Rackhams Body Repair - Ipswich
Discussion
they are one of the worst body shops around ! try willows in brent eleigh they do all types of work very good and very well priced
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Anyone have any experience of them?
There's also M.G.Kerry and Ipswich Car Body repairs who I've used in the past but they weren't perfect.
I need some sills straightening / replacing and don't mind paying a bit extra for the best quality workmanship.
Ta
There's also M.G.Kerry and Ipswich Car Body repairs who I've used in the past but they weren't perfect.
I need some sills straightening / replacing and don't mind paying a bit extra for the best quality workmanship.
Ta
pk500 said:
they are one of the worst body shops around ! try willows in brent eleigh they do all types of work very good and very well priced
Totally disagree with this comment. They are a slick operation and do a fantastic job. I referred countless cars and parts to them for paint and the quality is always top notch. They are also a VW aircooled restorer (they have a whole building dedicated to it)and I certainly would have entrusted my Corrado to them.SuperchargedVR6 said:
Anyone have any experience of them?
There's also M.G.Kerry and Ipswich Car Body repairs who I've used in the past but they weren't perfect.
I need some sills straightening / replacing and don't mind paying a bit extra for the best quality workmanship.
Ta
There's also M.G.Kerry and Ipswich Car Body repairs who I've used in the past but they weren't perfect.
I need some sills straightening / replacing and don't mind paying a bit extra for the best quality workmanship.
Ta
Rackhams in Ipswich are the worst I have ever had the displeasure to use.
A dumper Lorry decided to dump large stones all over the front of one of my old cars.
The approved repairer the insurance company insisted I use was the Said above.
Car came back with a different shade of colour on the front bonnet, bumper, wings etc to the rest of the car. All wheels were chipped & marked due to how the car was loaded on their truck and need refurbing. The hole car was covered in overspray and rough as f**k. I was so pi55ed off as the car was mint before all this.
Through negotiations with the insurance co. and independent inspectors I only had to send the wheels back to them to be refurbed while the car went to another body shop recommended by the dealer who sold me the car.
I appreciate that you only tend to hear of bad things via the internet and things may have changed in Ipswich.......but I will never use them ever again!!!! Not only was their workmanship awful, but their attitude was just as bad!!!
All IMHO etc etc.
Pete.
A dumper Lorry decided to dump large stones all over the front of one of my old cars.
The approved repairer the insurance company insisted I use was the Said above.
Car came back with a different shade of colour on the front bonnet, bumper, wings etc to the rest of the car. All wheels were chipped & marked due to how the car was loaded on their truck and need refurbing. The hole car was covered in overspray and rough as f**k. I was so pi55ed off as the car was mint before all this.
Through negotiations with the insurance co. and independent inspectors I only had to send the wheels back to them to be refurbed while the car went to another body shop recommended by the dealer who sold me the car.
I appreciate that you only tend to hear of bad things via the internet and things may have changed in Ipswich.......but I will never use them ever again!!!! Not only was their workmanship awful, but their attitude was just as bad!!!
All IMHO etc etc.
Pete.
I looked at a car for a water leak ! they had bent a new door to fit and drilled the door hindge bolt hole to get the door to fit the should have pulled the door post out first ! had over spray over the wiring , car went back 4/5 times then had to go to another body shop to get sorted out ! they work on bonus so a bodge will do rush rush out the door and no body care`s !
Reeso said:
Rackhams in Ipswich are the worst I have ever had the displeasure to use.
A dumper Lorry decided to dump large stones all over the front of one of my old cars.
The approved repairer the insurance company insisted I use was the Said above.
Car came back with a different shade of colour on the front bonnet, bumper, wings etc to the rest of the car. All wheels were chipped & marked due to how the car was loaded on their truck and need refurbing. The hole car was covered in overspray and rough as f**k. I was so pi55ed off as the car was mint before all this.
Through negotiations with the insurance co. and independent inspectors I only had to send the wheels back to them to be refurbed while the car went to another body shop recommended by the dealer who sold me the car.
I appreciate that you only tend to hear of bad things via the internet and things may have changed in Ipswich.......but I will never use them ever again!!!! Not only was their workmanship awful, but their attitude was just as bad!!!
All IMHO etc etc.
Pete.
A dumper Lorry decided to dump large stones all over the front of one of my old cars.
The approved repairer the insurance company insisted I use was the Said above.
Car came back with a different shade of colour on the front bonnet, bumper, wings etc to the rest of the car. All wheels were chipped & marked due to how the car was loaded on their truck and need refurbing. The hole car was covered in overspray and rough as f**k. I was so pi55ed off as the car was mint before all this.
Through negotiations with the insurance co. and independent inspectors I only had to send the wheels back to them to be refurbed while the car went to another body shop recommended by the dealer who sold me the car.
I appreciate that you only tend to hear of bad things via the internet and things may have changed in Ipswich.......but I will never use them ever again!!!! Not only was their workmanship awful, but their attitude was just as bad!!!
All IMHO etc etc.
Pete.
I have used Bockfords and they where good about 4 years ago
SuperchargedVR6 said:
Have Rackhams become really bad then? They used to have a good reputation many years ago!
Brockfords sound good as they're a VAG specialist looking on their site and it's a MK4 golf that needs attention.
