Anybody got one of those new computerised MOTs yet?

Yup. Yesterday.

Doesn't look as 'official' as the old one - A4 sheet with the results printed on it. I don't care though, I was just very pleasantly surprised it passed ;-)

One nice thing though is that the MOT pass is stored on a database, so between that and your insurance also being in a central database, you can now get tax sorted out online. Will be trying that later on...

Apparently DVLA can't take credit cards for the tax though, only debit cards :-(

arghhhhhhhhhhh don't talk about mot computerisation, joe public has no idea the fecking pain in the arse its been and still is getting it to bloody work correctly !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

there is talk later on in the computerisation stage ( when it works properly ) that the garages that issue the vt20's will be able to issue your tax disc as well, should take a lot pf pressure of your local post office but in the same light take work away from them, which will result in closed down post offices, cant win really can we !

I wonder if they'd want to? Garages are already a favourite target of thieves for MOT forms and their stamp. And would be more so for a stock of virgin tax discs which have a higher value.

it will be the same as the new mot ticket its only a receipt now with a sticky reminder, to put in yer window when its due, the definitive copy of the VT20 is held on the PNC or DVLA puter, so the new tickets are worth bugger all if any one gets hold of them.

Isn't that also extra banking charges and higher taxable turnover for what's probably a negligible profit margin per disk?

Ad

Suits me. Credit cards are onyl for people who have no money anyway. Plastic Millionaires is a phrase that comes to mind.

Do you work for the post office?

Hi reg

What's a post office??

nope I work in a garage, have enough trouble dealing with the public through the garage trade, let alone having to deal with them through the post office, there really are some miserable sods out there !

I wanted to leave it on the wall out side, I'm realy not looking forward to it being live. I havn't touched it since I was shown how to use it and given a test.

they have approx only a 1000 test stations on line at the mo, what the hell is gonner happen when all 19, 000 go live !

A place where smelly low lifes and OAPs go to get their money.

mrcheerful

mrcheerful,

Ah! That's where I have seen you before then, at the front of the queue picking up your giro - how the mighty falls!

Brian G

Reg,

"let alone having to deal with them through the post office, there really are some miserable sods out there"

You mean those very same miserable sods who have just seen that they have been charged seven quid for windscreen washer fluid during a service - when the bottle was already full after being caught before?

Or the twenty quid that was charged to change four indicator bulbs that supposedly weren't yellow enough - the old ones had mysteriously disappeared when I asked to see them? The list of garage cons is endless!

And some MOT garages take great delight in failing a car on minor faults (or even no faults at all) on cars owned by the inexperienced or gullible, just to get the repair work - knowing full well that many customers don't know, or are unwilling, to follow the appeals procedure - please, don't gasp in horror, it's been tried unsuccessfully on me on several occasions by various testing stations since 1967.

Whilst I accept that not all garages can be tarred with the same brush, very often it's the pursing of the lips, the tut-tutting and the extortionate prices that some garages charge for poor-quality service that make the customer a miserable sod.

Brian G

unfortunately your absolutely right Brian, it does happen we've seen customers bring cars into our station as they are not happy with the test result from another, but there is an appeal process & I wish people would use it or at least talk to the garage if they have a problem.

But most of the items that fail are the everyday things that people should be checking on their weekly maintance checks, washers, lights ect ect, some cars you never see at all from one year to the next except for the mot & they wonder why they don't go through.

I disagree though with garages charging to adjust headlight aims, ( unless its a major problem with the aim ) now that really is taking the piss, unless its a straight forward tweak then no charge its good customer relations I think.

but customers don't understand that the mot test only covers testable items as per the mot manual & doesn't guarantee the car for the next year , that job is down to the customer to do either by themselves or through a garage.

the number of times ive had said to me " well it was ok last year" ive lost count of & ive been doing them 20 years, im sure some guys/gals here have been doing them longer.

it really is time for the customer to be educated on matters of testing, then at least they will know themselves what's involved & that the mot test is the minimum acceptable standard at the time the vehicle is tested & doesn't mean it will remain roadworthy for the next year !

Are they?

So you're not really financial intelligent then?

I see.

Volff ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Yes, they are. My preferred local tester has been doing them for a week or two.

No, I don't yet have one, because they have such a backlog due to the extra time/hassle the 'poooter is causing them that - instead of just dropping the car up there and getting it back an hour or two later, on Friday they still had a couple of cars from early am by mid afternoon.

It's crap already when they all go online I wouldn't be surprised if its more off than on :O)