Area — Bristol & surrounds · 22 miles

A Bristol mechanic without Bristol overheads

Erdi collects from your Bristol address, does the work in a Somerset workshop at £60 an hour, and brings the vehicle back to you. The trip costs less than the difference on almost any real job.

The short answer

MB Auto is based at Millbrook Depot, near Shepton Mallet — about 22 miles south of Bristol down the A37. Erdi collects vehicles from across Bristol and returns them when the work is done, for a small charge agreed before booking.

The reason people do it: the labour rate is £60 an hour against £120–£180 at a Bristol franchised dealer, and well under what a city trade unit has to charge to cover its rent. On a cambelt or a clutch that is several hundred pounds, for the same parts and a more careful job.

Why a Somerset garage is cheaper, and why that isn’t suspicious

It is a fair question. If a garage is a lot cheaper than the one round the corner, the first thing to ask is what is being left out.

In this case, nothing is. The difference is rent and structure. A workshop unit in Bristol costs a multiple of a unit on a Somerset depot, and a franchised dealer is additionally carrying a showroom, a service reception, a parts counter, area management and a marketing budget — all of which lands on your hourly rate. MB Auto is one qualified mechanic, his tools and his workshop. The overhead that is missing from the bill is overhead you were never getting any benefit from.

The parts are the same. Manufacturer-specification oil and filters, quality-brand friction material, proper belt and clutch kits. The difference is what it costs to have someone competent fit them.

Where in Bristol Erdi collects from

The whole city, though the south and east are the easiest run — Brislington, Knowle, Totterdown, Bedminster, Whitchurch, Hengrove, Withywood, Knowle West, Stockwood, Keynsham, Hartcliffe and Bishopsworth are all straightforward. Clifton, Bishopston, Horfield, Fishponds, Southville and the north of the city are collected from as well; the journey is a little longer and that is reflected honestly in the charge, which is agreed before anything is booked and never added afterwards.

Also covered on the same route: Keynsham, Saltford, Whitchurch, Pensford, Chew Magna, Chew Stoke and the Chew Valley villages.

What Bristol customers usually come for

Cambelt replacement — a full day's labour, so the rate difference is at its largest. From £450, water pump included.
Clutch and dual-mass flywheel work — six to ten hours of labour. From £480.
Engine and gearbox repairs — the jobs a city garage will often quote high on because it does not want the bay tied up for two days.
Vans and small fleets — Bristol trades running two or three vans, where a planned schedule and a lower rate add up quickly across the year.
Servicing for cars still under manufacturer warranty. It does not affect the warranty — see below.

Your warranty is safe

A car under manufacturer warranty can be serviced at any competent independent garage without affecting that warranty, under Block Exemption rules retained in UK law. What matters is that the correct service schedule is followed, correct-specification parts and oil are used, and the work is properly recorded. All three happen as standard here, and your service book is stamped.

How it works from your end

Ring or WhatsApp Erdi on 07846 050457 with the registration and your postcode.
You get a price for the work and a price for the collection, both before you commit.
He collects from your house or your work.
Written quote confirmed, work done, old parts kept.
Vehicle returned to you, paid on delivery by transfer, card or cash.

Full detail on how collection works.

What you get either way

The same four commitments

A written quote before anything is touched. The price doesn’t move unless something new turns up and you say yes to it first.
Your old parts, kept for you. Bagged up in the boot so you can see exactly what came off and why it needed to.
Diagnostic time refunded against the repair. £45 to find the fault, knocked off the bill when Erdi fixes it. You never pay twice for the same problem.
“It doesn’t need doing” is a normal answer here. Plenty of cars go home with a smaller bill than the owner expected.

Straight answers

Bristol questions

Do you cover 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.

Do you collect and deliver the car?

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.

How do I know I am not being overcharged?

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.

Are you cheaper than a main dealer?

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.

Will servicing here void my manufacturer warranty?

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.

Do you work on vans and commercial vehicles?

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.