MOT test centres and garages across the UK are experiencing massive workloads as they tackle a backlog of MOT tests. The increase has been caused by a combination of garages being forced to close at the start of the pandemic and drivers being granted a six-month MOT extension between March and August last year.
As a result, from now until February 2022 is expected to be incredibly busy for garages as they try to accommodate all the MOTs that would normally be due during this period plus all the ones that were delayed six months by last year’s extension.
Since September, Service MOT Repairs Ltd, which is based on the Round Spinney Industrial Estate in Northampton, has seen the number of MOTs it is carrying out rise from four or five a day before the pandemic to 10 a day.
Director Alex Isherwood, who is a qualified motor vehicle technician with nearly two decades of experience in the motor trade, has pledged to keep as many motorists on the road as possible by hiring new staff and introducing new products and services.
These include offering free winter health checks and using the patented TerraClean technology which cleans the inside of vehicles’ fuel systems to improve engine performance and reduce both emissions and costs by increasing the lifespan
of components.
Alex explained:
“The MOT extension means garages are currently trying to fit in 12 months of work into six months. The situation has been further exacerbated by the fact there are fewer garages now than there were before the pandemic. Our industry was badly hit and at the height of the pandemic more than 60% of UK garages were forced to close temporarily – sadly not all of them have reopened.
“Drivers are struggling to find garages that can take their MOT bookings so we’d urge motorists to plan ahead as much as possible and to be proactive about their vehicle maintenance – which is why we are actively offering other products and services that will enable them to do this.
“Motorists need to be aware this isn’t just going to be a problem this year. Until the current cars on the roads are replaced with newer models, things will remain incredibly busy for garages well into 2022 and beyond. Realistically, we may not see things return to the way they were before the pandemic for another 10 years.
“However, there are things that drivers can do to help. We’d urge them to have their services done during the quieter part of the year and to take advantage of our free winter health checks and our TerraClean Fuel System Cleaning service to keep their cars well maintained.
“If motorists work with garages they trust, like ours, to maintain their vehicles during the year, the likelihood is they’ll sail through their MOTs or only have minor faults that need correcting.
“This is good news for motorists and for garages because if vehicles are well maintained their MOTs don’t tend to take as long. By working together, we can help more of us to stay on the roads safely.”
Service MOT Repairs Ltd is also offering a Repair Plan that allows drivers to spread the cost of their work over three payments, interest free, and has invested in a new computer system to provide customers with detailed reports about their vehicles and to give them online booking options, which will launch soon.
Visit us for further information, or to book an MOT or call 01604 491011.
