MOT Cost Cutting discussion

bery_451

Anyone know of a place?

quoia

bery_451 wrote: »

Ok so does anybody know any MOT places in Birmingham that only just do MOT's not repairs? Looking for one that is backed up by good customer reviews.


Also if a MOT place claims that they only do MOT's but suspiciously you see a sister garage repair company next to it then be careful as I wont be interested in these. More likely these are owned by the same 1 owner.


So yeah just looking for a MOT place that just do MOT's not next or near to any other repair/garages.

OK, this is details only, NOT a recommendation, just results of a Google .....

... since I live 40+ miles away from Birmingham and ALWAYS just go for the cheapest I can find ....

...most recent tests (in reverse order) are 1 at Halfords £10, 5 or 6 at National Tyres £20 or under, 3 or 4 at Mr Clutch under £18 (with an even cheaper offer from an independent somewhere in the middle)

... and DESPITE having a (now) 16 years old V6 Mondeo with an LPG conversion that has (now) over 180,000 miles on the clock (had 120,000 when I bought it about 12 years ago) have "never" (see ***) had any real issues with "unnecessary work" being found - last 10 mots - 7 passes - 3 failures which were all genuine that I fixed myself.

*** HalFRAUDS tried to bill me an extra £19 for corrective work to adjust the headlamp alignment (both beams at £9.50 a side) with some excuse about 1 bulb being in upside down 1 side and the other side had slipped on the adjusting ratchet/screw probably due to "a known problem of this happening" when bouncing over road humps - I just refused to pay citing they should have asked me beforehand if they were going to charge me that much for 2 minutes work that I could do myself - I just gave them the agreed £10.


ANYWAY - I FOUND THIS ...

http://sladeroadmots.co.uk/

Not cheap (to me) at £40

SLADE ROAD MOT TEST STATION
ERDINGTON BIRMINGHAM B23 7LP Tel: 0121 384 4044

Welcome to Slade Road MOT Test Station. Based on Slade Road in Erdington (the name gives it away). We are an independent MOT Test Station, not part of a national chain. This means we ONLY offer MOT testing and you can have any repairs completed by your chosen vehicle repair specialist.


Some very positive reviews
https://www.facebook.com/Slade-Road-MOT-350868078321146/?rf=279088212186430

and

https://www.yell.com/biz/slade-road-m-o-t-birmingham-5023983/

OR

IF YOU FANCY A PUNT

JUST £10 (MOT before July 11th)

special offer during EURO 2016



http://www.motorservuk.com/mot-s-in-birmingham-and-solihull.html


Unit 26, Monkspath Business Park
Solihull
B90 4NZ
Tel: 0121 581 0442

family5p

As per my previous post, I could not book a Council MOT in Birmingham. I went to Sandwell. The Sandwell Council MOT centre is on a trading estate on Waterfall Lane, Cradley Heath, B64 6RL (phone: 0121 5696860). When I rang them, they booked me in for the following day. Arrived, they took my car to the testing bay straight away, I sat at the reception, an hour later they returned the car. They charged me £50 for an MOT.

No problems. I can recommend them. What they found (advisory items) were exactly what I expected. Being a Council MOT station, they only do testing and not repairs. Not far from Birmingham. Beware - Waterfall Lane has some steep gradients.

As a general comment, the only issue I ever had with an MOT was at a garage who advertised cheap MOTs. One car passed there twice, another car failed. I decided not to have it repaired there but took it to a franchised garage and asked to fix the fault. The franchised garage said that there was no fault and nothing to fix, I paid them for another MOT and passed.

bery_451

Ok great I might choose Slade Road or Sandwell or might be tempted by the cheaper options with risks. Many thanks,

[Deleted User]

Along with Council run MOT centres, check out your local further education college, my local college now do MOTs.

Pound

Isn't it more worrying that garages are so routinely defrauding motorists that it's seen as the norm?

Obviously_the_best

The main article missed my local council centre.

http://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/streets-and-travel/mot-testing/

Between Brighton and Worthing, Adur and Worthing Councils have one. Does charge the full fee though.

forestlands

Mine is missing to, it's Colchester Essex, wondered if it's closed! Tried phoning, phone not in use.

Went to local garage for MOT, big mistake, got a long list of fail items! All silly little things, bulb not working, headlights to high - why didn't he tweak them, hazard light faulty - works fine with me! Surprised the wireless was tuned into the right station!
Anyone know if any council MOT Centers have closed? Be a shame if they have!

gjd64

Hi

It's not on the MSE list but the council in Poole, Dorset has an MOT station open to the public, the details are:

Borough of Poole MOT station, Hatchpond Road, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7LQ
Telephone: 01202 261748 (line open 0800-1700 Mon-Fri) to book an MOT
Email: mot@poole.gov.UK to book an MOT
Cost: £40 (cash or credit/debit card)
Test centre open Monday - Friday only
On-site waiting room
MOT test only, no repairs.

fenny

I'm amazed that apparently, the ambulances, fire engines and police cars in the Wisbech area of Cambridgeshire, have to be driven at least 70 miles to the nearest council MOT centre in Norwich according to the list . No wonder my taxes are so high.