Most UK car owners will have their car’s MOT & service done annually, but not all will use the same garage or dealer to do both. While you may tend to use the same garage for services each year, do you shop around for cheap MOT deals to save a few pounds? This might not necessarily be saving you money in the long run.
Why does your car require an MOT & service?
In the UK all vehicle owners are required to have their car or motorbike put through an MOT or Ministry of Transport Test each year:
- Simply put, an annual MOT test is designed to assess whether or not your vehicle is road worthy.
- Whoever does your MOT test is not allowed to award you the certificate until any required work is carried out on your vehicle.
- An MOT test not only determines your vehicle’s road worthiness it is also designed to assess how safe your vehicle is and what level of exhaust emissions come from your vehicle.
Most responsible vehicle owners will also have their vehicle serviced once or twice a year. This not only keeps it running well, a record of the service history adds value when it’s time to resell your car.
Risks of using a different dealer for your MOT & service
Using separate dealers for your MOT & service can be risky. If you have a garage that you go to for your vehicle services and you trust the judgement of the people at that garage, then it makes sense to have your MOT test done at the same garage
Sometimes people take their vehicle to an unknown garage or vehicle mechanic when it is time for their MOT test and are unhappy when they receive a phone call telling them that their vehicle needs a considerable amount of work done to make it road worthy. If another garage was used for the service on your vehicle you will find it difficult to refute their findings.
Most mechanics and garage owners are honest tradesmen who would never tell a customer, even if they’d never done business with them before, that their vehicle required work when it didn’t. However, there are exceptions to every rule, and there is no point risking it when you already use a garage that you trust.
Advantages of using the same dealer for your MOT & Service
If you do have your vehicle serviced in between MOT tests, then it makes sense to have the test done where your vehicle is serviced. There are a number of advantages in using the same garage or mechanic for your MOT & service.
If you visit a mechanic or garage on a fairly regular basis then they will get to know you and your vehicle and you will feel safe that as they do a good job servicing your vehicle, they will take more care with the MOT as well.
If there is a problem at some point, both you and the dealer have the records to refer to for the MOT & services already done.
Like everyone else, garages and mechanics want to stay in business and part of that involves rewarding customer loyalty.
Dealers & Customer Loyalty
Most mechanics know that if you are happy with the way they service your vehicle, not only will you go back and have them undertake your MOT test, it is also highly likely that you will refer friends and family members who are looking for a good garage or mechanic. Most small businesses benefit from word of mouth and so it pays them as well as their customers when they do the best job they can. When you show some loyalty and appreciation to the garage that does your MOT & service, they will generally reward that loyalty with sound advice and good service.
Find out more about using Clover Autos for your MOT & service.
