Ministers set to review MOT tests

[Sysman]

Based on my local Nationwide Autocentre, they just use MOTs as a bit of a loss leader to try to sell you servicing. Most garages seem to operate the "your brake pads are looking a little worn, would you like us to replace them?" scam too.

I remember KwikFit trying this one on me when my rear brakes seized up. I'd heard the tales but still got off lightly when compared to a main dealer.

They underestimated what a swine of a job fixing the brakes was on that car. I went to a specialist clutch place when that need doing though, and they gave me a fixed price quote.

[TimberWolf]

But what rich people want is poor & chavvy people to take more MOTs coupled with some sort of reform of the MOT / insurance system in order to keep the number of uninsured deathtraps driven by morons on Britain's roads to a minimum.

Who cares what rich people want. I suspect with most accidents it's the driver rather than the car at fault. Give a person a safer car and he'll drive it faster.

Young male, rich morons and white van man MOT's would be more effective.

[xoggoth]

white van man

OI!! Stop with the racist comments about us white van men! We are brilliant drivers. We hardly ever murder people or abduct small children either.

[Epiphone]

Just wait until they put VAT on an MOT at the next budget...

[Sysman]

Was it an E type?

Notorious for the evilness of the inboard rear brakes.

Watched one poor soul working on his through a tiny hole in the transmission tunnel.

It didn't look much fun.

A Renault GT thingy with ventilated disks or some such. It certainly had the Kwik Fit lot looking pretty unhappy by the time they were done.

Going back to my student jobs days, I recall a mechanic bleating about the Renault 4 being sold as an econony car, but the book time to change brake shoes was about 3 weeks*.

* exaggerating, but it made the bills a bit hefty for the little old lady who had the thing.

This reminds me of the old VT52 DEC terminals. Something in the power supply regularly went Phut! and the book time was 45 minutes to disassemble the beast, 45 minutes to reassemble. Changing the actual part took all of a couple of minutes.