The bad news is it’s you, the good news is I’ve just paid £45 and saved you another 12 months work! Not even a single advisory to fix.
MOT this morning...
- Thread starter DrWong
- Start date
did you forget that two weeks ago your labourer also spent hours on your car changing every rear brake pipe so that it had a chance of passing.....!
The other point is it's a local authority--- they will have no idea if they are covering there costs,just work out how much money they wish to spend and put the rates up.That's a fair point Tony, that I'd not considered. I'd hope a local authority test is a pretty safe bet as far as standards are concerned, although they too can be busy just like a normal garage (mainly testing and licensing taxis however, as opposed to money generating stuff). The fact that their tests tend to be cheaper is a huge bonus
I do honestly believe a job should be paid at a fair rate,to cover the company's costs,and hopefully the company pays the employee a fair rate.
billysally208
Zorg Addict
I recently took one of my car's (a Vauxhall Vectra) to a Halfords Autocentre, only because it was the only place I could get in at short notice. I wouldn't normally go there but thought i would try them. It was a Saturday morning and they were very busy. I've been taking cars for MOT's for well over 40 years and I think this was the most thorough test I have ever watched. The examiner was using one of the one man testing ramps, with plates that shake the car vigorously, while he is underneath examining the suspension components, bushes etc. It was being thrown around so much, I honestly thought it was about to come of the ramp. I wasn't too confident that my 14yr old car would survive this sort of treatment, but it did and I got a pass in the end, after replacing the two rear indicator bulbs, which the examiner judged were not orange enough!
Took the Z in on Thursday to my usual garage where the test is a lot more gentle, although I am not sure it is as thorough. Here the examiner carries the test out on his own, without an assistant, to sit in the car and move the steering from side to side, press the foot brake, etc while the car is up on the ramp and the examiner is underneath, checking for play and leaks, in the braking and steering components. How he does these checks alone, I don't know, but the car passed with one advisory for a slight oil leak, which I know was from slight oil overspill when changing the oil the day before the test - I didn't get the usual 'underneath covered in underseal' advisory this year which makes a nice change.
Took the Z in on Thursday to my usual garage where the test is a lot more gentle, although I am not sure it is as thorough. Here the examiner carries the test out on his own, without an assistant, to sit in the car and move the steering from side to side, press the foot brake, etc while the car is up on the ramp and the examiner is underneath, checking for play and leaks, in the braking and steering components. How he does these checks alone, I don't know, but the car passed with one advisory for a slight oil leak, which I know was from slight oil overspill when changing the oil the day before the test - I didn't get the usual 'underneath covered in underseal' advisory this year which makes a nice change.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2016
- Points
- 218
- Location
- Maybole , South Ayrshire
- Model of Z
- Z3 Individual Dakar / Orinoco Individual
Don't want to be putting your local tester down but if he does not have an ATL ( an Automated Test Lane ie. A 1 man test lane with shaker plates ) then he is a 2 man site which means he needs to and should be using an assistant.
I carry out tests in 1 man and 2 man sites and I my opinion the 1 man test is much better and more suited to modern vehicles .
I personally think eventually all mot sites will become ATL as it it really difficult to get a non ATL on a new site .
billysally208
Zorg Addict
Appreciate what you say, perhaps I am missing something and his shaker plates aren't as vicious as Halfords lol, but he was definitely on his own because when he was testing the lights he kept walking from the front of the car to the rear to check them and I thought then how much easier it would be if someone was helping him. At my old test station, which I used for over 30 years until the owner retired and closed down, on many occasions I had to sit in the car and be the assistant, if no one else was available.
The garage I am using now is a large concern that mainly repairs and tests large goods vehicles but does cars as well.
The garage I am using now is a large concern that mainly repairs and tests large goods vehicles but does cars as well.
Hmm, I didn't appreciate there are one and two man set-ups with different requirements. I watched my entire test and it was just a single guy inspecting on ramps and doing the emissions. He then took it to a different bay with the rolling road. The car wasn't shaken about at any point and I'm not sure I'd be keen on that to be honest! 
I didn't come away with any reservations about the test though. My particular local authority has a reputation for being strict and this was one of the reasons I went with them again this year
I didn't come away with any reservations about the test though. My particular local authority has a reputation for being strict and this was one of the reasons I went with them again this year
billysally208
Zorg Addict
I suppose they could be using the OPTL (One Person Test Lane) that I believe does not have the shaker plates like the ATL but does have alternative suspension testing equipment, but these usually have extra mirrors installed so that they can test front and rear lighting while sitting in the car - I didn't see any at my last test though!
Ahh, that reminds me. I saw the guy jack up the front and then the back with a cross beam to let the dampers/springs out before having a look and a poke. Not sure if that qualifies as 'alternative suspension testing equipment' though? But certainly preferably to having the car ragged about on shaker plates! He was in the car whilst checking the lights so assume mirrors were installed somewhere, though I wasn't looking for them.
billysally208
Zorg Addict
No, they always use the cross beams to raise the front wheels up off the ramps so they can check the tyres, wheel bearings,steering components, brakes binding, suspension ball joints, etc. it also gives them a better view of the springs and upper suspension mountings. The rear end the same again to check the tyres/wheels, bearings, brakes and no doubt suspension components and springs. I'm no MOT expert but sure this is usually part of the test.
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Mine always goes to Halfords. I have had failures and advisories in the past, but all have been with a good reason, so a pass is a good sign.
and all at less than £30 a test.
They are thorough, ......
I don't believe that paying up to £55 is the only guarantee of a thorough test. That is something my dad would say, along with "don't change your insurance for a cheaper one", I should keep paying £500 too much, just like he would.
and all at less than £30 a test.
They are thorough, ......
I don't believe that paying up to £55 is the only guarantee of a thorough test. That is something my dad would say, along with "don't change your insurance for a cheaper one", I should keep paying £500 too much, just like he would.
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