Does anyone know were there are any garages who just do MOTs and nothing else? It alwaya annoyes me when you take your car to a garage and they tell you your car has failed and it just so happens they can put it right for you, oh and by the way they have already done you a quote, how nice of them. They have got you over a barrel every time, it just seems to me to be legal blackmail by the garages. By the way i live in Lincoln.
Regards
Mick
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Try your local council - more often than not they will undertake MOTs and, because there will be no repair facility for private vehicles, it's independent.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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You might find that the local council vehicle depot does exactly this. Try www.gov.uk and go from there.
-- You know, it\'s not like changing toothpaste
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21:35....Great minds Stuart, great minds... :-)
-- You know, it\'s not like changing toothpaste
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Try www.gov.uk and go from there
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i tried to find one for surrey from using that link. no success.
however, i do know that
www.moneysavingexpert.com/
has a forum where people list their local mot only stations (including the council owned ones).
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i do know that www.moneysavingexpert.com/ has a forum where people list their local mot only stations (including the council owned ones).
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found it. here it is
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=119
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i tried to find one for surrey from using that link. no success.
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I trek from Surrey to the A4 at Hounslow , Heathrow side ,to get my MoTs done.
Mots only and now have two test bays, Bookings taken for lunchtime tests.
To demonstrate a failure or future problem they will, if required, invite you into the pit.
Free coffee, toffee and loo all included.
Me - one happy customer.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=23471&...e
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I'm pretty sure a centre I took my car too in Addlestone, surrey, next to Cosmic - do only mot's , they certainly didn't try and supply or recommend any particular tyre place after my car failed it's Mot, for 2 totally bald tyres just 2 days after being serviced by a local garage!!
Yes I did get the full service and cost of tyres back in compensation
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You can always ask them to show you what they mean when they tell you xyz has failed, and then you can ask on here if they are taking you for a ride - once a garage knows that you will ask intelligent questions about what they tell you, they will quickly become more careful about trying it on.
Those people who just accept what the garage tell them tend to pay for their ignorance and idleness. By asking about independant MOT stations, you clearly don't fall into this lamentable category!
Number_Cruncher
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the mot station i use doesnt do repairs but are happy just doing mot"s if you are a pub goer im sure dave who sits next to the fruit machine can recommend a local proper mot garage .have you asked him? if not as said your local council ,but it will be full fee and possibly the same again if it fails on certain items.
I assume you do your own maintainance? if your local independant garage you use for basic servicing isnt willing to take your car to their preferrred tester?
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I use the Guildford Borough Council one. MOT's only and thats it. Other MOT only garages out there as well if you ask. All charge full price for MOT's but anyone putting a car in to a cut price MOT offer garage who does not expect a 'well there's this problem but don't worry we'll sort it out for £150 but no re-test fee' should be made to have 'sucker tattooed on his forehead for the benefit of the general public.
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i pay £30 but dont want a tatoo thanks..............i leave them for sailors .....:-)
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>>should be made to have 'sucker tattooed on his forehead for the benefit of the general public.>>
I took up National's cut price offer for three years running and only had to fork out half the usual MOT fee each time?
The only reason I didn't take advantage last December was because the centre I use was temporarily without a tester and was sub-contracting the tests; the substitute garage chosen also gave my nearly seven-year-old Bora a clean bill of health.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I've always found that it doesn't make a lot of difference what kind of garage it is. The important thing is that they realise you are a) interested in the reasons for any failure, and want to be shown the details b) a DIYer not someone who will just give them the job regardless c) a caring sort of owner who demonstrably looks after the car and services it and d) ready to listen to any advice about doing the job, sourcing parts, etc.
The theory of using a council garage is fine, but council staff do tend to be jobsworths who take a malicious pleasure in using all their powers and following the letter of any little regulation rather than applying commonsense. So it is not strictly true that they have nothing to gain from failing a car. They gain a lot - exercise of their own power. For many, that is why they work the council.
(BTW, ex council employee speaking)
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>>They gain a lot - exercise of their own power.>>
You have merely confirmed what most of us have known all along...:-)
Mostly non-entities or people with an inferiority complex given a fancy title and imposing their own bizaare ideas on the rest of us - that includes politicians and local councillors in the majority of cases.
I used to have my cars tested at the local council's bus depot garage before the era of privatisation
It was done fairly, plenty of advice handed out and if there were any problems, the chance to have them put it right elsewhere before a retest.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Cliff Pope, you might well have a good point there. But the same ego / nitpicking thing applies to all testers. My advice is to steer clear of new testing stations and new testers. They are 'new brooms' and have a lot to prove to themselves, at cost to the customer. Local council and 'bus operators testers are generally long term blokes, with nothing much left to prove.
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They are 'new brooms' and have a lot to prove to themselves
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yes you are right but also they have invested in something which is new to them and are wanting to do everything 100% correct.............
the best thing is steer clear for a few years let them get to know the dodgy traders with all their shortcut tricks the private punters that never spend a penny year to year and the dodgy companies that string a line that the cheques in the post,if they can survive all these and by then know their way round a car without faltering then you can literely trust them with your life..................this is always my barometer of a good fair mot tester
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Oldman, that's about right. Wait till they've settled down a bit, and can replace theory with practice.
We get our van's tested at a long established 'trade place'. These guys glide through an MOT making you think that they're not that interested, but they miss absolutely nothing ! And they're more likely to advise a debateable item than fail it. That's common sense and experience for you.
HGV testers are pretty much the same, and if 'your' tester is a bit unsure about something, he'll ask another tester for an opinion, and they'll invite the vehicle presenter into the discussion. Nothing that the presenter says will change a decision, but at least he knows why a decision has been made.
I still say that for consistent, sensible and impartial testing, older blokes in long established premises are the best bet.
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