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MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Peter Warman on January 24, 2014, 8:46 am
Peter Warman

Hi All

This was in a Crawley local paper last night

£19.00 for an MOT test

I am all for a bit of competition between MOT testing stations, but surely this must undermine the UK MOT test. What signals does this send out to motorists

How can they be making money?

Is it not about time we campaigned for a fixed fee?

Peter

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Andy Mason on January 24, 2014, 10:41 am, in reply to "MOT Test Fee #"

Is that service price including engine flush and fuel additive as per his "Good garage Scheme" t&c's.

Unfortunately that price for the Mot will attract the people who can afford it least, in the long term.
Andy

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by sean savage on January 24, 2014, 12:29 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Sean Savage

We have one like this about 5 minutes drive away and i am glad. All the undesirable idiots got to them and stay away from us. They will be making the money from failing them in large numbers. The mot test is a trust thing as i explain to my customers and all my loyal customers stay with us for that reson (we charge £45). I feel for new garages setting up etc as they will have no option but to try and compete with these stupid prices. HOW MANY electricians or plumbers do you see undercutting each other?? you dont!! so they all still charge the "propper rate for a propper job". nothing we can do about it,but that price will put them on amber with vosa and they will pay more attention to them (or so our vosa guy told me)

sean

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Tommy Forrest on January 24, 2014, 8:39 pm, in reply to "MOT Test Fee #"
Thomas Forrest

I can beat that one Peter, we have a garage in our area advertising MOT's for £9.99

Tommy

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Sean Connelly on January 27, 2014, 8:39 am, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"

Sean,

You are right, if a garage charges under £35 for an MOT then they will be get lots of regular visits from VOSA......and so they should.

Luckily for us £30 - £35 is the lowest in our area and we still charge £50 - £54 due to our regular customer base.

Unfortunately, the government will never mandate a minimum MOT fee for competition reasons, which is really a missed opportunity to improve the trade.

Regards

Sean

Link: Macclesfield MOT & Service Centre

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Peter Warman on January 29, 2014, 6:50 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Peter Warman

Hi Sean

" the government will never mandate a minimum MOT fee for competition reasons, which is really a missed opportunity to improve the trade "

I fear you are right

In my opinion non of these Government Ministers that make these decisions have ever had anything to do with the Independent Motor Trade (or Dealers come to that) they have absolutely no idea how hard it can be to run a small business. I get the feeling they think of the motor trade like every one else....that we are not squeaky clean. They themselves have probably had a bad experience or been told of one by a friend.........so just let the motor trade fight it out among themselves, if one want's to sell an MOT's for £19.00 then let them, if others go out of business because of it then who cares?.....the Government Minister can still get a cheap MOT done on his daughters car

The MOT is a legal document required by law but as the full fee is not being paid into the treasury unlike a fee for a new driving licence or passport, then just let them charge what they like and completely undermine hard working Independent Garage owners

Peter

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Dave Hill on March 2, 2014, 9:30 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Dave Hill

I had a Ford Dealership quite local to me offering a similar price structure a couple of years back.

I had the occasional price inquiry which ended with the words... "no thanks I can get an MOT for 15 quid in Ashby"

Fair enough I thought, go fill your boots!

Two years or so down the line, they have closed the doors. A flash in the pan or whatever you like to call it.

Stick to your guns & let the natural order of things run it's course.

I said this before on a similar thread, but I stand by it....

""My personal advice is.... plough your own field & make sure you do it right. Don't concern yourself with the weeds growing elsewhere!""

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Barnaby Donohew on March 14, 2014, 10:32 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Barnaby Donohew

£9-99/test would barely cover a qualified MOT testers wages if he was doing 8 tests every single day he worked per year (approx. £19,000)?!

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Peter Warman on March 15, 2014, 2:40 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Peter Warman

In our local paper today

Main Vauxhall Dealer in Crawley is advertising....

Interim Service £119.00

Interim Service & MOT £125.00

So £6.00 for an MOT test?

If they carryout the MOT test first.....

During an MOT test probably all the items that are checked are on the Interim Service check list?

So if you take £30.00 out for the Oil & Filter, that will make it a very expensive MOT at £95.00 depending on your point of view

So is the customer actually getting a good deal?

Perhaps it makes a good case to separate MOT testing stations from Workshops

Peter

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Lee Mackintosh on March 15, 2014, 3:59 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"

Well I don't see that as a problem and priced how I think it should be.

And if you can service it whilst doing an MOT then fair play, the
problem I can see is getting an MOT tester to do the oil & filter change during the test. Ok I believe VOSA don't like an MOT bay be used as a service ramp but if its not affecting the MOT test whats the problem.

I would be lucky to get £119 for an interim service in the 1st place so I would happily run that offer with a couple of t & c's determined by oil quantity or type.

I just don't agree with discount MOT's on there own.

£16.99 for an MOT does look attractive for most car owners when we are charging £40 upwards. Could be the price of a cheap budget tyre for a Micra etc that it faiked on.

At the end of the day I find price is what determines most peoples choice, quality is now not really an issue for most until something goes wrong and it lands on your feet.

Some will argue that you don't want these type of customers but when you are struggling for work then something has to be changed. You can probably once you have them tweek the pricing as I have found once explained they understand.

