MOT - am I being ripped off?

[maxwell 10]

Give Hutchinsons a try ,they are on the one way system at Malin Bridge.I had my car checked by them after hitting a kerbstone,They could have told me allsorts and I would not have been any the wiser.They gave the car the all clear after a thorough inspection and a road test and only charged me £10.00.They were recommended by a mate and have got a very good reputation .

[Reidstar 10]

I always take my cars to Thorpes in Thurgoland. They don't do repairs so have no incentive to "find" problems, they do the test while you wait, although there may be a queue, invite you to watch if you wish and all for a discounted price.

 

Thorpe's are very good - I have used them myself.

[youwhatref 10]

Use DOT MOT. They only do tests so have nothing to gain by failing your car. Any garage that carries out repairs is open to create work unfortunately as the majority of us aren't wise enough to know any different.

 

You pay the full MOT costs (£40+) but it's worth it. It 6 MOT's i have had 5 passes and ne fail. Away from DOT my car has always failed.

[irenewilde 10]

I think Carnells were on the 'Thats life' tv show with that Esther woman years back for inflated prices etc :thumbsup:

 

That's what I was told by my neighbours when I lived in Crookes. They advised me to stay well away.

[Rob_1 10]

Give Hutchinsons a try ,they are on the one way system at Malin Bridge.I had my car checked by them after hitting a kerbstone,They could have told me allsorts and I would not have been any the wiser.They gave the car the all clear after a thorough inspection and a road test and only charged me £10.00.They were recommended by a mate and have got a very good reputation .

 

I did the same and took it to kwik-fit on city road, they checked it over and didnt charge me anything. On seperate occasions they have also replaced an exhaust bracket without charging and dismantled my brakes when i had a squeaking coming from them - cleaned them up and put them back together, taking 1 hour, and didnt charge me a penny as they didnt actually do any repairs - the brake check is free. No other garage would do that. I always thought kwik-fit would be expensive but i was pleasantly suprised!

[AGB1 10]

Just had my Ford Focus MOT'd at Carnalls in Crookes. Its failed (of course) and they're looking at 700 pounds for it to be repaired. The thing is I have no idea if they're fleecing me or if it really will cost that much!

Here's what it failed on:

 

Leaking power steering pump

Steering rack is leaking

2 tyres need replacing

 

 

So I took my car to a different place today that does MOTs only (The MOT Centre in Heeley) and guess what!!? It passed

They replaced a worn washer that was causing my power steering pump to leak and didnt bother with the 0.50p charge either!

I did have to replace 2 tyres as suggested by the previous MOT but to be honest that only cost me 50 pounds and I dont mind doing something if it has to be done. So I guess I've learnt my lesson. Dont go to Carnalls. And get my MOTs done at a place that only does MOTs!

Thank you all very very much for your information and suggestions. I think you may of just saved me 650 pounds!!

Alex

[Cyclone 10]

it's a shame you didn't report it to the DOT, they could revoke the MOT certificate from carnells at the least.

 

As to kwik fit, my SO was ripped off by them once, they try it on everytime i've had the misfortune to use them (which isn't often), but sometimes needs must.

And any decent garage will do a free brake check for you.

 

kathythebean, try pm'ing Spanna2005, she did a car maintenance course a few years ago, she'll know where it was and how much it cost (and how useful it's been to her).

[Kthebean 10]

Thanks Cyclone I'll do that.

 

There's one at Sheffield College (thanks FORE) but its 240 quid, not too steep but I don't have it!

 

Maybe I should advertise - free food and beer if you'll teach me about my car!

[littlebasher 11]

So I took my car to a different place today that does MOTs only (The MOT Centre in Heeley) and guess what!!? It passed

They replaced a worn washer that was causing my power steering pump to leak and didnt bother with the 0.50p charge either!

I did have to replace 2 tyres as suggested by the previous MOT but to be honest that only cost me 50 pounds and I dont mind doing something if it has to be done. So I guess I've learnt my lesson. Dont go to Carnalls. And get my MOTs done at a place that only does MOTs!

Thank you all very very much for your information and suggestions. I think you may of just saved me 650 pounds!!

Alex

 

Good result

[dfgenius 10]

I'm sure someone on here will point you to a decent garage that can sort you out cheaply....

[SnailyBoy 10]

Use DOT MOT. They only do tests so have nothing to gain by failing your car. Any garage that carries out repairs is open to create work unfortunately as the majority of us aren't wise enough to know any different.

 

You pay the full MOT costs (£40+) but it's worth it. It 6 MOT's i have had 5 passes and ne fail. Away from DOT my car has always failed.

 

I agree, you book an appt too so no waiting about in a queue. Plus when I had mine done in Nov they didn't charge for a retest. Most of the MOT garages on the new system seem to charge a retest fee.

[DancingDave 10]

The leaking power steering can be solved with a can of Wynns power steering treatment, I used this on a Saab 900 a few years ago, had no problems since.

 

parts for Ford cars SHOULD be the cheapest, and easily availible....