When the new garage fails your car for its MOT and says you need £400 worth of repairs will you think yourself stupid for trying to save half the charge of the MOT?

Stick with the garage that you know and trust.

If you switch you'll almost definitely get what you deserve.

A reliable garage that you trust, has reasonable charges and will go out of its way to help you is worth far more than anything you could save with your voucher.
I don't see the MOT as a bit of paper which the government say I have to get; I see it as someone I trust telling me my car is safe to drive around in. How can you want that cut price?

They have shown loyalty to you and a mechanic you can trust is invaluable! I would suggest that you could regret switching to try and save a small sum as it could end up costing you a lot more.

Stuck with your good local garage - the cost of the MOT itself is a small proportion of the potential cost, if you go to a garage which is looking for work enough to put out an offer like this.

So to tally so far- every single poster has said to stick with the local garage. Seems fairly unanimous.

I wouldn't trust a cut price Mot offer. They could invent work that doesn't need doing to bump up the bill. You are already a customer of a garage that values your business, hence the welding job, and if you've had them do your MoT's for 7 years they will catch on you have gone elsewhere when you go back to them for more work to your car, especially if they send out MoT reminders. You'll lose out on their goodwill towards you if you're not careful.

Stick with your own garage, sounds like they look after you!

I once overheard an argument at my local 'big chain of fitters that are quick' between a customer who had taken their vehicle away to repair the points on which it had failed its MOT, only for it to fail on different points in the re-test a few days later The response from the garage was that their MOT testers are not staff but contractors and that there is no guarantee that a re-test is carried out by the same person. Different testers can take different views on things. Sure their MOTs are cheaper, and if you pass you win. It's the customer service experience when things like this happen that distinguish independent places that trade on their reputation and recommendations versus the big chains that trade on their brand and on tempting special offers. There's no right answer to the original question. Personally I split my car maintenance between the big chains and my local independent. I generally use the chains for the routine stuff where I specify the work (eg oil change, filters, brakes, tyres), and my trusted independent when I want diagnostics or advice. For MOTs, I put my newer car (that I expect to pass) through the chains with their discounts and my older one with the independent garage where I can trust the advice.

My husband is a mechanic and as a result is outrageously picky about who works on his cars if its not him. There are only two places we trust - the local Council MOT center for our old Land Rovers and a small local chain for normal car MOTs and any tyre work. We do virtually all our own repairs and servicing.

The only time I've used a big chain for an MOT (because I stupidly got caught out with dates) they tried to tell me I needed new brake discs and pads. When I pointed out that they were replaced less than 2 months previously the chain tried to tell me the garage who did the work must have fitted dodgy parts. When I then said that I had done the replacement myself with brand new parts and could they please show me the problem so I could speak to the parts manufacturer they all of a sudden said it was a paperwork mix up and of course my car didn't need new brakes... That told me everything I needed to know about that particular chain!

If you have a trusted garage then stick with them. The amount you'll save in avoiding unnecessary repairs will far outweigh the £20 you'll save off the MOT.

Just had my partner's Mundano in for MOT today @ our local trusted (£40 fee so not the cheapest but not "full price").

Thanks to a dose of bronchitis I only found the energy to do a very basic lights, horn & screenwash check (tyres were changed last week anyway) and it failed on a CV boot clip and a missing exhaust mount. By the time I got there to collect both were done and the pass issued, included in the test fee.

Ok, so parts price is pence and no real work while it's in the air anyway, but you simply don't get that from national chains. Also more than happy to have the fail-then-pass recorded (as it should be) because it shows the car was actually looked at!

Can't believe you're even asking this question. Repay the fantastic service you received with a bit of loyalty.

Stick with the place you know and trust. The big organisations use cheap MOTs as a loss leader to sell parts and labour, sometimes completely bogus parts and labour.

With me I always get a major service done when the MOT is due with my local ind. garage. However I ways get the brakes, exhaust, tyres checked before hand at at specialised place because I know my ind. would be more expensive.

Also the MOT is about £54.00 but the service provided is excellent and to us feels like a new car afterwards.

A few years ago I went to Kwik Fit for the mot and service. Never, never again. They were just looking for work. It came to the point they even suggested they put a new engine in. Idiots.

THIS ^^^: As a retired workshop foreman, that is exactly how I ran the place, we looked after loyal customers. And I have also carried out small repairs to loyal customers' cars, including exhaust welding, headlamp beam adustment, etc., for little or no money. Keeps a business in good repute, keeps customers happy to return.

Stick with your local garage. I used a cheaper MOT voucher with Halfords but you must check the small print as it did not include a 'free retest' and as my vehicle failed in the first instance I had to pay a full price MOT anyway so it ended up costing me more.

Local garage charges £35. Been going there years and always very fair.
So it is possible to have a cheap MOT and decent garage too.

I have no personal experience of it, but I've heard that some MOT stations which charge less have the habit of finding things wrong and making their money that way. There is always a danger of an unfamiliar firm cutting corners, too.

If an MOT by your local garage costs, say, £50 as opposed to £30-40, I'd stick with it. They did you a favour last year and are evidently reliable and not ones to profit at your expense. Loyalty does count for something, and getting to know the individuals who look after your vehicle is important - they will look after you, as they did last year.