Austec Racing?

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Bodmin

Original Poster:

596 posts

205 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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After hearing a few rumors I popped into Austec today and was met by someone in their yard who told me they have gone i.e. ceased trading

Anybody know what has happened?

Bodders







m4tti

5,466 posts

162 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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Hmmmm


Hoofy

77,448 posts

289 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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That's a shame. I remember using them when I had a Chimaera. Had no complaints back then.

RichB

52,683 posts

291 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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Sadly remember when they serviced my Griff; some time later when I personally checked the clutch fluid (as I do from time to time) I discovered they had not even removed the master cylinder cover. I always used to sellotape a note on the cap with the date that I last checked it pencilled on. This was still untouched. scratchchin I didn't go back.

Steve_D

13,794 posts

265 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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Yes they stopped trading a couple of weeks back.
One of the directors is now running a new business from the same site. Still cars but a slightly different line of work.

Steve

nawarne

3,097 posts

267 months

Friday 3rd June 2016
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Know of someone who bought a Griff from them - - 4 or 5 months ago.

The very basic pre-handover checks had not been done. Luckily the guy was coming to a TVRCC organised 'do' where someone could help him top-up levels.

This sort of service is what gets garages bad names.

Nick

Bodmin

Original Poster:

596 posts

205 months

Friday 3rd June 2016
quotequote all
Steve_D said:
Yes they stopped trading a couple of weeks back.
One of the directors is now running a new business from the same site. Still cars but a slightly different line of work.

Steve
Interesting, as Austec have done a 'phoenix' several times before, is your understanding that the new business is not history being repeated with Paul Austin running it?

I noted when I was there that the Austec Racing signage was still in place.

Steve_D

13,794 posts

265 months

Friday 3rd June 2016
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Bodmin said:
Interesting, as Austec have done a 'phoenix' several times before, is your understanding that the new business is not history being repeated with Paul Austin running it?

I noted when I was there that the Austec Racing signage was still in place.
The rolling road has gone.
I was told the new business was in support of a number of local car dealers who will take in PX cars and then have the new business fettle them for resale.
I don't know who is now running the new venture.

Steve

m4tti

5,466 posts

162 months

Friday 3rd June 2016
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Possibly the new business called Austec Fleet Services.

https://companycheck.co.uk/director/912458766/MR-P...

People can do themselves a favour by doing a company check on some of these people. It's telling you something when someone has had a number of business dissolved and a new one opened consecutively.

DonkeyApple

58,616 posts

176 months

Saturday 4th June 2016
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I tried them once. Nothing at all positive to say.

phazed

21,986 posts

211 months

Saturday 4th June 2016
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A very big "no" from me.

Greedy, often useless and very, very expensive!

eff eff

754 posts

211 months

Sunday 5th June 2016
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Had a service done there once, they changed a track rod end and I asked them to check an oil leak which I knew was steering fluid,
they said the sump was leaking and replaced the sump gasket. Changing the track rod end left me with 3.5 degrees of toe-out which wrecked the tyres by the time I noticed it. The power steering was still leaking from the u-bend and now the sump was also leaking. I took the car back and was offered a 4 wheel alignment in compensation but the system was not working. While they had the car they swapped my year old Estoril wheel centres for cracked and shabby ones, and of course I couldn't prove this. The TVR community and their cars are safer now these cowboys are no longer trading.

Edited by eff eff on Monday 6th June 20:21

Stedman

7,285 posts

199 months

Sunday 5th June 2016
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Not the first time it's happened and wont be the last!

The_Edge

952 posts

213 months

Sunday 5th June 2016
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Not good news... Have an open issue with them for a botched respray 😳

m4tti

5,466 posts

162 months

Sunday 5th June 2016
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The_Edge said:
Not good news... Have an open issue with them for a botched respray ??
Lucky for them they were running a limited company so can dissolve and re-open liability free.

Bodmin

Original Poster:

596 posts

205 months

Sunday 5th June 2016
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I've had a couple of different people contact me over this.

One said he had seen a posting on Facebook by Fubar saying he had had his Cerbera recovered from Austec and taken to APM over a engine rebuild issue,the post apparently goes along the lines that Paul Austin was not answering/responding to calls and the new owner? didn't want to know.I understand that Andy at APM has quite a list of faults associated with the rebuild.

The second person had been told by an employee who was trying to sort the mess out that the new companies business is to lease/rent out cars to people with bad credit/bankrupt status. I have discovered there are two additional companies registered at the Austec address; Weekly Wheels and Quick Car.com Ltd

I did see two Cerbera's in the yard on my visit so I hope the owners of those cars know what a has happened as I know Austec used to have a habit of 'sitting' on cars for several months.

Bodders

ads

1,369 posts

264 months

Monday 6th June 2016
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The_Edge said:
Not good news... Have an open issue with them for a botched respray ??
Hi Phil,
Be interesting to know what was wrong with the respray. A friend had his done by them and years later had a few issues. would be interesting to know if it was the same issues. Feel free to PM me.

Cheers
Ads

Johnniem

2,696 posts

230 months

Wednesday 8th June 2016
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Bought a 450 Chim privately through them. My first foray into TVR ownership. They had a few things to sort and did so, eventually. Found ut soon after that they had vanished and reappeared around the corner (I think 2006-ish?). The garage they moved to always looked like a scrap metal merchants! After a very short time of dealing with then I realised that Paul was more interested in the rolling road services than messing around with TVR's.

From a personal point of view I would steer clear!

TT Tim

4,162 posts

254 months

Wednesday 8th June 2016
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Cowboys! My dealings with them were poor at best.

Overpriced and too much bs. Cashing in on TVR owners expecting things to be a expensive.

Wouldn't touch any of them with a s****ty stick!

ClassiChimi

12,424 posts

156 months

Wednesday 8th June 2016
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I talked to Mr Austin at a Mazda race weekend he was racing at, if that's what you call his effort,,,,
I mentioned I had a Chimaera and got a very unexpected response,,, said something on the lines of owners of the lower class Tvr's don't or won't spend on their cars,,, I was some what perplexed as I'd invested many thousands in my lower class car,,, I felt 2inches tall,,,, for a moment then thought what a tosser you are, he was visibly aggressive about it and said he was moving into something far better,, franchise mapping etc,, and then tried to tell me all about it,, mapping Merc vans,,, mmmm,,
That was about 2 years ago.
I was really upset to be honest, just kept me gob shut as I thought Austec were something special but i'd never deal with a man like that. Arrogance personified.
I was still very nervous of my Tvr and not really knowing who's who, people like that demoralise you and make you wonder if your right to own such a car.
Luckily I've kept the faith and staying well clear of Austec has helped both my sanity and my pocket by the looks of it.


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