Cost of MOT

[Mr Bean]

I do all my own stuff from the simple oil changes throught to virtual rebuilds including fabrication, welding and resprays. Trouble is the skills have been aquired over half a century of including such totures as laying under vehicles is the snow at midnight so I could get to work next day etc. You clearly haven't had that dubious pleasure and were probably doing something quite pleasant while the chap was fixing your van. Had you bought a brand new van you probably wouldn't have got off so cheap for a mandatory regular service and you would probably be paying monthly installments on top of that. They didn't do much that couldn't be done by a half decent DIYer but they got to make a living too you know. You didn't do too bad in my books. My mate's Merc dealership wanted £80 for a gear lever knob and they could well have wanted anything up to £90/hour for fitting it. I must admit though that my T25 has cost me more and been grotesquely less reliable than all my previously many "bangers" put together. As an areospace engineer I am somewhat disapointed in the somewhat fragile engineering I am seeing in certain areas of the T25. The term built like a brick S...house doesn't quite work for me for the T25 although there has been many times when the "S" word has seemed appropriate. I am prepared to give it another chance though....
Cheers
Wolfie

[tone]

I now feel suitably chastised for may be not appreciatiing that garages are there to make a living.

My original "gripe" was the apparent excessive cost of the brake shoes and the endeavour to find out what is the going rate - from the helpful responses to this thread it transpires that the £70 whilst at the upper end of what you would pay is not totally unreasonable. The £298 bill included £111 for the parts ( 2 rear cylinders and 4 shoes ) 2 hrs labour at £50 an hour ( average going rate ) £25 for the service ( topping up of fluids and general check round - no parts ) and £45 for Mot - plus VAT on everything except the Mot

Other than the cost of the linings I had no complaint. I also have to admit to spending a very pleasant day relaxing whilst they were working on my van - that's why I paid them £50 an hour.

Any way we're off out up the "downs" in a minute to enjoy a fry up in the great outdoors - "priceless " as somebody has already said.


Tony ( aka "seemingly Grumpy old man "

I do all my own stuff from the simple oil changes throught to virtual rebuilds including fabrication, welding and resprays. Trouble is the skills have been aquired over half a century of including such totures as laying under vehicles is the snow at midnight so I could get to work next day etc. You clearly haven't had that dubious pleasure and were probably doing something quite pleasant while the chap was fixing your van. Had you bought a brand new van you probably wouldn't have got off so cheap for a mandatory regular service and you would probably be paying monthly installments on top of that. They didn't do much that couldn't be done by a half decent DIYer but they got to make a living too you know. You didn't do too bad in my books. My mate's Merc dealership wanted £80 for a gear lever knob and they could well have wanted anything up to £90/hour for fitting it. I must admit though that my T25 has cost me more and been grotesquely less reliable than all my previously many "bangers" put together. As an areospace engineer I am somewhat disapointed in the somewhat fragile engineering I am seeing in certain areas of the T25. The term built like a brick S...house doesn't quite work for me for the T25 although there has been many times when the "S" word has seemed appropriate. I am prepared to give it another chance though....
Cheers
Wolfie