Jm Autoservices seaton

17/08/2026

Well, that’s the Mitsubishi L200 gearbox out! 😅

Definitely not a light job, especially in this heat, but it came out without any drama. The L200 is now ready for its wonderfully overpriced second-hand replacement unit! 💸🔧

Making good progress, although I can safely say the workshop could definitely do with some air conditioning today! 🥵😂

17/08/2026

Well, after yesterday’s Transit wet-belt marathon, the moment of truth arrived this morning… and she runs absolutely lovely! 🙌

No nasty noises, no warning lights and, most importantly, not a single oil leak. That Sunday graft definitely paid off — super chuffed with the result! 🔧💪

No time to stand around admiring it, though… straight onto the next big job of the day: gearbox out of a Mitsubishi L200! 😅

Who needs an easy Monday anyway? 😂

16/08/2026

Well… I’ve finally done one! 😅

I’ve always said I didn’t want to take on Transit wet-belt jobs—not because I was scared of doing them, but because I simply don’t agree with the design. How do you confidently warranty something that is already known for failing?

Anyway, I decided to take one on—and this certainly wasn’t an easy first one! The wet belt had stripped its teeth, causing several broken rockers and lifters.

Today’s Sunday and I’ve been at the workshop all day fitting:

* A complete new cam-carrier cassette
* New rockers and lifters
* New timing wet belt
* New oil-pump wet belt
* New sump
* New timing-case cover

The strainer and oil pump were also removed and thoroughly cleaned before everything was carefully rebuilt.

It’s now being left overnight so the silicone can cure properly. Tomorrow will be the moment of truth when I start it—but everything has gone together exactly as it should, so today has been a successful day.

Would I do another wet belt? Yes, probably. Would I take on another full rebuild like this? Possibly—but definitely not during a normal working week! Removing the cams and rebuilding the carrier isn’t necessarily difficult; it’s just extremely involved and time-consuming. When you work alone, you simply can’t concentrate properly while answering the phone, speaking to customers and dealing with someone walking through the door every five minutes.

That’s why Sunday was the only realistic option. Luckily, I’ve got a very understanding wife who lets me disappear into the workshop for the day!

Another major job nearly across the finish line—and I can officially say I’ve done one now. 🔧

24/07/2026

🚗 A little update from J M Auto Services…

Over the last five or six months, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to customers, asking for feedback and taking on board your ideas about how I can make dealing with the garage easier.

One thing that kept coming up was that it isn’t always convenient to phone during the day. You’re at work, I’m under a bonnet, or we’re both busy!

So, over the last few weeks, we’ve introduced a brand-new customer communication system that’s designed to make keeping in touch with the garage much easier.

If you’ve been in recently, you’re probably already using it!

📱 You can now reply directly to our text messages, and every conversation is securely linked to your customer account and your vehicle, keeping everything together in one place.

☎️ Prefer to give us a call? That’s absolutely fine too – nothing is changing there.

The difference is that you can now send us a message whenever it suits you, even if the garage is closed. I’ll pick it up and reply as soon as I’m back during normal working hours.

Think of it as email… but much quicker and easier. Every message is securely linked to your customer record and vehicle, making it simple for both of us to keep track of previous conversations, invoices and your vehicle’s history.

As many of you know, I’m now running the garage on my own, so investing in this system means I can spend more time repairing vehicles and less time tied up on the phone, while still giving everyone the personal service they’ve always had.

🚀 And this is only the beginning…

Over the coming months, we’ll be introducing even more features, including:

✅ A secure customer portal, where you’ll be able to view previous invoices, vehicle history and information relating to your vehicle.

✅ Online booking, linked directly to the garage diary, making it even easier to book your vehicle in.

I’m taking things one step at a time because I’d rather get everything working perfectly than rush it.

One thing that will never change is the personal service.

Every message is still personally read and replied to by me, James, during normal business hours. There are no call centres, no automated replies—just your local garage.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported J M Auto Services over the last 16 years. Many of the improvements we’re making have come directly from conversations with our customers, and I genuinely appreciate every suggestion you’ve given me.

This is just another step towards making J M Auto Services even better for everyone.

💬 If you’ve already been using our new communication system over the last couple of weeks, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Has it made things easier? Is there anything you’d like to see added in the future?

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think—your feedback genuinely helps shape the future of J M Auto Services.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

James
J M Auto Services 🚗

23/07/2026

🎉 Good news! We’re back up and running! 🎉

After an engineer attended and fixed the issue, our electricity has finally been restored, and we’re back in business.

Our phones, internet and workshop systems are all back online, which means we can get back to communicating with our customers and carrying out repairs as normal.

Unfortunately, this has left us with a backlog of work and messages to get through. We appreciate that this has affected many of our customers, and we’re working as hard as we can to get back to everyone and get everyone booked in as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience, understanding and all the kind messages of support over the last couple of days—it really has meant a lot.

We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

James
J M Autoservices 🔧🚗

22/07/2026

Another Nissan Navara remains on the road, all the way from Okehampton.

22/07/2026

⚠️ Customer Notice ⚠️

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we’re currently experiencing technical issues at JM Auto Services.

Unfortunately, following multiple power cuts, our smart meter has failed, which has left us without a working electricity supply. As a result, our phones and internet are currently down while we wait for an engineer to attend and resolve the issue.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or delays this may cause and appreciate your patience while we get everything back up and running.

If you need to get hold of us urgently, please:
📱 WhatsApp: 07403 300406
📧 Email: [email protected]

We’ll respond as soon as we’re able.

We’ll post another update as soon as everything is back up and running. Thank you again for your patience, understanding, and continued support.

James
JM Auto Services

23/04/2026

21/08/2025

Another forte: DPF deep clean.