Council Run MOT's

Magpie27

Hi Sorry if I've put these in the wrong place.

I need to get my car MOT'd and I'm worried about getting ripped off, I've heard about Council Run MOT's centres on this website but it didn't list any near me. Does anyone know of any near the Watford/Bushey area?

Thanks

saintjanet

Sorry ,i do not know any in your area,the bus depots used to do them at one time.

I would say though ,that not all MOT places will rip you off,try to get a friend to recommend a good one,none of my family have had any problems over recent years,find a good garage and stick with them.

Tucker

Ring you local council and ask them.

Ours has a depo that does the MOT's. One thing to check is whether they carryout any repairs. Ours doesn't which means they have no reason to quote you for any work that does not need doing to pass.

Should it fail you do have to find a garage to have the work done, but you will know exactly what is needed, so you can obtain quotes before you commit yourself. Our Council test centre do a free retest, so you simply return it after the work is complete.

Magpie27

Thanks Tucker I'll ring my local council hopefully they will have one.

Keith

If you can't find one, I've always used Motest on Bennetts End Road in Hemel.

Wig

There are no guarantees of this sort of MOT, you may be failed on something minor, that an honest Joe's garage would either not fail you on or advise you on instead.

The last thing a busy council depot wants is loads of Joe Publics cars filling up their MOT test centre which is supposed to be for buses and taxis. They may just be inclined to fail you on xyz to discourage you from coming back.

saintjanet

Wig wrote: »

There are no guarantees of this sort of MOT, you may be failed on something minor, that an honest Joe's garage would either not fail you on or advise you on instead.

The last thing a busy council depot wants is loads of Joe Publics cars filling up their MOT test centre which is supposed to be for buses and taxis. They may just be inclined to fail you on xyz to discourage you from coming back.

I don't think the op is interested,seemed to ignore my first posting,i tend to agree with what you are saying.I have always found good garages and reputable firms to deal with in all walks of life and have never been ripped off badly.

Tucker

Wig wrote: »

The last thing a busy council depot wants is loads of Joe Publics cars filling up their MOT test centre which is supposed to be for buses and taxis. They may just be inclined to fail you on xyz to discourage you from coming back.

I think times are changing a bit, as our local LA test centre are advertising and positively pushing the service to make people aware it's available and encouraging residents to make use of it. I think they also do an inspection service like the AA do, for someone looking to check out a used car.

Saintjanet - I think the OP is just looking for a service that has no interest in trying to sell you brakes, discs and the like that aren't required to pass the MOT. Many garages will attempt to take advantage and advise on repairs that may need doing at some point down the line, but not necessarily now.

Yes there are plenty on honest garages and MOT centres, but for every one like that, there one that will look to boost his takings too. Clearly the OP doesn't know of a sure-fire honest one to go to.

So why not look for somewhere that has no interest in selling you repairs, for piece of mind? Totally sensible if you aren't technically minded where cars are concerned and you want to be certain of not being stung.

Wig

The council I am aware of has a testing centre which is booked by taxis on every slot on every day always booked solid for 4 - 6 weeks in advance. This council would definately not want Joe public cars booking in substantial numbers so as to make the MOT waiting list extend to 8 - 10 weeks.

Some councils may have quieter test centres, and may be happy for the extra business, all I'm saying is that the council MOT does not guarantee a risk free test. And a very important point is that I'd be very surprised at a council test centre charging less than the official MOT fee. If you look around in your area you can find free MOT's or £20 MOT and pay special attention to retest fees, they also vary wildly. By not going to a council centre you could save £50 - £80 in fees.

Tucker

Quite right. I doubt very much they will charge less than the MOT fee. Almost certainly not.

We all know what the agenda is of those garages that offer the MOT at a discount rate though...... I'd rather pay full whack for the fee, because the discount merchants intend making more than the difference back from you!

Wig

Well that's not really the case, I have taken my cars to a discount MOT (£20) for as long as I can remember, and only once have I had a problem (which I could not prove) all the other times the cars have either passed first time or failed on work that was correctly diagnosed - I always either do my own repair or take the car to my frindly mechanic to do the jobs I can't do - In other words in my experience the cheap MOT centre £20 has been 95% great value for money. (with one hiccup being the 5%)