Anyone know something about Axial Technical Servies Ltd?

[Mr Laurence]

Since this is my first proper post on here, I'll also use it as a chance to introduce myself. I'm Laurence, and a few months ago I bought a 1999 Rover Mini (the 'base' model with pepper-pot wheels and a tartan interior, not a cooper) and as I was trying to piece together where the car had been and what sort of life it had lived, I found that it was initially sold through a place called Axial Technical Services Ltd, rather than a Rover dealer like I was expecting. I've asked elsewhere and done some research of my own, but so far, the only thing I can find out for certain is that they are (were?) based in Oxford at an address next to where the BINI factory now is. From what I've found, some people say they supplied cars to Rover Employees, whereas a few sites think they were linked to some rental company. Most of the cars that were sold through them that are mentioned online seem to be from MG Rover, and I doubt anywhere was still using minis as rental cars in the late 90's, but I still want to be certain. I know there a quite a few Rover guys on here, so if anybody knows anything else, or also has a car sold through them, I'd love to know a bit more. Thanks in advance

[Tamworthbay]

I have seen a few like this come up on the miniforum. One was almost certainly owned by an employee at first but there was still uncertainty as to whether this meant ATS only supplied to employees or the proximity to the plant was a coincidence. There was also a suggestion that they used to sell off ex fleet or development cars but I have never seen any conclusive evidence for that. They also seem to have run a rental service for employees, most evidence I have seen seems to suggest that they would rent out the cars for 9 months which is a strange amount of time. If you look for the name linked to BRM 25s there is some info about iirc. Sorry not to be more precise but there seems to be a lot of rumour/ speculation surrounding them.

[Mr Laurence]

I have seen a few like this come up on the miniforum. One was almost certainly owned by an employee at first but there was still uncertainty as to whether this meant ATS only supplied to employees or the proximity to the plant was a coincidence. There was also a suggestion that they used to sell off ex fleet or delevlopment cars but I have never seen any conclusive evidence for that. They also seem to have run a rental service for employees, most evidence I have seen seems to suggest that they would rent out the cars for 9 months which is a strange amount of time. If you look for the name linked to BRM 25s there is some info about iirc. Sorry not to be more precise but there seems to be a lot of rumour/ speculation surrounding them.

thanks! this is pretty helpful the 9 months number matches pretty closely with when the car was sold to its second owner. Weird that there's so much speculation - you think that at least one person who had a car from them when it was new would have mentioned it somewhere.

 

Interesting that you mention ex-fleet cars as well. Around the same time my car was registered, rover put out some press stuff for the mini 40 launch, and one of the cars in some of the videos/pictures matched pretty closely with mine. I really doubt it is, but the date and location seem to match up, and I haven't seen many other non-cooper minis, nevermind ones in the same colour as mine. Could be worth doing a little more research on...

[richardmorris]

Not directly connected but my cousin used to work at Vauxhall. They could take advantage of a cheap purchase scheme selling 9month old cars which were originally fleet cars for the company. I wonder if it's all to do with tax write offs after nine months?

[Mr Laurence]

Not directly connected but my cousin used to work at Vauxhall. They could take advantage of a cheap purchase scheme selling 9month old cars which were originally fleet cars for the company. I wonder if it's all to do with tax write offs after nine months?

Hmmm, it could be. That 9 month number does sound familiar

[Pillock]

I've heard of 9 month rentals/fleet use before but assumed that pre2001 it was so they could sell it through the dealer with a still new plate on.

[Kiltox]

I've heard of them before - I think they are a mass PDI centre that prep rental cars before delivery

[tooSavvy]

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3320404

 

....... ??

 

 

TS

[Mr Laurence]

I've heard of them before - I think they are a mass PDI centre that prep rental cars before delivery

 

That seemed to be the idea I got from a lot of my searching, but why would any rental company in their right mind use minis when there were alternatives which were newer, cheaper, and more reliable?

 

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=3320404

....... ??TS

This threw me off a little - if they are linked to Rover, how (and why) did someone buy an Almera through them?

[Felly Magic]

A lot of car rental companies have off the shelf names such as this, and flogging at 9 mth old does sound very plausible for this theory

[sierraman]

My old man had a Insignia that had been an ex Vauxhall management car, again months old. It started to go rusty though on the rear arches. Then he found out it had had a bang whilst it was a management car and badly repaired.

[Kiltox]

They're not necessarily linked to Rover just a hire company that used lots of them at the time

 

It's not necessarily just rental either - lots of reasons to outsource a PDI for fleet stuff

[Mr Lobster]

I'd suggest daily rental is most likely. I worked for Thrifty around then and there were a lot of cheap Rovers around, all supplied direct from the manufacturer. Wouldn't imagine there were that many Minis on rental fleets but bear in mind that the money is generally made in the selling of them at the end, not the renting of them so it's quite probable they were available to daily rental fleets that wanted them even if only because there would be good money when they were subsequently sold. Most six to nine month old cars available then and now will be ex daily rental.

 

As an aside and to illustrate the cheapness of Rovers then, we had (in 1999) some Rover 600s. Weren't the very top spec but were nice enough - 2.0i petrol, half leather, alloys and all that. At the end of the six month lease Rover really wanted them sold rather than being returned and they were available for £6k plus vat. I was very, very tempted with one at the time.

[Alfamale]

Have you filled n a form v888 from the dvla to try to trace the second owner? Costs a fiver but gives you all the registered owners of your car and may well solve the mystery.

[Mr Laurence]

Have you filled n a form v888 from the dvla to try to trace the second owner? Costs a fiver but gives you all the registered owners of your car and may well solve the mystery.

didn't even know this was a thing, may be worth getting. Thanks!

[STUNO]

Interesting, most here seem to say that Axial were a PDI/delivery company supplying to rental co's etc.

That does not sound like a co. that would be involved in the sale of new and nearly new cars and if they only did the above things there would be no need to be shown as the owner or seller. There is something else we don't know. It seems very likely that the 9 months is relevant to ex fleet and factory staff sales or tax breaks. They may well have been used by a number of manufacturers if they hadd branches in a number of places.

Someone here will find out !

[Keymaster]

Companies house shows they were owned by logistics giant Tibbett & Britten.

 

A quick Google of "Tibbett & Britten Axial" brought up this press release which gives an idea of what they did as a business:

 

 

Axial is now dormant, the business was transferred to a sister company called Walon, which is now owned by BCA.

[STUNO]

Quick company search showed this link. It may be a new company as this is listed as started 1997.

The map shows it as located in a Stobart branch and the first director listed is a Stobart.

 

https://www.ukcompanylist.co.uk/c/03485142-axial-technical-services-limited/summary

[Justin Case]

They are no longer around. They were finally wound up last November, but had been dormant since at least February 2013:

 

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03485142/filing-history

[holbeck]

The 9 month lease thing is quite common, the main point of it is to enable cars to the resold through the dealer network at less than 1 year old.

[inconsistant]

Nothing to add here other than well done for not buying a Cooper. Those standard/Mayfair or whatever non Cooper late Minis are infinitely more characterful than the Coopers which to my eye look like an exaggerated caracature of a Mini.