My Volvo car coughed and spluttered. I took it to my usual garage, an independent in a village which usually had a queue of customers outside. They phoned me. "It's the EGR valve. £500". I said OK do it. They changed the EGR Valve and I paid the money. I asked for the old EGR valve, took it home and it didn't look at all bad. Next week, the car coughed and spluttered. I took it back to the garage. "Its the EGR valve computer. £450". I said do it. So £950 for a £450 job and no you can't have the money back for the part that was OK in the first place. So I didn't go there again.
Next, an intermittent message appeared on the speedo cluster: Anti skid service required. It was intermittent, and I had changed all the brakes which I knew were fine. I went to the MOT garage to book it in. I asked the guy if this message comes up but it passes all the brake tests would that pass or fail? The MOT tester looked through all the regulations and said if there are no warning lights on, and it passes the brake test it will pass. So I booked it in, took it for the test and the other tester bloke tested it. The message came up and he failed it. I protested and asked why, when the brake test is perfect. He said it MIGHT be a fault. I took it to another garage who plugged his diagnostic computer in and it said ABS pump faulty. He said 'A new one is £1000 or I know a bloke in a shed who reconditions them for £500. What do you want to do?" I said I want to leave you the keys and I'll walk home and post you the V5. He said 'Oh, do you want to sell it?" I thought ' what, for actual money?' Yes. He knew someone and I quickly sold it for £1000 less than its true value. A month later I took my daughter's car there to have a spring changed. I asked about the Volvo. He said Oh it was just a £50 sensor. I know the local chief of everything to do with MOTs, he trains testers, examines testers and inspects their garages. He said they had no right to fail the car, it should have passed.
So now, dear readers, you know why I despise computerisation of vehicles and why I bought a 1983 Mercedes and a 1999 Transit based Autosleeper.
And I have found an honest garage which does the job that is necessary, not the jobs that earn them an extra £500. And it does MOTs. I don't go to the previous garages and I don't go to that incompetent MOT test station.
