Percival Motor Co

i asked him was there anything wrong with the car as I did not have the room or the time to repair it. Is answer to that was there was a tear on the drivers seat. I agreed to have a walnut dashboard fitted and the cylinder head done to accept unleaded fuel. Cost for parts and work 1600.00 His mechanic did the work on the cylinder head and was taken to outside people to do the work on the valve seats. I was told later they could not do the work to accept unleaded fuel. His mechanic replaced the cylinder head on the car. On delivery, the guy who was delivering it could not get it started. And after 20 mins took it off the trailer. He stated they couldnt get it started when putting it on the trailer at Purcivals. From only 30 ft from getting the car off the trailer to my garage it was stood there until the next day for me to examine Could not get it started. Eventually it did but would not run on and had pre ignition, and was running on after the ignition was turned off. Ignition timing was out, stale petrol. (this was changed)carburettors were running rich and not balanced, and the over-run pipe to the engine had no connection at all. his mechanic should have done this after removing and fitting the cylinder head. there was violent shaking on the steering at 55mph, this we found out later that the tyres were causing the problem with being incorrect size, this was after having all wheels checked and balanced. Simon Percival stated that everything had been done by his mechanic who I believe had 20 years experience in classic cars. After spending 4 hours on the car it started ok, and the tuning guy said once the cylinder head had been tightened down he would look at it again. When it took the car out of the garage for the tuning to be done, there was 3 patches of oil on the garage floor. Bearing in mind it had only been started to get it into my garage. On further inspection at a friends garage. There was oil leaks from the rear axle, the overdrive and gearbox, and the rear bearing engine oil seal, plus gaskets on the side of the engine. I again informed Simon Percival of the problem which he disputed. So i told him I would take it to an expert to have it checked. Wipers were not the correct ones. The hood did not fit to the windows on the side. The windows were stiff, and the widows did not even meet the rubber seals on the car. The dash lights were not working, the glove box had a hole in it, this should have been replaced when new dashboard was fitted. After they had done this job Simon Percival said they had changed all the bulbs to the gauges and all were working. Again, not true. Rear drivers side stop and side lights not working. Bad wiring and bare wires to lights. I replaced these. Took car in to have windows and door catches sorted along with inspection of oil leaks and tracking etc. they reported Drive shaft universal joints worn out; drive shafts damaged. Bearings and oil seals on rear axle worn. All universal joints on prop shaft worn and yolks on the prop shaft to be replaced. Oil seals and bearings on overdrive and gearbox worn. Plus, oils seals on main engine bearing leaking. Took car in for repairs. Clutch problem. When they removed the gearbox, the fork to the clutch plate was bent, and the clutch was on the rivets. THEY ALSO FOUND IN THE BELL HOUSING THE REMAINS ON A STARTER MOTOR BENDIX END. This was the rattle I had heard. Having all this work done, along with the new steering bushes, apart from the rear engine oil seal the problems had been rectified. I could go on further. I spent a total of 10,000.00 plus on the repairs, and still minor things to do, which I expected. this car had not been as described, A very good history file comes with the car showing that it has been well maintained over the 30 years. I eventually went to court. From my comments and to his description of the car, I would suggest you have any car you are interested in checked before buying. I would suggest you form your own conclusions.
Feb 12th, 2023

Website up to date and informative.
Apr 19th, 2023

Nov 22nd, 2022

Fantastic garage. Recently used them to service my Land Rover Defender & MOT it. Then went back to have new springs, shock absorbers, turrets, wheel spaces and rear anti roll bar fitted. Simon and David did a brilliant job. Wouldnt hesitate to recommend them. Plus lovely guys and very knowledgeable.
Nov 17th, 2022

Simon is a gentleman; very knowledgeable and helpful, and not at all pushy. He finds good cars at reasonable prices, and is kind and patient during the purchase process.
Aug 13th, 2022