MOT station looks dodgy me to! (and exhaust costs)

bluesnice

I've just dropped my car off at for a service and MOT. The place was a little dindgy bay round the back of a naff little car parts shop!! I couldn't even see the blue triange MOT sign anywhere. There was one painted on the front of the shop though! To top it off the bloke running the show looked a right one. I feel really uncomfortable leaving my car there! I feel like I'm gonna get ripped off. I wished I'd taken it to a different more establish place. Is there anyway I can find out on line, if its an approved MOT station?

And question 2, how much should a full exhaust cost for a 1995 vauxhall corsa?

Many thanks :undecided

Porker

you could check here to see if it is registered. no idea re exhaust!

balsingh

If they fail it, tell them you will get the work done elsewhere. Thats way they won't benefit from failing the car just to make a bit of extra cash.

waster_2

Often, these repairers are not MOT stations themselves, but take the car when they've finished servicing it to a local testing station they have an arrangement with.

You may be pleasantly surprised what you get done and what it costs compared to a main dealer. Usually these smaller outfits need to keep their customers happy as they need to keep the customers business and cannot afford for people to spread the word that they are rip off merchants.

Wait and see and hopefully all will be OK. Let us know what happens.

bluesnice

Ok, so it wasn't so bad after all!! The full service all in was £159 and the MOT £30. The exhaust was £49. So the total was just short of £240. that sounds about right for London would you say??

And I got a printed VOSA Mot certificate. All looks kosher!

DavidHM

This wouldn't be one of the garages on Clapham High Street would it, just up from Clapham North tube? If so, I used to use the Renault specialist down there when I lived nearby and had a Renault, and the mechanic, Roy, was excellent.

Service may or may not have been reasonable - it depends entirely on how much work was carried out. It's a lot for an oil change, but very good value if it includes a thorough inspection and changed filters as well. Exhaust and MoT prices were both excellent.

(Car parts shop is naff as hell though).

blue_haddock

Just remember that when you take it to a big shiny glass and chrome dealership someone has to pay for the posh premises - YOU!

Just because the place is a little tatty doesn't mean it's a bad garage, by keeping overheads low means the price they charge is lower. I know quite a few little backstreet garages that whilst looking a bit ropey the service you will get will be very good by guys who know what they're doing.