MOT Con at Nationwide Autos

Nish_2

Dear People
Please be aware Nationwide Autos are offering £27 (half price) MOTs currently.

I took my car there(Coventry) on the 12 of December and the MOT failed due to exessively pitted rear brake discs. I was offered repairs totalling over £200 to rectify plus another £27 for the retest.

Unknown to them I had, had my car fully(major) serviced 14 days prior with Kwick Fit to highlight any issues with brakes, tyres etc and and the brakes were confirmed to be in excellent order on a car less than 4 years old with less than 24,000 miles on the clock. Again after the failed MOT I took the car back to Kwick Fit who again confirmed the brakes were fine.

Nevertheless I purchased some rear brake pads and discs and took them to an idependent garage to have them fitted. The garage could not believe that the car had failed to pass the MOT due to pitted rear brakes as they were in perfect condition with next to no pitting! They refused to change the brakes in question as they were in perfect condition. They carried out an MOT and the car passed.

I complained to Nationwide but they maintain that both Kwick Fit and the independent garage are both wrong.
So please be carefully taking your motors to Nationwide auto as you may well get ripped off.

Regards
Nish.

Premier_2

You should have appealled the MOT failure officially

If your vehicle fails the MOT test and you wish to appeal against refusal to issue a test certificate for your vehicle you must ask for a VT17 form which is obtainable from your MOT testing station.

Send the form with a further full test fee to reach the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency office nearest to your testing station within 14 days of the refusal notice. If your appeal is successful the fee or part of it will be returned to you. Do not have your vehicle repaired before your appeal is considered because any change to your vehicle may affect the outcome of the appeal.

http://www.mottesting.org.uk/mot-retest-information-fail.html


Btw, sounds a rather poor independant garage that refused to carry out work you requested. Fair enough them suggesting the work may not actually be required, but refusing to to the job at all? Not on.
Brings the whole passing of the vehicle into question, especially since the item is a subjective decision of the tester.
Don't gamble with your safety, or that of others!

hewhoisnotintheknow

i think the general advice on here is keep away from big companies, + dealers if your car is out of warranty

Nish_2

Nish wrote: »

Dear People
Please be aware Nationwide Autos are offering £27 (half price) MOTs currently.

I took my car there(Coventry) on the 12 of December and the MOT failed due to exessively pitted rear brake discs. I was offered repairs totalling over £200 to rectify plus another £27 for the retest.

Unknown to them I had, had my car fully(major) serviced 14 days prior with Kwick Fit to highlight any issues with brakes, tyres etc and and the brakes were confirmed to be in excellent order on a car less than 4 years old with less than 24,000 miles on the clock. Again after the failed MOT I took the car back to Kwick Fit who again confirmed the brakes were fine.

Nevertheless I purchased some rear brake pads and discs and took them to an idependent garage to have them fitted. The garage could not believe that the car had failed to pass the MOT due to pitted rear brakes as they were in perfect condition with next to no pitting! They refused to change the brakes in question as they were in perfect condition. They carried out an MOT and the car passed.

I complained to Nationwide but they maintain that both Kwick Fit and the independent garage are both wrong.
So please be carefully taking your motors to Nationwide auto as you may well get ripped off.

Regards
Nish.

To be fair the independent was trying to give an honest opinion and only said the brakes dint need changing after examining the car. That was the second garage(Kwick Fit) as well to confirm the brakes were fine.

I did ring VOSA to find out the appeal process but now that I've have my car pass the MOT else where would mean I'd gain nothing from getting the origiinal decision changed.

Just steer clear of these large centres offering cheap MOTs. I think it would be better to go to the local ones available via the councils at £35.

It's just not nice for someone such as Nationwide autos to take advantage of unsuspecting customers.

marmitedog

Did you think they offered half price MOTs just to be nice?

TR4

If an offer sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.

You must understand that if a company is offering 1/2 price MOTs, they are not doing it out of Christmas goodwill.

These offers are purely to attract (if you will forgive the expression) gullible customers. The idea is to get customers in and make money on the repairs. I'd bet that few cars pass their MOT first time at such places.

Caveat emptor

Premier_2

Nish wrote: »

...I think it would be better to go to the local ones available via the councils at £35....

I doubt you'll find many of the councils offering cut-price MOT's

c0rneL

Once they failed my car for catalytic converter in exhaust, cost me 300, on the same day and after that the car passed the MOT.
Half a year latter, I had the car in an independent garage and they have told me that the exhaust is near the end of its life. I could not believe it and took the car somewhere else, and they have confirmed that the catalytic converter was not changed in years.
No point in me complaining as it has been more than 7 months, but I said, no more nationwide autocentres. Be aware, it is not exaggeration, I have paid £300 to pass MOT, and no work has been done.
For the matter to be worse, I have to point out the unprofessional way of testing my car. I was a Saturday, they said to let the car at 8 30 and they will put the care to the test in between 8 30 and 13 30. They have said that they have some other cars in their garage but, I can go shopping and by 13 30 I can be there to collect the car.
about 10 45, they called me and told me that the car needs the work done, the chap sounded extremely busy and putted this way, "we have the parts, we have the time, it is your choice, £300 and you have the work done and the MOT passed, or, you can get your car with a failed MOT". I had not time to comprehend, no time to ask if I can get the parts changed for less, no time to digest the news; In my stupid impulse I said that I will have brand new MOT(no need to pay retesting) and brand new catalytic converter (always handy). They are a bunch of unprofessional cowboys.

Nish_2

Premier wrote: »

I doubt you'll find many of the councils offering cut-price MOT's

Found out today Coventry council carry out MOTs for vehicles belonging to the general public for £35 without any hidden agendas. I think most councils now offer this....

Nish_2

TR4 wrote: »

If an offer sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.

You must understand that if a company is offering 1/2 price MOTs, they are not doing it out of Christmas goodwill.

These offers are purely to attract (if you will forgive the expression) gullible customers. The idea is to get customers in and make money on the repairs. I'd bet that few cars pass their MOT first time at such places.

Caveat emptor

It's not always the case. My car is a peugeot, last year Peugeot themselves did the MOT for £19.99 including car pick up and drop off as well as a free car wash!

But do agree with you that most of the compannies offering cheap MOT expect to make money else where which is fair enough if the car needs repairs.

But to make up issues with a car that simply dont exist is not on regardless of whether the MOT is cheap or expensive.

DaveMacD

To c0rneL, ALWAYS ask for the old bits back. Make it clear to them (if you go to these sorts of places) that you want the old bits back, since they belong to you. It's about the only way to make sure they have changed what they say they have. Always used to mark things like oil filters and such when I fitted them so if I did have to get a garage to do work, I'd know if they'd done it. For something like a Cat. get a permanent marker and initial it somewhere.