Straight answers, including the awkward ones

MB Auto is at Unit 1 Millbrook Depot, Yelling, Mill Lane, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 4JT — just off the A37 between Shepton Mallet and Oakhill, in the hamlet of Downside. Erdi also collects and delivers vehicles across the Mendips, Wells, Frome, Midsomer Norton, Bath and Bristol.

Yes. Bristol is about 22 miles from the workshop and Erdi regularly collects from Bristol, Keynsham, Whitchurch, Brislington, Bedminster and the south of the city. Because the workshop is out in Somerset rather than in a Bristol trade unit, the labour rate is lower — which usually more than covers the trip.

Most vehicles can be booked in within a few days, and urgent problems — a van off the road, a car that will not start, a warning light before a long trip — are usually looked at the same week. Call or WhatsApp 07846 050457 and Erdi will tell you honestly when he can fit you in.

Three things. You get a written quote before any work begins, and the price does not change unless something new is found and you agree to it first. Old parts are kept for you to see. And diagnostic time is charged at £45 and refunded against the repair, so you are never paying twice to find the same fault.

Considerably. The labour rate here is £60 an hour against £120–£180 at a franchised dealer, and the same manufacturer-spec parts are used. On a cambelt or a clutch that difference is usually several hundred pounds.

No. Under EU Block Exemption rules — retained in UK law — you can have a vehicle serviced at any competent independent garage without losing the manufacturer warranty, provided the correct schedule, correct-specification parts and correct oil are used and the work is recorded. All three are standard here, and your service book gets stamped.

No. MB Auto is not VAT registered, so there is no VAT added to anything — the price you are quoted is the price you pay. Against a VAT-registered garage that is 20% off the top before you even compare labour rates, and it is one of the reasons the numbers on this site look low next to a franchised dealer.

Cash, bank transfer, or card on the reader in the workshop — whichever suits, paid on collection or when the vehicle is returned to you. Cash is king and always welcome. There is no charge for a quote, and no deposit for ordinary servicing and repairs. Larger parts orders may need paying for up front, and Erdi will say so at the point of quoting.

Most manufacturers specify somewhere between 60,000 and 120,000 miles, or every 5 to 10 years — whichever comes first. The time limit matters as much as the mileage, because rubber perishes whether the car is driven or not. Give Erdi the registration and he will tell you the exact interval for your engine.

On an interference engine — which is most modern petrol and virtually every diesel — the pistons hit the valves and the engine is destroyed in a fraction of a second. Repair bills typically run to four figures, and often exceed the value of the car. A cambelt change from £450, water pump included and no VAT on top, is the cheapest insurance in motoring.

On most engines, yes. The pump is driven by the belt and sits behind the same covers, so the labour is already paid for. Replacing it later means paying that labour a second time. Where the pump is driven separately, Erdi will tell you it does not need doing — rather than adding it anyway.

The usual signs are a high biting point, the engine revving without the car accelerating (especially in third or fourth under load), a judder as you pull away, a heavy pedal, or a smell like burning carpet after a hill. If you have any of these, get it looked at before the friction plate goes down to the rivets and takes the flywheel with it.

Yes — vans are a large part of the work here. Transits, Sprinters, Transporters, Vivaros, Trafics, Boxers and Dailies all come through regularly. Erdi understands that a van off the road is lost income, so commercial jobs get priority booking and, where possible, same-day turnaround.

Yes. MB Auto handles planned maintenance for small business fleets — scheduled servicing so vehicles are not all off the road at once, one consolidated invoice, reminders sent before services and MOTs fall due, and a single phone number when something breaks. Fleets of three vehicles and up get a discounted labour rate.

MB Auto is not an MOT testing station, but Erdi will pre-check your vehicle, arrange the test at a local station, and take it there and back for you. Anything that needs putting right is quoted first — you will not get a phone call from a test centre with a list of work already started.

All mainstream makes — Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Citroën, Renault, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Škoda, SEAT, Volvo, Land Rover, Mini, Fiat, Mazda, Suzuki and Dacia among them. Petrol and diesel, manual and automatic, cars, vans, SUVs and 4x4s.

Yes. If the vehicle runs and drives, collection and delivery is free within 5 miles of the workshop — Erdi picks it up from your home or workplace, does the work, and brings it back. Further out, and still running and driving, call or text your postcode and he will price the trip before you commit to anything. If it will not drive at all it needs recovering rather than collecting, and he will say so and point you at someone local.