For Don Swope and other N. VA Triumphisti:
I've had some work done at British Classic Cars in Chantilly, just
south of Dulles Int'l Airport on Rte 50. You can't miss it, there's a red
double-decker bus parked in front. It's a Father and Son business run by
Phillip and Dean Middleton, who are either actually Englishmen or else do a
good job faking the accent for customers. They mostly fix/repair/restore
Jaguars, but they have a full-time TR mechanic on the staff. Phillip's wife
runs a British Pantry type store that's adjacent to the garage, in case you
want to munch on some savory English cuisine while your car is repaired...
=%(
I've had good results from them, with several minor caveats. They
are very knowledgable and experienced, they stick to their estimates, and
the work is done in a timely fashion. They don't mind if you supply parts,
and they charge TRF retail for anything they supply. On the downside, I've
always preferred neat shops, on the theory that a mechanic who is tidy in
his workplace will also do clean, orderly work. Their place would never be
described as orderly. I also had a misunderstanding with them when I
specified "urethane" bushings for my front end and they installed
"nylatron", which is not at all the same thing. I didn't pursue the issue,
it wasn't worth it to me, and the front end work was very good, with all
suspension components cleaned and painted, etc. Overall, I'm happy with
them and plan to return, though if I were doing an engine or tranny rebuild
I _might_ consider driving the extra 15-20 miles to Motorhead. If I lived
in Fairfax, though, I'd be cultivating a business reationship with those
guys, since I've heard nothing but accolades from customers.
British Classic Cars is at (703) 327-2287
Best Regards,
Tom Marincic
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