Old fashioned bike dealers

1st August all tests go up by about 50% - according to TOG.

 

There's a place in Brighton - Gerry Ingrams - that pulled a similar stunt
on me 11 years ago. I've not been back since.

Then there's TPG in Portslade who fail nearly everything on warped discs;
apparently its the way they operate the brakes when it's on the rolling
road.

The place to go in Brighton and Hove is the Motorcycle Centre, Bell Tower
Ind. Est.

This has been a public service announcement.

 

Go to Lloyd Coopers in Watford

I think that they saw that my bike had two wheels and so they passed it

 

This is the one time I like the idea of camera phones.

"You know that fail certificate earlier, well this is me taking a photo
of how you check wheel allignment so I can send it off to swansea for a
second opinion.

Now, about that £15 charge."

 

Pay it more attention.

 

Beav, I'd given you a chance in the 'mugged' thread.

You can **** off now.

 

Exactly what I'd expected from those shoddy, half-arsed unprofessional
cunts.

The MOT is a test of roadworthiness, and the testing centres have a
duty to conduct the test properly.

 

Beav scribbled:

Because it takes 30 seconds to do on most cars, it'll keep the customer
happy and encourage return business?

Jeeze, even *I* can adjust headlight aim.

Cause they have the headlight aim machine so they know *exactly* if its
too high or not. If they're thick enough to not be able to adjust the
aim properly, well it was wrong to start with so they haven't made a
possible "pass" into a "fail", and they can still get someone who knows
to adjust it properly.

Is I'll never use the new "MOT only" places if they give me service
like that.

Of course not, but its just good business sense to do the little
things. My Volvo garage charges over £10 to change a bloody sidelight
bulb! Will I use them again? No. Rip off. (or more like they do 95%
company cars I guess)

 

Beav scribbled:

Something as obvious at that will be defined in the MOT regs I would
have thought. Look em up and tell us.

Having two people do it would be perfectly acceptable IMHO.

 

Ginge scribbled:

Hmm, you'd need to video the whole test though, a photo couldn't show
what else the tester did so it couldn't prove he didn't do a proper
wheel alignment test.

 

But you won't be liable if your own headlight adjustment is incorrect/causes
an accident etc.

Why? You aren't going to come back for a year.

As a matter of interest, how long does it actually take to change the bulb?
Is it 10 minutes? £60 an hour labour cost works out as £10 for 10 minutes so
sounds like they are charging at the same rate as other things. Perhaps the
better question is why do you expect things to be free? If they are, great -
but why do you expect it?

 

And they say time heals all wounds...

 

Not often, they don't. The more common expression is "time heals _old_
wounds".

Actually, google only gives 531 hits for the latter, with 39500 for
"time heals all wounds" so ICBW. But it's much more likely that the
rest of the world is all wrong.

--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`

 

What are your views on the RAC?

 

No - you need your old sig back )

 

FOYRNB
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ GSX-R1000K3
`\\ | //' BOTAFOT#3, SbS#2, UKRMMA#13, DFV#8, SKA#2
`\|/`
`

 

I don't have any. What are yours?

 

Been a member for 20 years, no complaints. Was particually impressed with
the guy who fixed my throttle cable and gave me some mushroom soup with
croutons on a dark and wet yorkshire moor many years ago.

 

dwb scribbled:

No, but like I said:-

So they couldn't let it pass the MOT if they'd tried to adjust it and

I'd still remember them in a years time and go back there if they were
good. Wouldn't you?

Large franchised dealers have a set rate per hour, or a set rate per
job, invariable. Good old fashioned "back street garages" gave you a
guesstimate on the main job, and didn't mind at all doing any extra
little things that you asked them to do for (next to) nothing.

The latter, so long as they are good and know what they're doing, I
consider to be a far better place to go.

But regarding these bulbs, the garage phoned me up and said "blablabla
bulbs need changing, do you want us to do it?" and I just said "yes"
without asking the price, so completely my fault I had them done in
this instance, but I still think £10+ for changing a bulb is way to
much IMO.

I don't expect it.

If I have the choice between somewhere that charges for everything, at
£60ph in your example, or somewhere that'll do the little things for a
pittance, and are good, I'll go there.

Unfortunately old fashioned style service is dying out.

Which garage would you choose? And if its the main £60ph dealer, why?

 

CT scribbled:

LOL!