Questions
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not answered here, call us on 01632 960 118. You will speak to a technician, not a call centre.
MOT
- When is my MOT actually due?
- Exactly one year after the expiry date on your last certificate, not one year after the test. You can test up to one calendar month minus a day before it expires and keep the same anniversary date, which is why testing early costs you nothing.
- Can I drive without a valid MOT?
- Only to a pre-booked test, or to a garage for repairs that have been arranged. Anything else risks a fine of up to £1,000, and your insurance is very likely to be treated as invalid. If the car failed on a dangerous defect you must not drive it at all, including to another garage.
- What is the difference between a minor, a major and a dangerous fault?
- A minor is recorded but you still pass. A major is a fail and must be repaired. A dangerous is a fail and means the car is unroadworthy — it cannot legally leave the site under its own power until it is fixed. Advisories are not faults at all; they are the tester flagging something that will become one.
- What happens if it fails?
- We tell you exactly what failed and what it costs to put right, and you decide. If you have the work done here and the car is retested within ten working days, the retest is free. You are equally free to take it elsewhere — the free retest still stands if it comes back inside that window.
- Does a new car need an MOT?
- Not until the third anniversary of its first registration. After that it is annual. Historic vehicles built more than 40 years ago are usually exempt, though you can still have one tested voluntarily and many owners do.
- Where does your reg checker get its data?
- Two government sources. The DVLA Vehicle Enquiry Service supplies tax status and the current MOT expiry date. The DVSA MOT History API supplies the model and every test recorded since 2005, including advisories. We do not add anything to it and we do not store your registration.
Booking
- Do I need to book, or can I turn up?
- Book if you can — we run three ramps and they fill up, particularly at the end of the month. That said, if you are passing and something sounds wrong, come in. We would rather look at it than have you drive on it.
- How long will you have my car?
- An MOT is about 45 minutes and you are welcome to wait. An interim service is roughly two hours, a full service half a day. Anything involving the gearbox out is usually one to two days. We will give you a realistic answer when you book rather than an optimistic one.
- Can I drop the car off before you open?
- Yes. There is a key safe beside the office door — we send you the code the evening before your booking. Put your keys in, post the ticket through the letterbox, and we will ring you before we start any work.
- Do you offer a courtesy car?
- We have two, free of charge, for jobs booked in advance that will take more than a day. They go quickly so ask when you book. For shorter jobs we can usually run you into Langport and pick you up again.
Servicing
- Will servicing here void my manufacturer's warranty?
- No. EU Block Exemption Regulation has protected your right to use an independent garage since 2003, and it was retained in UK law. We use parts that meet or exceed the original specification and we record the service on the digital service record where the manufacturer supports it.
- How do I know which service my car needs?
- Interim every 6 months or 6,000 miles, full every 12 months or 12,000 miles, major every 24 months or 24,000 miles — whichever comes first. If you do very low mileage, go by the months. Oil degrades with time as well as use.
- Can you use my own parts?
- Yes, and we will charge labour only. We cannot warranty a part we did not supply, and if it fails you will be paying the labour a second time, so we will tell you honestly whether it is a false economy for the job in question.
Payment
- When do I pay?
- On collection, by card, bank transfer or cash. We do not take a deposit for an MOT or a service. For jobs over £600 where the parts are non-returnable we ask for the parts cost up front and explain that when we quote.
- Are your prices inclusive of VAT?
- Every price on this site includes VAT at 20%. If a quote we give you does not, we have made a mistake and the price you were quoted is the price you pay.
- What if the job costs more than the quote?
- We stop and ring you. Nothing gets added to your bill that you have not agreed to first — that includes the small things. If we find extra work while the car is apart, you get a photograph and a price before we carry on.
Not sure what you need?
Call us and describe the problem. We will tell you what is likely and what it will cost.