re: our Ebay listings that used to be £395 & £495 which have now gone up to £595 and £695. It is correct the prices have gone up, however before everyone starts shouting, 'were in a recession', 'too dear' etc please consider the following points.

1. We originally did the listing as a promotion during the quieter months at the end of the year to maintain the turnover in the workshop until the show season re started in the Spring. It was never meant to be a permanent offer. After the promotion finished we continued to receive requests for the offer from mini owners who hadn’t been ready for the interior or were not able to afford the offer whilst the promotion was on. It was after these requests we made the decision to extend the offer for 6 months so that everyone who came to the shows also had the opportunity to purchase the offer. The offer then changed at the Bingley Hall Mini Show in January this year.

With regards to the VAT on the offer, this has been something that we took the hit on to make the offer more appealing. As a VAT registered, limited company who is also registered as a verified Ebay business seller we have the choice to either include VAT or Exclude VAT on our listing prices. Since the original VAT change from 17.5% - 15% we started to add the VAT onto the cost of the interior. At the end of each listing it did say that the prices excluded VAT. The reason for this was that the interiors were generally ordered outside of the Ebay listing and were bespoke. Our standard of the shelf products such as boot liners, mats, etc are all inclusive of VAT. It just the same as if you took your car to a garage for repair work, your quotation and final invoice if the company is VAT registered will show a figure for the VAT amount of your order. Companies who fail to provide either a VAT receipt or show VAT details on quotations or orders either have an annual turnover of less than £70,000 (our monthly turnover exceeds this) or they are breaking the law.

2. The costs of the raw materials we use have all gone up, the vinyl’s, foams, leather hydes, glue, panels, carpets etc have all had an increase in price.

3. Unlike other trimmers we do not work out of a garage, small unit or from home. We have recently moved into a 2 acre, 10,000sqft purpose built workshop, office and distribution facility. We also have a 3,000sqft body shop were we can offer a simple repair or service to a full restoration. Our trim shop currently produces between 20 and 30 interior retrims a WEEK! Our warehouse processes and distributes between 10 and 15 thousand sets of carpets a WEEK! for most models from Audi to Volvo. We are certainly not a one man band outfit. We have a very dedicated team of staff from our accounts to sales office or warehouse to workshop. We are able to cater for all of your retrim requirements.

Ive attached a couple of pictures below so you can see our new premises.

Lunch time in our busy trim shop.

Trimshop and packing area.

Packing area.

Our reception and offices.

View through the yard to bodyshop

Our 3 fitting bays


At present we currently have the following cars in for restoration and retrim work.

5 minis, 1 mini Shorty (built by us), 1 Domino Pimlico, 1 MGB Roadster, 1 MG Midget, 1 Caterham Super Light, 1 Robin Hood kit car, a 3L Stag Convertible, an Austin Healey 3000 and a 1957 Chrysler Imperial (the only one of its kind in the UK and 1 of only 9 left worldwide, a car worth over £200k).

Our recent work has included Jaguar E-types, an XJS, VW Camper Vans, Beetles, an 80 year old Austin 12, a Riley RAT a one off four seater touring race car. We are not just a mini trimmer which a lot of people don’t realise.

Probably the biggest difference now with our interiors is that the seats we offer are not just re covered old mini seats they are fully restored seats.

Our seats are all stripped back to a bare metal frame, the frames are all wire brushed and then painted to give a high quality finish. We don’t just paint the bits you can see under the seat. The seats are then fully rebuilt with replaced membranes, springs, calico and webbing were required. The seat foams both front and rear are all brand new. Our seat covers are also fully laminated with 12mm foam padding in the centre of the seat and 6mm padding on the wings and skirts. This ensures a comfortable seating area and also gives a nice shape to the seat.

Here are two pictures showing one of our covers and a competitors cover. The competitors cover was removed from a seat that was trimmed 3 WEEKS before it was given to us and I quote ‘To do the job properly!’

The difference is obvious.

Our cover.


Competitors Cover.


I apologize if I have waffled on a bit but trimming is something that I feel very passionate about, I don’t like to have unhappy customers and always try my best to ensure that the service we offer is to the highest standard. We are continually making improvements to our interiors and services from suggestions and feedback from our customers.

My suggestion to anybody who has any questions or concerns is to either ring us or better still come and see us for your self.

Our contact details are:

Ashley James Autotrim
Fleet House
Dark Lane
Blackrod
BL6 5LB
Tel: 01257 476000
Fax: 01257 475835

Email: [email protected]

Cheers

Stuart

Edited by ASHLEY_JAMES_AUTOTRIM, 04 April 2011 - 10:42 AM.

[Tommyboy12]

I have to add that its a very comprehensive premises and Stuart is a great guy. I even got a little tour when I dropped my car off (On the back of a recovery vehicle! ). My interior was everything described above. Including clean freshly painted frames and new foam. I would definitely use your services again Stuart!

[Shifty]

No problems and thanks for taking the time to reply, its always good to hear the other side of the story.

[Hughes]

You get what you pay for in life.

[mymini007]

Still happy with my seats, Stuart has been nothing but helpful, I have a small hole in the cover, I was offered a repair, the only reason I could not have done is I have not been able to get the seats to them Will be in touch Stuart

[ASHLEY_JAMES_AUTOTRIM]

Still happy with my seats, Stuart has been nothing but helpful, I have a small hole in the cover, I was offered a repair, the only reason I could not have done is I have not been able to get the seats to them Will be in touch Stuart

No problem, whenever your ready give us a shout and we will fit you in. We will be having an open day soon and putting on a bit of a hog roast (hot pork sandwiches and teas and coffees) for anyone wishing to come and see our new premises. If you can make it up your more than welcome.

Cheers

Ashley James Autotrim