Last week I embarked on a 220 mile roadtrip (each way!) to Jack Smith’s Trimmers in Swansea to have a replacement hood fitted and also to get my old cloth seats retrimmed in leather. I thought I’d post a quick review as I was very happy with the results.
Firstly, these guys generally only work by word of mouth and forum reviews, and on that alone they have over a 2 month waiting list. So they’re in demand and always show up as the most recommended place in the UK for hood replacements on various forums (not just MX5 forums). So if anyone is looking for a hood replacement I’m sure you’d come across Jack Smith’s several times on your searches.
Secondly, don’t be put off by the location or appearance of their premises… it’s a small unit in a back street (behind a residential street that is) in Swansea… not a glamorous showroom location. It is however within easy walking distance of Swansea centre and even the beach, so if you want to wander off for a few hours there’s plenty to see!
Thirdly and most importantly – the quality of their work is second to none. Take a look at the pics of my new mohair hood. Raymond makes the hoods himself, based on Mazda’s original specifications. I opted for the Mk2 hood with glass screen, but he can do any spec. I’m very happy with the result and Raymond had the old vinyl hood off and the new hood fitted within 3hours, so the service is perfect too! I’m not an expert, but in my opinion it’s a top quality hood, fits and works really well and is VERY competitive on price. Overall I’d rate it as 10/10.
While I was there I also took the opportunity to have my rather tired standard cloth seats re-trimmed in leather. I opted for nappa leather with red stitching with door cards to match. The seat trimming is done by Raymond’s brother Gerald (or brother in-law – apologies I can’t remember exactly). He made up the covers in advance and travelled over to Raymond’s workshop to fit at the same time as Raymond worked on the hood. The seats & doorcards did take longer than the hood to fit, overall it was around 5 hours. Again I’m very happy with the end result, I’d say 9/10. I’d only refrain from saying 10/10 as I don’t think you can get a 10/10 finish with this kind of retrimming anyway, for example I was quoted over £2k for a ‘top quality’ retrim at a local professional coachworks – which is a LOT more than I paid! Also I’d say the finish isn’t quite as good as a factory finish, for obvious reasons.
See pics below. I’d definitely recommend giving Raymond a call if you’re looking for a replacement hood, it may be a long way to travel but it’s worth it. You could also spend the entire day having some enjoyable banter with Raymond :-). I’d also recommend Gerald as a simple cost effective (i.e. sensible price) way to rejuvenate your interior.
Roof was £290 all in (price varies on glass/plastic screen)
Seats, doorcards & gear gaitor were £380 all in (price varies on exact specification / leather / finish required)
Photos
Before (I arrived before they’d opened up) :
Roof after :
Doors :
Seats :
Full Album :
http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/4225987941
Cheers,
Paul