Hofmann's Vintage

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Welcome to Hofmanns - Henley on Thames.

Sales, Servicing, Maintance & Restoration of all Rolls Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin and Jaguar Cars.

VINTAGE

Introduction
For over 75 years Hofmanns of Henley have been obsessed with vintage cars. From our roots in Bentley engineering in the 1930’s, to our modern 13,000ft workshop today, our love for classic automobiles, combined with an passion for customer service and an incredible attention to detail have kept us at the forefront of Bentley and Rolls-Royce automobile engineering.
 

History
75 years of expertise
Hofmanns was originally founded in the 1930's by Fred Hofmann, an engineer in W.O. Bentley's racing team.
Following the purchase of Bentley Cars by Rolls-Royce it soon became clear that Rolls-Royce had little interest in the marque, and Fred realised that an independent service outlet would be essential for owners of these cars, and so the company was formed in Henley, where most of the worlds vintage Bentley's have received attention at some time in their lives.
The earliest Rolls-Royce we care for is a Light 20 of 1905 and numerous Ghosts, Phantoms and the small HP cars are regularly maintained here, together with Wraiths, Mark VI and R types, the Clouds and S type Bentleys through the Shadow, Spirit and Turbo variants to the present day. The company also has an extensive machine shop where hard-to-obtain parts are regularly being made.
If you are ever in Henley on Thames, or within easy reach, a visit to our workshops will always be rewarding to anyone with an interest in such cars. Please telephone before visiting to ensure we shall be available.
 

Ethos
We share your enthusiasm!
The care and restoration of vintage vehicles is a very specialist task. Many garages shy away from vintage cars, they hold unique challenges that can’t be identified with a computer or fixed with a part off the shelf. At Hofmanns we delight in the challenges you present us with. Whether it’s finding the right part or machining it ourselves in our extensive workshop, it is the bespoke approach and attention to details that we have been offering for over 80 years to owners of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and other vintage marques.
As we outline our approach here we believe it can be easily summed up, ‘We treat your vehicle with the same care and attention as if it were our own’.
By their very nature our customers are enthusiasts. You are an informed and expert client, and we see our role as one that supports you in your unique ambitions for your vehicle, working with you as a partner through the extraordinary, and sometimes crazy, experience of owning and running vintage cars.
We share your enthusiasm! All the team at Hofmanns love vintage automobiles and we delight in using our engineering and professional skills to increase the joy you experience when you look at and drive your car.
Modern practice, traditional values
We try to take the best disciplines of modern practices but keep the old values of personal service and an attention to detail, not losing sight of the end result – your driving enjoyment.
Our management software gives us a complete audit trail of the work done and parts used. We track back any work associated with your vehicle or the source of every particular part. The main benefit is that it frees our management team to have more time to deal directly with you, and less time wasted on repetitive administration. Our booking and costing systems are all automated, and each element of labour involved in the work will be broken down for you, along with all the parts used.
We will go the extra mile
You will notice the Hofmann’s Difference in the way we listen and respond to your needs and goals for your vehicle. We go above and beyond the call of duty to deliver your car on time and on budget. There are many examples of our team working late to ensure we hit a deadline such as a wedding or rally.
We will call you after returning your vehicle to make sure you are happy with the work done and answer any questions you might have.

 

Difference
The Hofmann’s Difference
We care for your car as if it was our own
We understand your passion for your vintage automobile – we share it.  The Hofmann’s team love vintage cars and each of our engineers cares for your car as if it was their own. 
Our accumulated knowledge of over 75 years diligent maintenance and restoration helps us understand the particular nuances and requirements of your cherished vehicle.  You can trust that your car is in the best possible hands, because with a vehicle like yours, only the best is good enough.
We will take the time to understand what you want out of your car and help you to achieve it
Your goals and needs are as unique as your car.  We go the extra mile to understand exactly what you want to achieve, be it a pristine concourse vehicle, a rally car doing thousands of miles a year or simply a fun car for sunny weekends.  That understanding will dictate our recommended service intervals, level of preventative maintenance and recommended course of action, all with your budget foremost in our planning. 
You will have peace of mind and value for money
We recognise that as the experts we could easily mislead you or be disingenuous about our recommendations – we promise that we will NEVER recommend or undertake any work that is not in your best interest. But more than that, the work that you do require will be done to the highest possible standard. When your car is cared for by Hofmann’s you can be confident that when that sunny day arrives, it will start and run handsomely.
You will never get a surprise bill from Hofmann’s
When your car arrives at the Hofmann’s workshop it receives a rigorous health check.  Any issues that our technicians identify, whether they require immediate attention, or are symptoms that you may need remedial work in the future, will be discussed with you before any work is started. In plain English you will understand why the work is necessary, what is involved and the estimated cost.  We promise you will never have any unwanted surprises when the bill is presented.
A transparent and personal service
Our technicians are skilled engineers, and take great personal pride in their work. We invite you to communicate directly with the craftsmen who are working on your car.  Our aim is to give you complete transparency when it comes to work undertaken at Hofmann’s.  If you have any questions, or would like to understand any particular aspect of our work then please come to our workshop, meet our talented team and view work undertaken for you.  You can view the technician’s breakdown of time spent on your vehicle to clarify the steps involved in any work carried out for you.
We will always beat main dealer prices
When undertaking routine maintenance work we strictly adhere to manufacturer’s ‘book’ times.  Because our labour rate is far lower than the dealer networks who charge the same ‘book times’ we can guarantee that you will always pay less at Hofmann’s.

