Car MOT Doncaster area

[Memories]

I have recently put my car in for an MOT, not knowing the area that well I chose Key Kars Workshop in Thorne.

 

I feel a need to tell you all, particularly anyone on a marina with a car in or near Thorne Doncaster.

 

However, I shall wait until I get the car back, suffice it to say at this point the car is not back with me and should have been.

 

This will not be a good report or recommendation.

 

Have any of you used this garage?

 

According to the guy in the garage they do a lot of cars from Staniland, Blue Water, National Narrowboats and the boating club.

 

What has your experience been?

[Momac]

You can check online to see if the car has passed or failed . 

Or if there is no record they have not yet done the test .

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

 

 

[Memories]

17 minutes ago, Momac said:

You can check online to see if the car has passed or failed . 

Or if there is no record they have not yet done the test .

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

 

 

It failed, I knew it had failed when I posted the comment.

 

The issue is that it was supposed to be back Thursday and I told them it MUST be back by then as I needed to be somewhere today.

 

They agreed it would be ready.

 

I am still waiting! They can't contracted the job out to someone who does not have a workshop so couldn't work on it in the rain, how stupid can you get.

 

A time sensitive repair farmed out in winter to someone who does not have the facilities to complete the repair unless it's good weather.

[matty40s]

Someone who can't spell Kar shouldnt be working on Kars

[Alan de Enfield]

3 hours ago, Memories said:

The issue is that it was supposed to be back Thursday and I told them it MUST be back by then as I needed to be somewhere today.

 

How do you know they have subcontracted the work out - and if so - do you know to whom ?

You could try and chase up the subcontractor

 

 

If the car has failed its MOT, it is not roadworthy & it cannot be used, or moved, except to somewhere to do the necessary rectification work.

You cannot (legally) take it home, take it out and 'go to work' or, do the shopping using it. It can ONLY be used to go to the repair shop.

If an ANPR camera sees you driving an MOT failure you'll have a 'bit of trouble' knocking on your front door.

Edited February 27 by Alan de Enfield

[Momac]

3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

If the car has failed its MOT, it is not roadworthy & it cannot be used, or moved, except to somewhere to do the necessary rectification work.

You cannot (legally) take it home, take it out and 'go to work' or, do the shopping using it. It can ONLY be used to go to the repair shop.

If an ANPR camera sees you driving an MOT failure you'll have a 'bit of trouble' knocking on your front door.

Locally on the Lincoln bypass the police were stopping and impounding  cars with no mot/tax/insurance  the other week. They were using a garden centre car park to process the drivers. I think they had been busy all day and had caught quite a few . 

 

 

[Memories]

1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

How do you know they have subcontracted the work out - and if so - do you know to whom ?

You could try and chase up the subcontractor

 

 

If the car has failed its MOT, it is not roadworthy & it cannot be used, or moved, except to somewhere to do the necessary rectification work.

You cannot (legally) take it home, take it out and 'go to work' or, do the shopping using it. It can ONLY be used to go to the repair shop.

If an ANPR camera sees you driving an MOT failure you'll have a 'bit of trouble' knocking on your front door.

They told me they had sent it to a guy to do the welding, unfortunately they didn't tell me who or even where they had sent the car to.

 

The car was due back yesterday, they've had it since Monday Morning, I called at around 3:45 yesterday as they hadn't called me to say it was ready.

 

That's when the guy at key kars said, it's not my fault it isn't ready, I can't control the weather, at that point I lost it and gave him a few choice words.

 

Apparently, it will not be ready before next Tuesday, no offer of a courtesy car even when I had explained I had to be somewhere today and needed the car.

 

This garage is a joke.

Everyone should avoid taking their car there.

 

Not being able to get to where I was supposed to be has cost me a fair amount of money.

 

 

[Tonka]

Maybe you need to take more care of your car

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Memories said:

They told me they had sent it to a guy to do the welding, unfortunately they didn't tell me who or even where they had sent the car to.

 

The car was due back yesterday, they've had it since Monday Morning, I called at around 3:45 yesterday as they hadn't called me to say it was ready.

 

That's when the guy at key kars said, it's not my fault it isn't ready, I can't control the weather, at that point I lost it and gave him a few choice words.

 

Apparently, it will not be ready before next Tuesday, no offer of a courtesy car even when I had explained I had to be somewhere today and needed the car.

 

This garage is a joke.

Everyone should avoid taking their car there.

 

Not being able to get to where I was supposed to be has cost me a fair amount of money.

 

 

I hate to say it, but you haven't got the bill yet, that could be worse than the service.

[Memories]

2 hours ago, Tonka said:

Maybe you need to take more care of your car

My car is an 06 plate mate, the car has had the same bodywork for 20 years, and the only the Ng it failed on was the sills, so I think it can be said that my car has been very well looked after.

 

What's your car? A Tonka Toy!