Cheers guys
Brockfords sound good as they're a VAG specialist looking on their site and it's a MK4 golf that needs attention.
Cheers guys
A real potpourri of opinions on Rackhams then!
I know how picky you are with bodywork mate, so I'm inclinded to believe you. Do Rackhams have a high staff turnover? Could the other experiences be based on some YTS losers working there who have since been sacked?
I remember back in my MK2 Golf 16V days (early 90s), Rackhams was THE place to go for bodywork but they were also the most expensive by a long way!
The work I need doing is to straighten / replace the sill on my R32, so it's a hidden panel. Paint finish therefore doesn't need to be immaculate but I do want the welding / repair work to be first rate so that it doesn't all rust to peices 3 years later.
Do you know if VW replacement panels have the same anti-corrosion treatments as the factory mate?
NelsonR32 said:
pk500 said:
they are one of the worst body shops around ! try willows in brent eleigh they do all types of work very good and very well priced
Totally disagree with this comment. They are a slick operation and do a fantastic job. I referred countless cars and parts to them for paint and the quality is always top notch. They are also a VW aircooled restorer (they have a whole building dedicated to it)and I certainly would have entrusted my Corrado to them.SuperchargedVR6 said:
Anyone have any experience of them?
There's also M.G.Kerry and Ipswich Car Body repairs who I've used in the past but they weren't perfect.
I need some sills straightening / replacing and don't mind paying a bit extra for the best quality workmanship.
Ta
There's also M.G.Kerry and Ipswich Car Body repairs who I've used in the past but they weren't perfect.
I need some sills straightening / replacing and don't mind paying a bit extra for the best quality workmanship.
Ta
I remember back in my MK2 Golf 16V days (early 90s), Rackhams was THE place to go for bodywork but they were also the most expensive by a long way!
The work I need doing is to straighten / replace the sill on my R32, so it's a hidden panel. Paint finish therefore doesn't need to be immaculate but I do want the welding / repair work to be first rate so that it doesn't all rust to peices 3 years later.
Do you know if VW replacement panels have the same anti-corrosion treatments as the factory mate?
I'll just add my opinions of Rackhams. Used them twice for insurance work, both time the cars had to go back to be sorted properly (one car had to go back 3 times!). One car was given back in an awful state, the engine bay was absolutely covered in polish from where they been mopping the new front wing, it then looked like the same mechanic had driven my car, as the inside was covered in white dust!
Wouldn't use them again if I could help it.
Wouldn't use them again if I could help it.
Rackhams repaired my TR6 a few years back and did a terrible job. They even had the gall to ask my to pay for the bonnet to be resprayed due to the paint reacting.
The customer service is terrible, the standard of work shoddy and to be honest I wouldn't trust them with anything of value. God alone knows how they got their reputation for being a good repair shop, IMO it's totally undeserved. Total bunch of f
kwits
MG Kerry's son, Rick has his own bodyshop on Martlesham Industrial Estate. He's a true Petrolhead and will happily have a yarn, make a note of what you want done and deliver a good job. He's also BMW approved so must be half decent, but he might "shunt" your private job aside for urgent insurance work, so if you're on a time frame arguably maybe not the company for you..
TBH I've not seen a bad job come out of his workshop. He also has possibly one of the best mechanics in East Anglia (Rob).
The customer service is terrible, the standard of work shoddy and to be honest I wouldn't trust them with anything of value. God alone knows how they got their reputation for being a good repair shop, IMO it's totally undeserved. Total bunch of f
kwitsMG Kerry's son, Rick has his own bodyshop on Martlesham Industrial Estate. He's a true Petrolhead and will happily have a yarn, make a note of what you want done and deliver a good job. He's also BMW approved so must be half decent, but he might "shunt" your private job aside for urgent insurance work, so if you're on a time frame arguably maybe not the company for you..
TBH I've not seen a bad job come out of his workshop. He also has possibly one of the best mechanics in East Anglia (Rob).
Yeah Rick has done work for me in the past. I got an insurance repair done on a Golf (this was back in 2001) and also some private work whilst it was there. The insurance work was absolutely first rate, but the private work not so good unfortunately. I get the impression approved repairers push out all the stops with insurance repairs so that they charge more and make more profit on it, but like you say, he definitely is an enthusiast. Does he still race M5s?
I used MG Kerry in 2009 to repair my Corrado and again, a mixture of private and insurance. The wing replacement (the insurance part) was again spot on. Perfect panel gaps and superb paint finish. The private work, hmmmm. I got the bonnet repainted to remove chips and scratches and the laquer reacted a month later. Obviously is was just a quick rub down and repaint rather than taking it back to bare metal because some of the old chip 'holes' were still present under the new top coat.
So Brockfords it is then!
I used MG Kerry in 2009 to repair my Corrado and again, a mixture of private and insurance. The wing replacement (the insurance part) was again spot on. Perfect panel gaps and superb paint finish. The private work, hmmmm. I got the bonnet repainted to remove chips and scratches and the laquer reacted a month later. Obviously is was just a quick rub down and repaint rather than taking it back to bare metal because some of the old chip 'holes' were still present under the new top coat.
So Brockfords it is then!
Edited by SuperchargedVR6 on Tuesday 28th May 12:14
Edited by SuperchargedVR6 on Tuesday 28th May 12:15
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