Your car will be back on the road as swiftly as possible
Our technicians aren’t simple garage mechanics but trained fabricators and machinists too.  Any unique or elusive parts can be either fabricated from scratch, using our extensive in house machining facilities or outsourced to one of our trusted and proven technical partners.  There is very little we can’t make for you within the Hofmann’s workshops, using traditional techniques where possible. This means a consistent high quality of workmanship and short lead times on fabricated parts, which keeps your car off the road for the shortest possible time. 
 

Service
Giving you the time you require
We will take the time to understand your needs and find a solution that matches your aspirations, and your budget. We aren’t scared to challenge you if we believe there are better ways to address an issue. Our decades of experience give us a huge bank of lessons that we can share with you as you decide the best route forward.
Whether it’s on the phone or in person, you will get the time you need to be clear on our advice and the options available. We will not rush you or pressure you.
Keeping you informed
Once your car has been assessed by one of our engineers the work will be reviewed by John Tomlin, our Service Manager, who will provide you with an estimate in writing via your preferred means of delivery, whether that’s letter, phone or email.
For standard servicing we will get the original schedule appropriate to your vehicle and make sure all items are covered, both on that checklist and work we have identified and agreed with you.
Often the first thing we will do is a test and report for you, which will help you decide priorities before we start working on your car. We don’t want to embark on some work only to find there are more important issues that need to be dealt with first. We will research anything identified by the engineer, pricing and giving you an opinion on our recommended priorities, which will come from our deeper understanding of your situation and objectives. That can include identifying the best places to obtain parts, taking quality versus cost versus speed into account.
On straightforward work we will simply call you to discuss our findings and agree the way forward. For larger projects we will put the estimate in writing before proceeding.
Parts required for servicing are pre-ordered so they are ready for when your vehicle arrives. For more specialist requests we will not book you in until we have been able to get the parts in stock. It almost goes without saying we only use genuine parts when available, or where better alternatives exist we will explain to you the advantages they offer.
Prompt service
Our team aim to answer the phone within six rings. If you leave a voicemail or email then you can expect us to get back to you within half an hour.
You can expect most estimates the same day, except where we have third party delays, in which case we will keep you informed as we chase down the best supply options for you.
We come to you
We can arrange the collection of your car from anywhere in the UK. In fact we’ve had cars shipped to us from as far as Australia, and engines sent over from an Indian Maharaja! For UK collections we like to come in person, seeing the car in situ before bringing it to the workshop. This personal service gives us a chance to better understand your situation, and talk through the next steps in the process.
For pre-war vehicles we always use covered lorries to add that extra level of protection and security. 
Once complete we will deliver your automobile to you. It will come back to you washed and valeted after every visit, looking even better than when it arrived.
 


Guarantee
Hofmann’s are determined to set the very highest standard in the motor industry for integrity, honesty and customer focus.
We back up this commitment with the guarantees that we offer:
We promise that we will never suggest or carry out work that you do not require. If you believe we have, then we will pay for an independent assessment by an expert to review our proposal for you.
We will never carry out work that you have not authorised in advance. All of our parts have a warranty for a full twelve months. If anything doesn’t continue to operate up to your expectations, we will get your car straight into the workshop and fix it.
If you are ever unhappy with the work we do or the way we look after you we will remedy that immediately, and give you a bottle of champagne as a thank you for bringing it to our attention.
 

Workshops
Dedicated facilities
Our 13,000ft workshop is segmented so that your car has its own dedicated work area. In 2007 we moved from facilities that we had outgrown to this purpose built facility. The four ramps and much larger work area for all the specialist machining tools vintage work requires allows us to take a structured and  tidy approach that was being limited at our former site.
The machine shop allows us to fabricate any parts that we cannot source, from custom bolts through to entire complex parts. This ability to create any part leads to reduced waiting times for you, as we can make anything we can’t source. Our collection of specialist tools built up over the years and our fabrication capacity means we have a history of getting cars back on the road, where others have already tried and failed.
Our mechanical engineering capacity means we can undertake, in house, all work associated with the chassis i.e engine, transmission, braking systems, suspension, axles, wheels etc, and all engine ancillary components such as dynamos and magnetos, water and oil pumps, carburettors and shock absorbers.
For bodywork restoration or interior trim but we work with specialists in those trades and supervise these projects on your behalf. We have a number of time - served engineers whose skills cover the various models through the ages.
Every part, whether it’s a bolt or an axle, has its place and we are meticulous about the management of our workshop. We are scrupulous about the only correct grade of metals being used for parts, not only for authenticities sake, but safety and reliability too.
During breaks in work we will use custom covers to give it further protection. All cars are kept inside, and the workshop is alarmed with a security response system. Furthermore all vehicles are covered by our comprehensive liability insurance for your peace of mind.
 

Team
An unsurpassed team of expert engineers
While we are proud of our facilities and machinery the real Hofmann’s difference comes from the people who work here. The wealth of specialist knowledge we have across our team of engineers is unsurpassed anywhere in the country, whether that is traits and secrets specific to your marque, or old school engineering skills. We have all the areas of expertise covered when it comes to giving your car the love and attention it requires.
You will benefit from a dedicated and qualified team. We are proud to still be relying on apprenticeship as a long term investment in keeping the specialist skills required for vintage cars. In fact half our team actually completed their apprenticeships here and have stayed with us since then. We pride ourselves in our engineering abilities, whether that’s diagnosing the problems or creating a unique solution for you.
Engineer led teams
Once authorised we take an engineer-led team approach, overseen by our management team.  We offer you a personal and bespoke service. We deliberately differentiate ourselves from main dealers, where you are sometimes treated as an inconvenience. You will have the time you need from us to understand what we recommend and to be confident on the course of action we agree together.
You are welcome to take a hands-on approach, we love to show you what we are working on and explain what is involved.

 

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