Some you win, some you lose, customer loyalty isn't what it once was.

I''ve lost jobs for £20-£30, after I have regretted some because I still could've made a profit and had a new customer. (I have phoned them back with estimates to be told no)

Long term that £20 lost on a job may have been got back through another job or from a friends car of the new customer.

Very fine line between winning or losing. Lots of company's do loss leaders, it must work else they wouldn't do it.

hope that makes sense.

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Mike Bebb on March 16, 2014, 7:23 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Mike Bebb

A wise old Foreman I worked under once told us young apprentices we could be BUSY FOOLS or BORED EXPERTS its a fine line

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Alan Lange on March 16, 2014, 10:57 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Alan Lange

I wonder how fast the sump plug would be screwed back in when the local vosa area officer walks in??

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by john Ritchie on March 19, 2014, 8:55 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
John Ritchie

It is indeed difficult times when we all see kit kat priced MOT's or the extremely low service prices some garages give away.

Lee mentioned regretting losing a job over £20-30 and potential further work from what i call the spider web, but these people wouldn't be a guarantee of repeat business except bad mouth you because you were 5 quid more expensive.

I find there is 2 main types of customers, 1st type is your customer that asks when he can book his/her car in for repair etc then asks roughly how much will it be or doesn't even ask at all , and the 2nd type is the customer that turns up at your door and asks how much before telling you what car they drive

Most customers don't like paying for what they see as a cost but in the long term might be saving them money!, maybe we need to be better sales people, after all no two mechanics do the same job but how do we show these customers that we are worth just that little bit more ?

Just a thought
Regards

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Keith Simpson on March 19, 2014, 10:16 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"

I had an old chap and his wife come in the other day for a price on a battery. It turned out we were £6 dearer than the local fast fit, so advised him to go there for it. Which he replied I'll give you £25 for it if you fit it form me. When I started laughing his wife said he never gives the asking price for anything. I replied what about when you go to the supermarket for your shopping do you try to get it cheaper there, she replied they won't do that at the supermarket. So I said why should we, she said because a lot of garages will if you ask.

And she's right a lot of garages probably would.

Keith

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Lee Mackintosh on March 19, 2014, 11:37 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"

The customers I certainly don't want are the ones like tonight just as we were leaing off.

We took a Hyundai Coupe for an MOT a few month's back which was a real nail. Failed on welding etc which was all sorted and passed.

anyway, the customer new and unknown to us dabble in buying/selling cars. They were selling this pile today and whilst out on test drive the ABS light came on and the power sneering pipe burst.

They diverted and headed to us. The buyer of the car in front of seller (our customer if you like) was saying the tappets are noisey and so on.

I said well not muxh I can do with it really, needs new pipes, abs fault codes reading and maybe a flush out.

customer said to me you should've done all that at the MOT. Well I tried to explain that a MOT is a minimum requirement test, she got quite shirty so I lost my temper and politely told her not to come down here and pass your problems on to me.

The reply was, how dare you spesk to your customers like that,
Where is your Father (he's the boss) as I want to speak with him. I said he's over there and to answer your question when I am accused of somethink I haven't done I tend lose patents with people like you.

You help out and get kicked in the teeth when things don't go there way. I also said selling cars isn't easy is it.

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Peter Warman on March 20, 2014, 10:15 am, in reply to "MOT Test Fee #"

Hi Lads

Struggling to get my head around this one this morning

2004 MG TF in for noise on front suspension, checking service history and found an invoice from last year for a FULL Service from a well known fast fit

So how does a company use 4.5 ltrs Mobil 1 ESP, 4 plugs, air filter, oil filter, balance all 4 wheels and still make a profit out of £63.20 (before VAT)....or is the MOT really done for free?

The future is good, the future is bright

Peter

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Lee Mackintsoh on March 20, 2014, 6:23 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Lee Mackintosh

That is unbelieveable. Just don't see hwo its possible.

The only thing i can guess at is the profit is made from the MOT fee, i was told it costs £5 for a slot each time.

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by sean savage on March 20, 2014, 7:56 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Sean Savage

MOT slots are £2:05 each

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Rob Nicholson on March 23, 2014, 9:26 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"

Hi,

What about these Dragon Den featured Servicing Stop, collect MOT & deliver for £24!

Service price looks sensible BUT that's SS price not what the garage are getting paid. Why do garages owners sign up for these schemes?

Rob

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Dave Hill on March 25, 2014, 11:47 pm, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"

Lee mackintosh wrote....

"That is unbelieveable. Just don't see hwo its possible."

It isn't possible Lee. Not in the long term anyway.

Sit back & bide your time. It all comes full circle eventually!

The only exceptions that I have seen to this rule, are when the Service/MOT aspect of a business is subsidised by some other business activity. Be it car sales, tyres sales, or even money laundering.

Those figures are not sustainable if the job is to be done correctly.

Re: MOT Test Fee #

Posted by Les smith on July 20, 2014, 10:51 am, in reply to "Re: MOT Test Fee #"
Leslie Smith

I have had an e mail from servicing stop.co.uk offering an mot for 99p. Yes 99p. Just book an inter service and they will collect and deliver. What is left to say.
Regards
Les

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