MX5 Restorations. Formerly S.P.A. Servicing & Repairs Ltd MX5 Specialists

Excellent service received, my NA went in for a new clutch and investigation for suspected noise from gear box, they were happy to spend time diagnosing the issue by swapping out parts from a donor car which eventually became permanently bolted to mine and have made the car a pleasure to drive once more. They also encourage me to have a few other things done which was what I’d hoped for with they age of the car. The greatest comfort is having found somewhere I’m confident will be supportive in keeping the car tip top over the coming years. Thanks Steve and Paul, it’s nice to know people like you still care about the service you provide.

Steve knows these cars inside out and did a top job replacing my front chassis rails, as well as carrying out other work that I knew needed doing but had been putting off! He took the time to talk through all my requests and suggest the best options for repair. He was honest and communicated well, including sending me photos of the work being done. I wouldn't hesitate to have him work on my car in future.

Always a great service when handing my mk2.5 over to Steve. Identifies any issues and rectifies in a timely manner and advising me what to do with the car etc. Well priced and very knowledgable on your 5, highly recommend!

Mk3 MX5. Carried out service, fitted new brake pads, replaced warning light sensor and put through MOT. Fantastic job and at a very reasonable price! Their expertise is priceless - real enthusiasts! And couldn't be more helpful. Highly recommended. Many thanks.

Great local business, experts in their field and honest. Body repair is flawless and I’ll be back in future for mechanical work

Excellent garage, you won’t get ripped off here. They know what they’re talking about and the price is great.

My brother, who had a BBR uprated Mazda MX-5, used SPA for his servicing and spoke highly of them. They don't only do MX-5s, they also service other motors, so after I'd bought my personal best ever car - an Octavia VRS on a 66 plate - I wanted it to be in tip top order for continental camping trips and long runs generally, whenever that finally happens. The car had 75,000 on it when I got her, so I decided to have a full service and a new timing belt and water pump done at SPA (even though it isn't mandated to be changed at 80k on the MkIII Octavia, I wanted a baseline for my own peace of mind). A Gates replacement timing belt kit was fitted, obviously including a new water pump.

300 miles after the timing belt change, we were coming off the M1 and the engine shut down with the engine warning light lit. The car was recovered to SPA and the chaps assessed it and rang me to tell me the news. The new water pump had failed, causing a catastrophic top end failure requiring a full rebuild. It was a long list of problems. When I eventually built up the courage to ask what it was going to cost me, Steve said, 'Well I haven't charged you for that new rear interior light yet, so about £45.'.

Long story short, the engine came out, they had the whole thing rebuilt and I was charged £0 as it was a new part that had failed. Now, whilst there was coverage to the garage for the parts, a lot of the labour cost was not covered so it cost them a pretty penny in labour time. Had they said to me I needed to pay X amount towards it, I'd have probably accepted it and counted myself fortunate. But these two are as honest as the day is long and it never seemed to enter their minds; their only concern was that the first time I'd used their services I'd been let down.

Because of the issue with the previous timing kit that had caused the initial failure, after the engine had been rebuilt they asked me to visit again in 100 and then 300 miles to ensure all was well.

26 miles later - 43 miles after the rebuild in total when you include their test drive - I heard a faint, anomalous noise deep in the engine and rang the garage. Steve asked me to bring it straight to them as I was only 6 miles away. Pete checked the timing belt again with a camera and the tensioner had shifted already. I left the car with them and they gave me a courtesy car.

The replacement, replacement Gates water pump was again starting to fail - you can see the original failure in the pic.

Having arranged a call with Gates directly to discuss the double-failure, they were then sent a new kit but with a Skoda OEM water pump. Apparently, Gates had had 'a bad batch' of water pumps. Nice of Gates to tell people, or recall them. SPA have stopped fitting Gates kits, I'm told.

I've had the car back now for about 400 miles (SPA have checked it twice) and it's running beautifully. I just want to say Thank You to Steve and Pete for turning a minor disaster around for me as painlessly as possible. I always say, you tell how good a product or a company is when something goes wrong, and these guys passed with flying colours. Very highly recommended.

Couldn’t be happier, with these guys being a massive part of my mx5 being back on the road. Not only did they go above and beyond to get it done as soon as possible they also invited me to learn some things which I had missed. Absolute Sterling blokes and can’t thank them enough!!!