[Memories]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I hate to say it, but you haven't got the bill yet, that could be worse than the service.

£850 definitely worse than the MOT or a service.

[Memories]

2 hours ago, Tonka said:

Maybe you need to take more care of your car

Just for any moderator that may be reading the last reply I made this post and to anyone who isn't familiar......

Tonka Toys were children's toys that were marketed as being indestructible...an iconic advert at the time had an elephant stood on a Tonka Toy dumper truck.

[brianthesnail96]

Certainly around here at the moment there seems to be about 2 week's lead time on most unplanned garage work beyond a service or basic stuff, based on the experience of a few mates/ colleagues who have had to have work done on their cars recently. Sounds like they'd tried to make alternative arrangements to help you out, bet they wish they'd just said "needs the sills doing mate, bring it back when you've got them sorted and we'll retest it"

 

The gearbox went in my Land Rover early December and I couldn't get anyone to fit a replacement until mid January, it's just one of those things.

Edited February 27 by brianthesnail96

[Memories]

13 minutes ago, brianthesnail96 said:

Certainly around here at the moment there seems to be about 2 week's lead time on most unplanned garage work beyond a service or basic stuff, based on the experience of a few mates/ colleagues who have had to have work done on their cars recently. Sounds like they'd tried to make alternative arrangements to help you out, bet they wish they'd just said "needs the sills doing mate, bring it back when you've got them sorted and we'll retest it"

 

The gearbox went in my Land Rover early December and I couldn't get anyone to fit a replacement until mid January, it's just one of those things.

I could have bought two FULL sills for well under a hundred, ground down and removed the old ones and paid one of the guys on the marina to weld the new ones on, two days work at most including paint.

 

The point of the original post is the idiotic decision to send a body repair job to someone who hasn't got a workshop and relays on good weather to do such jobs in winter.

 

They knew I needed the car back agreed it would be then didn't even bother to call to say that there was an issue.

 

If I had known last Friday that the car wouldn't be ready I would have had ample time to make alternative transport arrangements, but no they said fetch it in on Monday morning and it will be back on Thursday.

 

No excuse for it.

[brianthesnail96]

Well why didn't you? Surely they contacted you to say it'd failed the MOT on xyz and did you want it sorting out, you could have saved yourself loads of bother by saying no ta, I'll get my friendly welder at the Marina who is just sat around twiddling his thumbs to do it tomorrow for half the money.

 

I could have done the gearbox on the Land Rover myself but having helped my ex boss do a transfer box swap on his lying on my back on a gravel drive while snow fell around me I decided I'd wait and pay a man... No regrets.

 

I get that it's frustrating but it feels very much like the reality of life to me and probably not worth the level of drama that's being applied. It does also demonstrate why at work I always tell people how long things will take, and then when they ask if it could be done quicker, there's 168 hours in a week after all, I say yes it could be but it won't be because reality always gets in the way...

[IanM]

A lot of forums have a no name and shame policy for threads just like this. At the moment we only have the OP’s side of events and I very much doubt that the garage is aware of what the OP is saying about them in public. 
 

Three sides to every story and all that.

 

Things over-run and unfortunately the trend seems to be to just go online and moan about a company rather than work with them and see how the issue can be resolved. 
 

I’ve also just seen the timeline. You started  this thread only a few hours after the car was meant to be finished! If it was a week I could understand but it wasn’t even a day. 

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

As others have noted there does seem to be a longer time to repair things than used to be the case. Our 25 year old car needed some welding for last years MOT. The garage uses two different people to weld but one was off with a bad back the other on holiday. It took 3 weeks, luckily it’s not an everyday car. 
 

There seems to be less decent mechanics and less decent welders with an increased population. Plus cost of materials has gone up hugely. 
 

At least the cars not being done by a main dealer. You would be looking at 1,500 to £2,000 but they would quite likely find 16 other “faults” on the MOT. Fortunately gov we have just the car for you that’s just come in, cheap at the price. Happened to me first MOT. Failed on 12 things, It passed for £60 at a decent mechanic we used the car and them for 15 years afterwards. 

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

Another point is that the subcontractor may have hit a problem with obtaining parts, I doubt many factors hold pattern panels in stock for a 20-year-old car with today's "just in time" distribution. The factors the subby contacted could well have thought the panels would be with them the next day, only to find they no UK stock and waiting for an import. Lack of communication seems a legitimate complaint, but not a lot else before we hear the other side's view.

[Tonka]

My car went in for an MOT and service last Monday and to get a slight coolant leak fixed. Monday afternoon I rang them. The MOT passed, service done and they had found a corroded coolant pipe which would be in the next day but needed 4 hours to change. Now obviously the next days priority are the cars booked in and then they will work on the others. The exhaust and propshaft had to be disconnected to change the pipe.

I got it back Wednesday and accept it is part of life.

