Calling All S1 owners – Please Read!
Discussion
Dear All
Have your clam grills started to rust? Are they looking shabby and let down an otherwise pristine car? If so read on……
I have been investigating the possibility of doing a comprehensive one off refurbishment of the clam grills for all S1 owners. I have used my own car as the guinea pig for this and the results are excellent. I did this one year ago so my car has been subject to 12 months of abuse and the grills still look like new.
If you don’t know what the clam grills are, these are the black mesh inserts that cover your reverse and fog lights at the rear of the car and the black mesh insert that covers the opening at the front of the clamshell, under the radiator.
Many S1 cars have been on the road for a while now, some of the earliest models are 8 yeas old and because of our unique climate and heavy use of salt on the roads in winter, the black finish can become prone to cracking and hence the mild steel underneath begins to rust.
The process for refurbishing these items is very simple, once all of the existing paint and rust has been removed, the items are then recoated in black, as the originals and then your car will be looking as good as new
The powder coating process gives the items superb protection. Because the powder finish is more flexible than paint there is less chance of cracking so less chance of the rust returning. The powder coating company are also certified by the National Grid and tests have shown that this powder coating plant consistently coats items which are resistant to 500 hours salt spray. This is the standard required by the National Grid for all outdoor equipment with a life expectancy of 30 years or more!
Eliseparts sell these items new, but at a cost! The price for a standard replacement set is £229.07
This deal is still in its infancy, but if enough people show interest I will go ahead with it. If it does go ahead the package will consist of the following.
•Email notification that the items have arrived with me undamaged
•Stripping off the old paint and removing the surface rust, all completed by hand and by myself, so be confident that these will be well looked after.
•Powder coating to National Grid standard in black as original
•Will also include a complete fixing kit consisting of 4 off rawl nuts, stainless steel bolts and washers to fix the rear grills and plastic fasteners to fix the front grill
•Return postage & packing
I think that I will need about 50 sets for this to be viable. The cost of this is totally dependant on how many people want the work done, but as a basis I have assumed we will have a minimum of 50 people so the price complete inc. P&P will be £70.00, that’s less then one third of the price of a new set, a big saving. Obviously the more people who join in the lower the price will become.
Other Notes:
•There are two different front grill types, one to suit cars with driving lamps and one without. There will be no price difference for different grill types, the costs for adjusting this are minimal.
•Some special edition Elise S1’s have different coloured grills (JPS Edition is one of them) I will not be able to accommodate different grill colours other than black due to set-up costs involved, Sorry.
•Return Postage will be via Royal Mail Special Delivery, so a signature will be required. The packing will be a large Jiffy padded envelope. All items will be individually wrapped in bubble wrap protection.
•Payment can be by Cheque, (preferred) Bankers Draft or Cash (at your own risk and only by Royal Mail special delivery to me)
•Delivery time. once all grills are received it will take 3-4 weeks to complete the service and return the items back to you fully refurbished and ready for fitting.
•I would also intend to email all of you during the process and let you know how work is progressing.
Please feel free to post some comments below and please say if you would be interested. Alternatively you can email me at
paul.wakinshaw@vatechuk.com
Many thanks & Best regards
Paul
Have your clam grills started to rust? Are they looking shabby and let down an otherwise pristine car? If so read on……
I have been investigating the possibility of doing a comprehensive one off refurbishment of the clam grills for all S1 owners. I have used my own car as the guinea pig for this and the results are excellent. I did this one year ago so my car has been subject to 12 months of abuse and the grills still look like new.
If you don’t know what the clam grills are, these are the black mesh inserts that cover your reverse and fog lights at the rear of the car and the black mesh insert that covers the opening at the front of the clamshell, under the radiator.
Many S1 cars have been on the road for a while now, some of the earliest models are 8 yeas old and because of our unique climate and heavy use of salt on the roads in winter, the black finish can become prone to cracking and hence the mild steel underneath begins to rust.
The process for refurbishing these items is very simple, once all of the existing paint and rust has been removed, the items are then recoated in black, as the originals and then your car will be looking as good as new
The powder coating process gives the items superb protection. Because the powder finish is more flexible than paint there is less chance of cracking so less chance of the rust returning. The powder coating company are also certified by the National Grid and tests have shown that this powder coating plant consistently coats items which are resistant to 500 hours salt spray. This is the standard required by the National Grid for all outdoor equipment with a life expectancy of 30 years or more!
Eliseparts sell these items new, but at a cost! The price for a standard replacement set is £229.07
This deal is still in its infancy, but if enough people show interest I will go ahead with it. If it does go ahead the package will consist of the following.
•Email notification that the items have arrived with me undamaged
•Stripping off the old paint and removing the surface rust, all completed by hand and by myself, so be confident that these will be well looked after.
•Powder coating to National Grid standard in black as original
•Will also include a complete fixing kit consisting of 4 off rawl nuts, stainless steel bolts and washers to fix the rear grills and plastic fasteners to fix the front grill
•Return postage & packing
I think that I will need about 50 sets for this to be viable. The cost of this is totally dependant on how many people want the work done, but as a basis I have assumed we will have a minimum of 50 people so the price complete inc. P&P will be £70.00, that’s less then one third of the price of a new set, a big saving. Obviously the more people who join in the lower the price will become.
Other Notes:
•There are two different front grill types, one to suit cars with driving lamps and one without. There will be no price difference for different grill types, the costs for adjusting this are minimal.
•Some special edition Elise S1’s have different coloured grills (JPS Edition is one of them) I will not be able to accommodate different grill colours other than black due to set-up costs involved, Sorry.
•Return Postage will be via Royal Mail Special Delivery, so a signature will be required. The packing will be a large Jiffy padded envelope. All items will be individually wrapped in bubble wrap protection.
•Payment can be by Cheque, (preferred) Bankers Draft or Cash (at your own risk and only by Royal Mail special delivery to me)
•Delivery time. once all grills are received it will take 3-4 weeks to complete the service and return the items back to you fully refurbished and ready for fitting.
•I would also intend to email all of you during the process and let you know how work is progressing.
Please feel free to post some comments below and please say if you would be interested. Alternatively you can email me at
paul.wakinshaw@vatechuk.com
Many thanks & Best regards
Paul
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