Will it never end...

msmicawber

I'm sorry, Ames, I didn't mean to be tactless.

You're a student aren't you? Is there an automotive department at your college (or another local college)? They may be interested in working on the car and may just do the work for the cost of the parts ...

Ames

It's fine, you weren't to know, and it was a good suggestion if anyone's lurking with the same problem.

I'm not a student, I was which is how I ended up in debt. I didn't think of the automotive department of the college that does that kind of thing (I was at an old style university, good on academic stuff, not so hot on real life!). It'll definitely be worth looking into next year, for now the work's been (or in the process of being) done. Not too happy that they're charging me for two MOT's though, I always thought that if it failed and they did the work they were supposed to retest for free? Or has the law changed. Not much I can do now anyway, the car stopped moving and so once it was towed to them it was there until it moved again!

msmicawber

Thanks, Ames.

It depends on the garage, as far as I can tell. I took my old car to a garage for its MOT about 3-4 years ago and it failed. They told me that I had 24 hours to have the work done otherwise they'd have to retest and that it was a new law that had just come in at the same time as the MOTs went electronic.

The following year, my kerbside mechanic took the car for MOT elsewhere - it failed and was retested free the next week.

It's the old story - certain garages will do the minimum and say anything, particularly if you're blonde and female (that's me, Ames!)

Ames

I'm brunette, but I've been there with the silly female we'll tell her it needs alsorts doing...

msmicawber

Actually - the AA are the worst for that. My VW conked out one night years ago and I was told that it needed a new solenoid, alternator and battery by the AA bloke. I had all 3 replaced at a VW garage - v. expensive. It happened again. I had the fan belt replaced for £3 by a mate and all was fine.

I've got a Volvo now (even more expensive the odd time it goes wrong) and the RAC have had to take me home twice and both times told me that it was a write off. Once a new battery was all it needed. The second time was more serious as it was the automatic transmission that had gone, but I still managed to get it fixed for a couple of hundred quid.

I decided to stop listening to them and just accept the lift home that my premium pays for!

Dolly_Smith

I don't know - the AA have always been fantastic for me. If you're car died it's likely there's something wrong with it! I've got an MOT and service coming up - last year it was £900 :eek:

Biffa

Hi Ames, have just PM'd you.