Best value MoT?

Rebob

Ask some people local to you which garage they use. I take mine to one for the mot and then another for any of the work needed to reduce chances of being conned.

DavidHayton

I am fortunate that I have a local garage that depends on repeat business. They charge the full MOT fee but I see no problem with this. They have to earn an honest living and if they cut the MOT fee then they are likely to raise their labour charges to recover the cost. And whilst the MOT is tax-free, the labour charges now incur VAT at 20%. David

mikey72

Stigy wrote: »

I know they can only fail on efficiency (unless the pads are visibly less than 3mm thick I believe), but that won't stop them trying...:D

They can't accurately measure them, so I don't believe they can fail on thickness, unless they can hear the metal on metal, and I'm not even sure about.

Stigy

mikey72 wrote: »

They can't accurately measure them, so I don't believe they can fail on thickness, unless they can hear the metal on metal, and I'm not even sure about.

If they can clearly see the pads, I believe they can fail them, however I left the motor trade some years ago so could be wrong, lol. As long as braking efficiency is not affected, they'd probably just advise anyway. Obviously if it was metal on metal and they deemed it dangerous, it would more than likely fail...

Inactive

DavidHayton wrote: »

I am fortunate that I have a local garage that depends on repeat business. They charge the full MOT fee but I see no problem with this. They have to earn an honest living and if they cut the MOT fee then they are likely to raise their labour charges to recover the cost. And whilst the MOT is tax-free, the labour charges now incur VAT at 20%. David

Same here, I am quite happy to pay the going rate for an honest MOT.

Stigy

Thanks for the advice guys!

I had the car MoT'd at my local Kwik Fit in the end, against probably sound advice I'm sure! I must admit I was concerned from the moment I walked through the door and they tried to flog me a service to 'give her a better chance of passing' and then an emmissions 'surge' whatever that means, lol. I must also admit that paying £54 to a smaller garage would have installed more confidence. Anyway, I politely declined all of the above and just have the MoT carried out (£35 paid for and booked online in the end...VAT increase up it from £30 to £35?). I was hoping I'd be able to slyly observe the test (I know most places tend not to like it these days...) as I was sure I could see all the ramps, apparently though, the MoT ramp is "round the back"...Worryingly.

So, I just sat there and pretended to observe everything Kwik-Fit had to offer, in a bid to look like a VOSA operative so I spooked them in to not ripping me off, although having said that, I'm not sure I'd want it done 'too' thoroughly!

Anyway, it passed!

There was an advisory attached, and it annoys me a little when certain things are added that needn't be (as in this case to an extent), because you can't slyly dispose of the sheet when selling the car, as the Test Certificate states there is/was one! The two advisories were a "slightly damaged O/F/R Road Wheel" and an Oil Leak which was marked "DANGEROUS" (Caps 'n all!). Now, I'd have liked the tester to have stated just why an oil leak was dangerous, and if it was dangerous, I'd like to have thought he'd have failed the car? If in fact dangerous just refers to the possible reprocussions it could have on the engine, fair enough.

My thoughts? Well, couldn't have been that dangerous as, when quizzed, he couldn't tell me even roughly where it was coming from, just that it was on the starter motor. Woulod I visit them again? For an MoT probably, but I'd all but convinced myself the Ka was going to fail the test, as the bloke in front of me did with his Nissan (Lamda Sensor), and I was just wondering how much the the re-test fee (if any) would be when I return after doing the work myself, and how much the parts would cost me.

Thanks again guys!

rev_henry

Stigy wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys!

I had the car MoT'd at my local Kwik Fit in the end, against probably sound advice I'm sure! I must admit I was concerned from the moment I walked through the door and they tried to flog me a service to 'give her a better chance of passing' and then an emmissions 'surge' whatever that means, lol. I must also admit that paying £54 to a smaller garage would have installed more confidence. Anyway, I politely declined all of the above and just have the MoT carried out (£35 paid for and booked online in the end...VAT increase up it from £30 to £35?). I was hoping I'd be able to slyly observe the test (I know most places tend not to like it these days...) as I was sure I could see all the ramps, apparently though, the MoT ramp is "round the back"...Worryingly.

So, I just sat there and pretended to observe everything Kwik-Fit had to offer, in a bid to look like a VOSA operative so I spooked them in to not ripping me off, although having said that, I'm not sure I'd want it done 'too' thoroughly!

Anyway, it passed!

There was an advisory attached, and it annoys me a little when certain things are added that needn't be (as in this case to an extent), because you can't slyly dispose of the sheet when selling the car, as the Test Certificate states there is/was one! The two advisories were a "slightly damaged O/F/R Road Wheel" and an Oil Leak which was marked "DANGEROUS" (Caps 'n all!). Now, I'd have liked the tester to have stated just why an oil leak was dangerous, and if it was dangerous, I'd like to have thought he'd have failed the car? If in fact dangerous just refers to the possible reprocussions it could have on the engine, fair enough.

My thoughts? Well, couldn't have been that dangerous as, when quizzed, he couldn't tell me even roughly where it was coming from, just that it was on the starter motor. Woulod I visit them again? For an MoT probably, but I'd all but convinced myself the Ka was going to fail the test, as the bloke in front of me did with his Nissan (Lamda Sensor), and I was just wondering how much the the re-test fee (if any) would be when I return after doing the work myself, and how much the parts would cost me.

Thanks again guys!

You do know you have the RIGHT to observe the test being done don't you?

Stigy

rev_henry wrote: »

You do know you have the RIGHT to observe the test being done don't you?

No, I knew you used to be able to, but thought that regulation changed. Thanks for the heads up though! :beer:

mikey72

My local garage, last time I was up on the ramps with the car, doing the steering and lights horn wipers etc with them.
Time before we were both under the car looking for the rusty bits and the torn gaiters etc.

Stigy

mikey72 wrote: »

My local garage, last time I was up on the ramps with the car, doing the steering and lights horn wipers etc with them.
Time before we were both under the car looking for the rusty bits and the torn gaiters etc.

I guess anybody can 'assist'...Now I think about it actually, HGV drivers routinely assist in their MoTs, as it's a drive on/drive off situation in most centres.