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Recommendations for Bodyshop in Cheshire?

Avro

Active member
Joined
13 May 2013
Messages
41
Hi all, does anyone have any recommendations for a decent paintshop in Cheshire / North West? Decided to take the plunge and give the 964 a new coat.
Thanks.
 
Lloyds Autobody in Wythenshawe are very good and I think they are still the Approved Body Shop for Porsche Wilmslow. They are very expensive though.

Hanstons in Broadheath (Altrincham) are superb. I've never had cause to use them on the Porsche but I have used them on a Mercedes and a Mini and they did a fantastic job on both. They are also very approachable and are happy to negotiate within reason. I think that they were and maybe still are an Approved Body Shop for Mercedes Stockport.

Good luck!
 
Lloyds Autobody in Wythenshawe do high-end motors - McLaren, Ferrari, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Porsche etc. They lost their Porsche-approved status a coupole of years back - not for defect in service standards but when Porsche consolidated the number of approved-bodyshops and insisted on additional investments to be made.

The only Porsche approved bodyshop in the NW is Road & Race near Worsley. Any OPC in this locality including OPC Kendal send all their work to R&R.

I cannot comment on other bodyshops - there must be a plethora of these.

I will have a front respray on mine this year to get rid of chips - it will only go to Lloyds or R&R because prices I found with other bodyshops were not that much cheaper versus the risks if they f&ck it up.

By the way the R&R work carries a nationwide warranty - it can be done under warranty if not satisfactory at any Porsche-approved bodyshop.

A little further south of us, the Porsche-approved bodyshop is Shorade in Cannock (Staffs). I believe they have a very good name also.
 
I'll second Lloyds Autobody (Wythenshawe) but they are not cheap.

Try R4 Paint & Body in Crew whom have worked on various air-cooled later P-car models ... not used them myself but have friends who have.

For first rate work look try Cheshire Autobody in Knutsford. They were running a 15% discount offer which is still visible on there website.

If you what to be involved i.e. help stripping and prep etc to reduce costs then give Tony a call from Premier Auto Bodies in Monsall, Manchester. His place is a real dump but they turn out excellent work and are very reasonable prices whilst letting you get your own hands dirty. Cash is king there so no VAT to pay if you're not bothered about a receipt :) He did a 993 for me which was a full strip to metal and I was more than happy with the results.
 
My experience is that Lloyds and R&R are very similar in price.

Cheshire Autobody in Knutsford - is that the place next to Mike (Sports & Clasic) old address?

I've no idea of their quality. I've seen Bentleys going through their shop when visiting Mike right down to Citroen Saxo's. So perhaps there is more low-end to middle-range stuff?

Lloyds on the other hand and R&R is only Prestige stuff. Maybe thir price filters out the cheaper work? But they must know what they are doing to get such a high volume of the Prestige end of the market? So probaly less risk?
 
Many thanks for the recommendations.

I've used Cheshire Autobody before on newer stuff (yes it is next to Sports & Classic old premises). Their work was good but appeared to favour the quick turnaround repairs / Insurance market rather than restoration work. I thought they had closed down but it appears they are now operating under new ownership so will give them a call.

Hanstons in Altrincham is also a name which keeps cropping up and I think also worth a visit. They seem to be held in high regard.

I am trying to stay clear of 'official' Porsche bodyshops. Their cost is usually prohibitive & I prefer to work with a specialist / enthusiast if possible.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep you posted.
 
Do ninemeister not carry out their own paint? Their work (including paint) has always looked stunning to my eyes and right in your neck of the woods.
 
You might consider a quote from Lloyds and R&R after Hanstons.
You may be surprised at their prices compared to high-end generalist bodyshops and the warranty they give.

I shopped around for front stone chip resprays and I found the difference small in relative terms to take a risk with a Porsche.

One of the challenges I keep reading with the older air-cooled stuff is coming across corrosion when preparing for respray and dealing with it properly.
That's where R&R and Lloyds stand out with their experience across the range of Porsche cars. At both places there were air-cooled cars being worked on.
 
Wait till you hear 9meister prices is all I'd say from talking to some guys.
Yes the jobs were good, but the work seems to expand in scope with the discovery of this and that, which can happen with the older cars.
I bet their prices are no different to R&R which is Porsche approved and does major restoration also like 9meister.

Only my personal opinion.
 
I had paintwork done by Mike at Sports & Classic on my old Boxster but he never used the place next door. Not sure what that says about anything?

I've used Road & Race, they painted my rear bumper on my 911. Work was first class. And they are not cheap but they are Porsche approved which means the paint job comes with a warranty.

I've also used Lloyds. Also very good but I'd use Road & Race in future because Lloyds cannot not offer that warranty any longer.

I'm having more work done next time I'm home (rear decklid, front wings and front bumper) and the work will go to R&R for sure.
 
Popped into Hanstons. Can confirm their work is first rate. Agreed a budget after I pointed out they were only painting half a car (being a cab). Problem is they can't start for approx 3 months, then would need another 3 to complete which would mean being without over the summer. I could always postpone but will check some of the others out and see if the story is similar.

A little off topic but coming home from the bodyshop I couldn't close the pax door:
Can anyone offer a link to an article on door latch removal / adjustment? I can't close the passenger door as the latch won't fully open. I've got the door panel off and it appears the door handle won't fully release the latch and allow it to move to the open position.
Thanks in advance.
 
I'd be interested to hear if its the same sort of situation with R&R and Lloyds.

3 months lead time before starting is a long time.

Hanstons may be MB approved (according to one of the posts) but MB have their own bodyshop on Ashton Road at MB Manchester.

Some feedback on comparative prices would be useful - when I was looking, I found good independent bodyshops were not much cheaper than either R&R or Lloyds at Wythenshawe. Certainly a difference where it was not worth the risk (to me) to take a chance to take it to an independent against the known quality at Lloyds and R&R with the latter's Porsche approved warranty.
 
I didn't have to wait for my bumper to be painted at Road & Race. I've just contacted Tech9 about my front end conversion for end of March (of which the paint will be done at R&R) so I'll see if they come back with anything on delays but I'm not expecting it.
 

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