It’s got to be one of the biggest scams of all time, and all of us fall for it. Any car that reaches its third birthday becomes due for its first MOT test. And, surprise surprise, when you do take the car in, you’ll invariably find that it needs new brake pads, work on the suspension or steering, or some other glitch you didn’t know existed.
Yet you’ve been driving a car that, as far as you can see, is running absolutely fine. Now I’m not saying all garages are at it – the vast majority are probably decent and honest. And of course drivers like me, who don’t even know where the catch is to release the bonnet, aren’t necessarily going to know there is anything wrong.
But that’s just the problem. If we don’t know, we can never be entirely sure if the garage is playing it straight or just charging you for work that doesn’t really need doing. Even worse, you can’t be totally sure that the work was actually done.
What you need is a test centre without a vested interest in selling you parts.
And most people don’t realise that there is such as thing. In fact, local authorities across the UK run their own MOT test centres. The best way to find yours is to Google the phrase ‘Southwark Council MOT test centre‘ (obviously putting in the name of your own local authority here). Or simply find the website of your local authority, and get the link from there.
The great thing is that these centres DON’T do repairs, so they have no incentive to fail you unfairly and flog you parts you don’t need. They DO have a reputation for strict adherence to the Ministry’s testing standards though.
While you’re at it, think about your other regular motoring expenses. We’ve been constant supporters on this site of petrolprices.com. This marvellously simple website simply asks you to enter your postcode, and the clever database will quickly supply you with the cheapest petrol stations in your area, with prices per litre listed. If you burn a lot of fuel then it’s well worth signing up for their regular newsletter.
Don’t just renew your car insurance with the same company each year … you will NOT get the best deal. There are a host of excellent price comparison sites for insurance, including moneysupermarket.com confused.com and gocompare.com. Running a price comparison on all three should take you less than half an hour – a reasonable investment when you could save hundreds of pounds.
The same goes for breakdown cover. If you are buying it from your regular insurer then you’re probably losing out. Again, use a price comparison site to find the best deal.
Do the same for finance if you’re buying a new car, and learn the tricks on getting a rockbottom price on a new motor. That last one is an artform in itself …
There are fantastic deals to be had on new and nearly new cars at the moment. Take a look at the newspapers and you’ll see that all the big car makers, including Toyota and Vauxhall, are laying off workers in the UK, as they simply can’t sell enough motors.
It’s all part of the growing recession engulfing the economy, but there is a bright side – you should be able to really haggle hard for that shiny new motor you want, as the dealer is almost certainly desperate to sell.
But don’t just think new. We all know that a car loses a huge chunk of its resale value the moment it moves off the forecourt for the first time, so why not go for a nearly new car. Buy a three month old model with 2000 miles on the clock and you could save a third off the new price. And try the big discount brokers, such as jamjar.com, UKcarbroker.co.uk and dealdrivers.co.uk. These supermarkets offer great discounts against the regular highstreet dealers.
Related: www.jamjar.com, www.ukcarbroker.co.uk, www.dealdrivers.co.uk
Tags: Save with council MOT test centres, MOT, M.O.T., save money, MOT test, council MOT test, council MOT center, personal financial advice
