A ‘service’ – not to be confused with an ‘MOT’

When is a ‘service’ not a ‘service’, and how much, if anything,  inspected during a ‘service’ would be the same as an MOT?

In a Transport Research Laboratory report assessing the road safety affects of reduced MOT frequency, the authors made the assumption that half of all motorists would be conscientious regarding their vehicle’s condition in a non-MOT year. Yet all most motorists could do to achieve that would be to ensure their vehicles get a ‘service’ in that middle year, which is quite different from an MOT. And how can some garages offer a ‘service’ for just £50? We explore the complex world of vehicle servicing – and how it ‘sits’ with the MOT Test.

When a ‘Service’ is not a ‘service’.

Theoretically vehicle servicing should ensure the vehicle is maintained in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations. But it’s not that simple, the definition of a ‘service’ varies from one manufacturer to another, and when vehicles fall out of warranty and become serviced in the independent sector, what comprises ‘a service’ becomes very uncertain indeed. It’s then largely dependent on what individual independent garages offer to their customers, and how they ‘pitch’ their advertising.
For example, there’s a ‘short’ service – probably a simple cursory inspection and fluid check; an, ‘engine’ service – changing the plugs (petrol engine) oil and filter and that’s it; and, a ‘full’ service where the brakes are dismantled and checked as well as a host of other items.

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Garages’ advertising offers, however, often only refer to a ‘service’. Few motorists know what these terms means, what’s being done to their car, and will have no idea that even a ‘full’ service still doesn’t check as many components as are checked during an MOT inspection – but, and this is the key point, most will assume that it is.
Then there’s those baffling, ‘special’ offers? “Service and MOT £50 all included…” How can they do that? We called one such local MOT garage with just such an offer. We said we’d got a BMW 5 series, and could they confirm that fifty quid price. “Well, no”, came the answer, “that doesn’t apply because your BMW has six cylinders…”, and probably, if you ask further you’ll find that the advert only offers a rudimentary check of fluids and tyre pressures. A ‘proper’ full service on that BMW will actually cost well over two hundred pounds (even more at a dealership); “that’s if we don’t find anything wrong with the brakes ‘guv”. Such practices are wrong, called ‘switch selling’, and are illegal, although its difficult to prove.

Customer expectations…

A key element in operating any car vehicle repair and service business is to make sure customers know exactly what they are going to get for their money before you even lay a spanner on the car. It’s not rocket science – it’s about making sure that you are providing what customers are expecting at a price they expect to pay – in short, ‘meeting customer’s expectations’.

Customer quality isn’t only about what happens inside the garage’s workshop, it also turns on the conversation at the reception desk when the car is booked in. Doing a good job is vital, but if your mechanics do the best job in the world, it won’t be good enough if the work done is less than the customer is expecting – and this applies especially if you are carrying out a Service together with an MOT Test.

Service and MOT…

Over the last five years or so there has developed an increasing trend for motorists to have their service at the same time as the annual MOT. Despite the uncertainties noted above, most in the trade would recognise a ‘full service’ as comprising at least the following ‘core’ items inspected and replaced if necessary, for example:

• Brakes dismantled, brake pads and/or brake shoes examined and replaced as needed, as well as other parts of the braking system, but at extra cost to the customer.
• Tyres checked for wear, but not necessarily to MOT standard as non-MOT Testing Stations may not have the necessary tread depth gauge or be fully conversant with the regulations (they can rely on the tyre’s ‘wear bars’) – tyre pressure will also be checked.
• Brake fluid level checked – and perhaps the fluid checked for quality, depending on the mileage or age of the vehicle.
• Light bulbs checked.
• Windscreen wipers/washers checked.
• Oil and air filters replaced as needed.
• Other filters changed – petrol filter, engine air filter and the pollen filter (if applicable).
• All fluid levels checked and topped up together with checking the anti-freeze strength in the cooling system.
• On more modern vehicles, the ‘service light’ re-set as required.
• Spare wheel condition and inflation pressure checked.

During a service, items are replaced if considered to be worn to an extent that they would require replacement in the relatively near future – say three to six months. For many components this is a subjective judgement of the mechanic doing the work, although in some cases, brake disc thickness for example, a set ‘service standard’ might apply. This would not apply during an MOT check – the condition then is ‘at the time of Test’. So how does an MOT check compare with a ‘service’?
A ‘Full service’ – both less than, and more than an MOT.

The MOT Test is a very comprehensive and highly proscriptive inspection of a defined list of specific so called ‘Testable items’ on a vehicle, judged to a minimum safety standard, with the pass/failure criteria only applicable ‘on the day of the Test’. This latter is why, during a service, a replaced item may be in acceptable condition to pass the MOT but is unacceptable by the ‘service’ criteria. No dismantling of components is allowed during an MOT. The following MOT checks would be unlikely to be inspected during a ‘full service’: