Independent MOT's Council Testing Stations

[NewcastleFalcon]

I followed this route for my latest MOT......£40 for the test, no retest fee. and if you get a fail first time you can specify precisely to a garage the work needed, or do-it-yourself and book a retest.

I would have no hestiation in doing it again. Courteous service at the Stakeford Workshops of Northumberland County Council, they also have a facility at Hexham.

This site ukmot.com-Council MOT Centres lists those authorities with MOT Test Facilities open to the public. Can't vouch for how comprehensive or accurate it is...for Northumberland it just gives the general Council number but there are 2 testing facilities in the County-just have to go to the website to find them.

Regards Neil

[Stickyfinger]

Good to see Somerset does not do that

[NewcastleFalcon]

Good to see Somerset does not do that

Bit of a controversial question perhaps.....is Bristol part of Somerset or an independent nation of its own?

Bristol has a MOT testing station open to the public Sandy Park, Brislington, Bristol

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/tenders-cont ... t-services

Regards Neil

[Stickyfinger]

What are councils doing public chargeable MoT's for.....??

I would not on principal

[NewcastleFalcon]

First time I have used the facility, but I did like the idea of getting a genuinely independent test. They just do the testing of course, no repairs, and you have to book an appointment. They have the facilities and the testers employed to carry out tests for their own fleet/taxi's etc, and the open to the public bit is a small element of their operation. You can easily find places offering MOT's at prices less than the £40 Council charge, but I would quite happily pay up to the max charge (£54.85) for the "independent" element of the testing.

Regards Neil

[Hell Razor5543]

I seem to recall watching one of the programs on the BBC where the council in question had its own facilities for checking taxis were up to scratch (and they have to have a much more stringent MoT test), and when they were quiet they supplemented their finances by doing normal MoT tests. As they did not do any repairs, they had no ulterior motives in failing a car (or taxi).

[daviemck2006]

When I drove taxis my boss took a taxi for the test, it got failed for something stupid and he proceeded to fall out on the tester big time calling him every profanity known to mankind and then some more. I went down 2 days later with a transit that had the firm's name sign written on the back door. I drove it in over the pit, tester walked up to it, saw the bit of filler on the bottom of the rear door, picked it out with a pocket knife, laughed, looked at me and said that's it failed, serves the bast*** right! I then heard him knocking spots off it underneath until he got his chisel through the cross member a few times. It only failed on corrosion. It's a bad idea to fall out with a council tester when you have 26 motors getting tested twice a year lol