DO NOT USE THIS GARAGE.
DO NOT USE THIS GARAGE.
LOCATED IN HARLOW, ESSEX, UK
I took my Mercedes SL to Paul Evans Independent Mercedes when the electric roof stopped working.
Paul initially advised me that one of the hydraulic cylinders needed replacing, but said he was unable to source the part. He told me he would find one and get back to me. What followed were weeks of unreturned calls and repeated promises to "call back next week". Eventually, after pressing him for more information, I found a brand-new replacement part on eBay within five minutes. I purchased it myself and arranged for Paul to fit it.
Paul later contacted me to say that he couldn't work out how to fit the part, but assured me he would "look up how to do it" and get back to me. Once again, he failed to contact me and stopped responding to my calls.
At that point, I lost confidence and booked the car into a reputable, highly rated Mercedes specialist with extensive experience repairing SL roof systems. They told me replacing the cylinder was a relatively straightforward job that should take around three to four hours.
However, only a couple of hours after I dropped the car off, they called to say they were unable to carry out the repair because of the extent of the damage already caused to the roof mechanism. They advised me that, in their professional opinion, the damage could not have resulted from normal operation of the roof, even with a failed hydraulic cylinder. They believed it was consistent with an bodged repair attempt. They also commented that they had never seen an SL roof so badly damaged and were shocked by the apparent approach taken to the repair.
As a result, I was forced to sell what had otherwise been a very good car to a salvage company for only a fraction of its true value.
Based on my experience, I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE ANYONE AGAINST LETTING PAUL EVANS ANYWHERE NEAR THEIR CAR! The communication was extremely poor, the repair was BODGED, and the outcome LEFT ME WITH A SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL LOSS.