In February I had the driver's door wiring harness replaced due to a short circuit. The speakers on that door would only work intermittently, sometimes only with the door open! I was told at the time that wiring cannot be repaired.

Recently, the airbag warning light came on. The same Skoda dealer diagnosed a fault with the driver's airbag sensor (which is apparently under the footwell). However, when I collected the car this Monday the invoice said it was a problem with the side impact sensor. I was in a hurry at the time but when I looked at the invoice in more detail it said that to rectify the fault the garage had 'checked wiring fault on harness inside driver's door, stripped down and repaired harness'.

This obviously raises a whole host of interesting questions:

• Was the harness replaced in February?
  
• What is the probability of a new harness going wrong in 5 months?
  
• Why can wiring be repaired in June but not in February?
  

Additionally, the speakers on the driver's door are now completely dead and the door opening warning light comes on and goes off at random while driving!

I went back to the garage today and they will be looking at the problem next week. They said that maybe it is a different section of wiring affected. Is this possible or are they (as I strongly suspect) trying to fob me off? Is there any way I can tell if a new loom has been fitted?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks.

* Was the harness replaced in February?

Maybe. Probably.

* What is the probability of a new harness going wrong in 5 months?

Without any other faults, such as a sharp metal edge that cuts into it, zero.

* Why can wiring be repaired in June but not in February?

Different mechanic, different philosophy, different time constraints, different problem. Wiring can always be fixed, but not necessarily cost-effectively, or not to factory-perfect condition. It may have been cheaper to fit a new harness in February than charge labour to fix it.

the speakers on the driver's door are now completely dead and the door opening warning light comes on and goes off at random while driving!

That is just not acceptable. It is obvious that the job has been bodged, probably twice. The fix might be as simple as properly connecting a couple of connectors, but I would have a serious talk with the service manager and demand that he either fixes all the faults free of charge or you're going elsewhere permanently. If you do end up going somewhere else, get a written report of the problem. Then you can consider pursuing the first garage for the costs.