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

12 hours ago, brianthesnail96 said:

I get that it's frustrating but it feels very much like the reality of life to me and probably not worth the level of drama that's being applied. It does also demonstrate why at work I always tell people how long things will take, and then when they ask if it could be done quicker, there's 168 hours in a week after all, I say yes it could be but it won't be because reality always gets in the way...

 I agree a bit high level drama over something that, if anything is far from boater related and not really of interest to boaters generally. Maybe put it on the local WhatsApp group if you want to moan about local businesses, but I’m sure the locals already have their regular local business they use. As Thorne is quite a small locals town and nothing like the size of Doncaster, so I don’t know why the title says Doncaster, maybe should just be Thorne area?

 If moored at Stannilands lots of boaters/locals use the Marina pub. So maybe should have asked the locals who they’d recommend. Also lots of boaters on site with cars to ask if they don’t use the pub. Obviously new to boating life and not taking notice of the phrase “seek local knowledge” 

 

 

Edited February 28 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Memories]

14 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 I agree a bit high level drama over something that, if anything is far from boater related and not really of interest to boaters generally. Maybe put it on the local WhatsApp group.

 If moored at Stannilands lots of boaters/locals use the Marina pub. So maybe should have asked the locals who they’d recommend. Also lots of boaters on site with cars to ask if they don’t use the pub. Obviously new to boating life and not taking notice of the phrase “seek local knowledge” 

 

 

I seek local knowledge if you look at the OP.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 minute ago, Memories said:

I seek local knowledge if you look at the OP.

Better sought on a more general forum local to S Yorkshire. Very few people on CWDF have a car and live in Thorne, Doncaster area out of the total. 

[Memories]

16 minutes ago, BoatingLifeUpNorth2 said:

 I agree a bit high level drama over something that, if anything is far from boater related and not really of interest to boaters generally. Maybe put it on the local WhatsApp group if you want to moan about local businesses, but I’m sure the locals already have their regular local business they use.

 If moored at Stannilands lots of boaters/locals use the Marina pub. So maybe should have asked the locals who they’d recommend. Also lots of boaters on site with cars to ask if they don’t use the pub. Obviously new to boating life and not taking notice of the phrase “seek local knowledge” 

 

 

It must also be pointed out that having your car on the road is essential for loads of boater in order for them to earn money which in turn keeps them afloat.

 

 

[BoatingLifeUpNorth2]

11 minutes ago, Memories said:

I seek local knowledge if you look at the OP.

You haven’t said you sought local knowledge or was recommended this garage in you opening post.

 But you are asking if anyone has used this garage and what has been their experience. Maybe you should have asked this question to the locals before you took your car there?

 Do you moor at Stannilands?

57 minutes ago, Memories said:

It must also be pointed out that having your car on the road is essential for loads of boater in order for them to earn money which in turn keeps them afloat.

 

 

But you would be better off putting it on the local WhatsApp group or a car forum. Sounds like you’ve just come on here with it, to slag the garage off. Which  99.9% of people on here won’t know and would of never used and if you are moored at Stannilands you could also vent your frustration in the pub over a couple of beers to the locals.
 

Edited February 28 by BoatingLifeUpNorth2

[Wafi]

As others have said, this is what happens if you take a beater car for an MOT. Garages are businesses, and they stay in business by planning their work schedule to stay busy. If you book your car in for new tyres, a new exhaust or a straightforward service, they know how much work is involved and what parts they'll need, they'll plan accordingly, and your car will almost certainly be ready on schedule. If it turns out that something else needs doing, it's normal for the work to take a little longer.

 

If you book an old beater in for an MOT and "whatever needs doing", the garage have no way of knowing the work involved until they inspect the vehicle. Most will try to fit additional work in, on a best-efforts basis, or find someone else who's available to do the work, again on a best-efforts basis. Of course the subcontractors who have availability at very short notice are not necessarily the best in the trade or the most reliable; there's a reason they're not already fully booked. If you'd booked your car in with a complete, detailed and accurate list of all the work that needed doing, it would most likely have been ready on schedule. Since you weren't able to tell them what work was required (understandably), you have to accept their best efforts. You could have taken the car away (on a trailer if it's not roadworthy) and booked it in to have the work done at a later date; in that scenario the garage might have a fighting chance of competing the work on schedule (if no other issues became apparent during that work). Since that's not going to happen, you have to accept that the work you didn't tell them needed doing will take as long as it takes. Added to that, a car mechanic's core skill is working on cars; some have good people skills, some don't. When asked for a completion date some people will always yield to the temptation of telling the customer what they want to hear, especially if that customer is a bit confrontational.

 

TL;DR: If you need a car for something important, you should *never* book it into a garage immediately beforehand; for something immovable like a holiday I'd always allow a couple of weeks, even for a fairly new vehicle that's unlikely to have any hidden defects.