My first post on this forum.
I own and run an MOT station and would like to put forward the reasons that the retest charges in fact have not changed.
Most MOT stations before computerization bent the rules by just checking the work had been done and issuing a pass certificate
The rules have always stated that a full retest must be carried out except when failed on various electrical items, emmissions, tyres etc.
When we start an MOT or retest we log on to the system and the test is timed, in fact the ministry man could be round the corner with his laptop connected to his mobile watching us log on. So a retest should take 35-45 mins and that is 35-45 mins that someone has to pay for.
However I do agree that the full retest rule needs to be looked at and changed.
Unfortunatly a freebie that was given to you by the test station has been taken away, think how kind your test station has been in the passed when it was within its rights to charge for most retests !
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Best to get facts straight on this before ranting about it.
The Government (who we like to blame for everything) don't actually set the cost of the MoT. Nor do they specify how long a 'free restest' should be offered for. That is entirely up to the garage. There is a garage near me offering a free retest for up to 14 days, and I am sure there are others in the coutry doing just the same. The cost of the test/retest is set by the VTS up to the maximum set by the DoT. The '24 hour rule' is simply to allow repairs to be done and the vehicle issued with a pass without having to run through the whole test - it is not a 'free retest' as such. This is basically the same rule that has applied for years (VTS's where never supposed to issue pass certificate, days later, without properly and fully re-testing the car - but many did).
Basically the system has not changed massively, it is just that IT is being used to monitor what is going on and stamp out dodgy practice. Some garages, obviously, are using the system as an oportunity to increase revenue - but bear in mind its 45mins labour for about £44 to the public, with a certificated skilled tester and some costly equipment (plus services of an assistant for part of the test) - not a bad rate (just try asking your local VW, BMW dealer etc etc to do some work at that rate - it wouldn't even buy the spotty youth who does the £150 oil changes for you!).
I don't regard running a VTS as a licence to print money - when your tech can earn you more doing basic servicing. In fact the main reason to offer MoT's would probably to draw in repair work.
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You just beat me to it "vum". Agree with what you say though...
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You should come to Northern Ireland where the MoT is run by an Agency! My wife's Passat failed on headlamp adjustment (too low) Saturday week ago and it was an automatic retest which took approx 1 min and cost 18 quid. I looked over the tester's shoulder and on an A4 page counted about 10-12 out of 40 failed on headlamps. Quite an earner for the Agency who have to pay their way.
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to paraphrase mandy rice-davies: you would say that, wouldn't you?
a garage which for 20 years used to do two tests per hour will now only book in one. it used to charge a low fee, now it charges the maximum. it used to rely on being asked by a proportion of owners to repair faults, and was happy for others to diy; now it tries to discourage diy. it used to mention minor things as advisory, now it errs on the fails side and seeks work for its mechanics. it used to be totlally honest. now it finds minute previously unseen faults - e.g.
1. says cv gaiter on verge of splitting, quoting £20 to fix it in situ, then claiiming that the cv joint is seized and needs replacing and since the work is in progress, it will cost another £80 to finish off.
2. says the emissions need a little tweaking - for £10 we can do it here and now.
3. the headlight beam is slighlty off the "optimum setting", for £10 we can do it while the beam tester is lined up.
etc. etc. all these are "tricks" they now use to inflate their maximum allowed mot charge.
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I don't believe anything there is new Dalglish.
Moral of dealing with anyone, car mechanics etc included, is to find one you can trust. Back in the "bad old days" I found one that I could trust to *always* pass my car ;-)
I thought I'd read that the new test requires a certain time per car, which is checkable somehow from the computer record, so that isn't the fault of the garage.
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to paraphrase mandy rice-davies: you would say that, wouldn't you?
Complete load of rubbish. There were, and still are, a few dodgy garages and the introduction of computerisation doesn't change that. Most VTS's are as straight as is possible to be within a system that allows for some subjectivity (e.g. wear in bushes, ball joints etc.) The MoT system is tightly policed and penalties for infringement of regulations are severe. Its not a perfect system, but its pretty damn good and keeps a lot of death traps off the road. Much improved from 20 years ago, and a good thing I say.
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I have little sympathy in those trying to get only an mot. My vehicles are serviced at the time of the mot therfore all work needed is sorted and as sutch the vehicle 'always' pases.
The independent garadge I use charges reasnable rates and always advises before hand of anything likely to need doing next time. Whilst some have always been cowboys at the end of the day it is in the intrest to the garadge to make maximum profit and always has been.
Paul
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I always find the council runs mot stations are neutral, i.e. if it does fail then it genuinely has failed. It charges are also ok, i.e. £30 for original and £15 for retest. I doubt that the test fee has increased dramatically since computerisation as the council are a non-profit making organization not one which aims to please shareholders by ripping off drivers.
My banger (in age sense not in conditional or technological sense) always goes to the council run station for impartiality, not to the local garage who will say 'oh the car is not bad for age but its failed on these items... we can do the repairs for £££!
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That is a good point, maybe everyone (except the garages) would be happier if MOTs were done at an independent source and nowhere there was a chance of making work for themselves.
