I am not surprised at the problems that GM of Winchester had with his local Skoda dealer in Winchester (on St Cross Rd.). When they were a VW dealer, I purchased a brand new Golf from them and they fitted a dealer fit VW alarm which included automatic arming so many seconds after the last door closed. After a couple of months, it kept going off which was diagnosed to be an intermittent drivers door switch that indicated that the drivers door had been opened again after the alarm had set. However, Winchester motor company said that I would have to pay about 40 or 50 pounds for parts and labour because this wasn't covered by the VW warranty. Why? Because the item had been tampered with by someone other than VW and so the warranty was voided. After telling them not to be so stupid and threatening to claim the full cost plus an admin charge back from them as the people fitting the alarm, they agreed that it would be covered by the warranty.

Some years later, I was stupid enough to darken their doors again to get an MOT done. They did the MOT, I paid, they handed over the keys and I went to the car. Looking at the paperwork, I noticed that the MOT certificate was missing. I went back in and asked where it was. After a while searching for it, they discovered that there wasn't one because it had failed due to worn suspension bushes. If I hadn't noticed that the certificate was missing, I would have been driving round in a car without an MOT. And they couldn't do the work (replacing front suspension bushes) for another three weeks. So I took the car elsewhere for the repair and an MOT. The place I took it to said that there was some wear, but that it should not have failed an MOT.

My advice: Never, ever let any car go anywhere near Winchester Skoda or whatever they may now call themselves.