Firstly, I'd like to point out that I am not referring to SJB Autotech based in Daneshill Industrial Estate near the tip. This company is based out in the village of Steventon near Overton.

They were recommended to me via a Basingstoke taxi driver (80% of the Basingstoke minicabs are Octavia diesels) so I gave them a go with my wife's 2001/51 Fabia 1.4 16v, 70k miles up. The car has given constant irritations with the 'check engine' light since we have had it, but doesn't use any oil nor was the throttle body particularly gunged up.

Anyway, the work done (new starter motor, new discs and pads all round, new front oxygen sensor, and a new cambelt kit - because they seemed to think that the last one done 10k previously only used one new belt, not two - with all OE parts, plus service, brake fluid and coolant change) came to £1,108. I agreed to the work as they told me the car would be 'like new' when finished. They collected the car in the morning and delivered it back at 11pm so we could have it the next day - good service I thought.

Two weeks on and the new starter motor still grinds like the old one, and the engine light has been coming on again with the same fault code (17559).

What is more concerning is that their landline gives 'number not in service', the main man's mobile goes straight to voicemail with 'call the landline' as a message and their unit appears permanently closed. I paid by cheque as they don't take cards, so not sure where I stand from a legal perspective, although I haven't gone down any legal route yet.

Would be interested to hear from any other Hampshire-based Skoda owners who may have used them since Jackson's went out of business.

Cancel the Cheque and see if they contact you.

If they do tell the the problem if they don't then you haven't lost anything.

If at two weeks on they've not cashed the cheque then see if you can cancel it. It's not completely right to deny them of the money but likewise if you aren't happy and they can't be contacted then it's a good start point.

Cancel the cheque

Unfortunately they cashed the cheque a day after the work was done, and the problems manifested themselves a week later. Anyone know what the legal routes are?

hi richard i have read your concerns which do surpise me a bit, you had previously had the engine management fault checked by main dealer which they could not find any fault so we put our diagnonstics on to your vechile which showed lamda sensor we had discussed with you that this my not cure the fault that we can not ignore what the cars ecu is telling us, the starter motor may have been a faulty part which it would have been covered,

we had moved premises which we had sent a mail shot out to all our customers with our new phone number and address as we were moving to the heart of basingstoke and couldnt carry the number over, but unfortunalty you obviously didnt recieve, this has only just been brought to our attention.

Thanks for the reply Karl, although somewhat belated as this was over a year ago and the car has subsequently been sold. I didn't receive the mailshot but did leave you several voicemails on the mobile number, which were not returned. Having said all of that, this is long in the past and I assume that the car is hopefully providing good service to it's new owner.