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I always take vehicles to local tester I know. He knows me well, but doesn't cut any favours (not worth him losing his job) - he does a thorough test. I always check cars before I take them for the test. I have had only one fail in the last 10 years - that was on a Merc that had a bit of corrosion on a brake pipe. I'd missed it and was grateful to him for spotting it.
If you suspect you've been wrongly failed (or passed!) then you can appeal - 1 month after test on mechanical; 3 months on bodywork. Appeals are taken very seriously and there is definitely no bias in favour of the VTS.
One thing you have to remember that is a lot of car owners won't have a repair done unless the car fails its MoT. Lots of owners will carry on driving with ineffective brakes, knocks, clonks and God knows what wrong.
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As you said earlier Aprilla the MOT is overall a good system, can we imagine the type of cars on the road if the MOT was not a legal obligation.
We have all seen the cars on the road with no mot, ins and tax, i would not like our roads to be full of these types of cars (re Indian driving- aka heart attack stuff), and the mot does it job well in ridding the roads of dangerous vehicles albeit at sometimes inflated prices as the OP has mentioned
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I seem to remeber that garages used to do pre-MOTs for about half the cost of an MOT.
Perhaps these might make a comeback with the new computerised system?
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There are still quite a few places that advertise this, and I suspect that many independents will do this for you if you ask (30 mins labour to check the 'vitals'). The lights, wipers, locks, belts, washers, tyres etc etc you should be able to check yourself. Emissions is a more difficult aspect though.
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Complete load of rubbish.
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i repeat: to paraphrase mandy rice-davies: you would say that, wouldn't you?
the garage i was referring to used to be totally kosher/halal. now feels it has no choice but to "find" work now that it can only do one mot an hour. they are seriously considering closing down the mot test section if after a few months they find that the mot fee plus the "extra work" does not cover their costs.
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>>Its not a perfect system, but its pretty damn good and keeps a lot of death traps off the road.
It keeps SOME death traps off the road, but certainly not all. Generally speaking it is the people who take their cars for MOT that are the ones who are willing to maintain them to the required standard.
The real death traps on the UK's roads are the ones that are driven without MOT (and tax/insurance for that matter). You know the ones I mean, they are the ones you read about in your local paper, Mr So&So in the local court for driving without MOT/tax/insurance, who often escapes with a few hundred quid fine.
I think that the changes that have been brought about by the new computerised MOT system are penalising the law abiding motorist again, rather than the ones who don't follow the 'rules' by having driving unregistered cars etc.
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So, are the fees now fixed because of the new computer system, and do all MOT stations have to have the new system ?
I ask this because our local MOT garage just does MOT's - they don't actually fix anything, but charge a good £10-£15 under the approved rate. They have been there years, although it's attached to a show room which sells second hand cars/bikes, but quite often goes out of business, although the guy with the workshop remains !
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So, are the fees now fixed because of the new computer system, and do all MOT stations have to have the new system ? I ask this because our local MOT garage just does MOT's - they don't actually fix anything, but charge a good £10-£15 under the approved rate. They have been there years, although it's attached to a show room which sells second hand cars/bikes, but quite often goes out of business, although the guy with the workshop remains !
A lot depends on local competition. If you are the only VTS in 15 miles then you'll charge the full whack and no free retest.
In the small town I live near there are about 6 testing stations within a minute's drive! So loads of ads in the local free paper, £10 discount and 14 days free retest! I've got one booked for Friday as it happens.
The VTS pays Siemens about £1.50 for each test slot and they get to keep the rest. Because lots of cars are registered new when the 'new' registrations come out there tends to be a glut of owners looking for tests at those two times of the year (and August for older cars). So the stations are busy and no offers. At quiet times (June, July and round Christmas) they tend to come out with the offers. Doing MoT's is not a way to get rich though, its a good way to bring repair work in and most garages will do it honestly. There is usually enough repair work that they don't have to cheat. Bad reputation soon spreads and these places close within a year or so.
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>> Complete load of rubbish. >> i repeat: to paraphrase mandy rice-davies: you would say that, wouldn't you? the garage i was referring to used to be totally kosher/halal. now feels it has no choice but to "find" work now that it can only do one mot an hour. they are seriously considering closing down the mot test section if after a few months they find that the mot fee plus the "extra work" does not cover their costs.
What you are saying is that an 'honest' garage has been turned into a 'dishonest' garage by computerisation of the MoT. I really don't believe that.
Sometime around 2000 VOSA did a survey on how long the MoT took to conduct, IIRC the figure came out at around 48 mins. This was broadly agreed with by the trade. It is from this that the 45 min 'allowance' was arrived at - and bear in mind that a few things have been added to the test since 2000. Remember that this is the complete turnaround time for an MoT (i.e. including loading up on to the ramps, up and down, on the roller brake tester and emissions test. If your garage was completing two in an hour then I don't think can have been doing it as thoroughly as they should have.
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the solution is: emigrate and join "the growler" in his paradise.
OK, have a nice journey :)
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