MOT and Servicing is very important, as is any maintenance or repair work that may be required. It is critical for your personal safety and the safety of others, that all work is completed to a high standard. This is why all our servicing, maintenance and repair work is carried out by qualified and highly experienced professionals, and that the MOT Test is carried out on our behalf by an independent MOT Test Station.

It may take a little more effort to get to us, but at Trickett Autoworks you will not leave wondering whether the staff actually knew what they were doing; whether the parts and products used were high quality or the cheapest available; or whether you were sold additional products or services that you did not need.

We appreciate your effort and trust and in return, we ensure that any work you entrust us with, is done properly!



Competitive pricing... All work undertaken by very experienced mechanics... We always use top quality parts and materials... Courtesy Cars available... Comfortable waiting area with free refreshments.

If you are unsure whether MOT tests and Servicing your is really important, then please read on...

MOT's

Some people think of an annual Service and MOT as being an expensive inconvenience, but let’s think about it…

...an MOT is a test conducted by a suitably “trained and qualified professional,” who with his/her experience and the aid of some very expensive technical equipment, will assess whether your vehicle is actually in a safe condition to drive; and that your engine emissions are not polluting the air “that we all breathe,” any more than is absolutely necessary.

Consequently, an MOT Pass gives you another 365 days of transporting you and your loved-ones around, with a comforting reassurance that your vehicles “critical safety components” have all been thoroughly checked, and that your engine emissions are having the least impact on the environment as possible.

What’s more, if there are any components discovered by the MOT Inspectors which are not actually part of the MOT test but they believe are close to becoming faulty and/or unsafe i.e. “Advisories,” then this information will enable you to choose a convenient time to arrange a remedy e.g. you can get quotes, budget for the cost, and then have the work done at a place and time that suits you best.

Obviously, the cost of rectifying any issues that the MOT test discovers can be expensive but ask yourself this, “would you really prefer not to know”?

As an example, I recently had my motorcycle MOT tested and whilst it passed, I was advised that the tyres were approaching the minimum safe tread depth (something that I had not noticed). Whilst I was disappointed at the prospect of having to spend around £200.00 for two new tyres, I am very glad that I was told and for two very important reasons: -

1) I know have the knowledge that it will soon be necessary to replace the tyres and in doing so, it will be far less likely that I will have, or will cause, an accident.

2) If for some reason the police check my tyres before the next MOT test, I won’t end up with 6 points on my driving license and a hefty fine.

Having an MOT is a really good thing, as it provides us with essential information… “information that helps keep us, our family, and everybody else, safer”.

However, what an MOT does not do, is check is whether our vehicles overall condition is in good order, and that leads us onto “Servicing”.

Service (General & Scheduled): -

Most Main Dealerships and Garages will offer a variety of “Service Packages”. These packages will include a long list of maintenance tasks, including an inspection of many components that are not necessarily "safety critical" but are important (although, we would consider that many of these components are actually "safety critical" too e.g. if you are pulling out of a junction into very busy traffic, you would not want a sudden engine failure caused by a dirty fuel filter.

So, if Servicing work is executed well and with good quality parts and materials, e.g. lubricants, filters, drive belts etc, this will help to ensure that all the mechanical components are working properly; that your vehicle will be reliable; that your overall driving experience will be more pleasant; and the value and life expectancy of your vehicle will be greatly improved.

In-short, a Service is all about good "maintenance".

Unlike an MOT, many of these maintenance tasks could be undertaken by the vehicle owner but in reality, very few people either have the time, the tools, or the inclination to do so.

There are different types of Services e.g. Full or Interim Services that include a long list of general maintenance tasks, and there are "Scheduled Services" which are "vehicle specific" and include important additional work NOT covered by a general Service.

A "Scheduled Service" is based on the age or mileage of the vehicle, and whilst this additional work may be an expensive option (sometimes a very expensive option), to ignore these can be a big risk, as the manufacturer will have calculated that specific parts and/or lubricants, will have reached the end of their life expectancy.

WARNING:

If you choose NOT to do a "Scheduled Service," there is a very real risk of a component failure e.g. if your Cam Belt fails which in itself, is a reasonably inexpensive part, then the engine may be very severely damaged... and that's going to be very expensive to repair!

Unless the Service as described above is executed badly, or the provider uses poor quality parts and materials, then your car, the environment, and your personal driving experience, will all significantly benefit from the Service

How do you find a business that you can "trust" to identify what type of Service you need; to do the work properly; to use quality parts and materials; and to charge a fair price?

Unfortunately, this question is not simple to answer.

In reality, almost any Service is better than no Service at all but there is a fundamental flaw in "Trust," i.e. that for many of the Main Dealers and Garages, the only thing that you can actually "Trust," is that their prime motivation for offering vehicle Servicing, is to maximise their own profit margin. For example, two common ways of maximising profit, is for a business to employ "Technicians" rather than experienced "Mechanics" and/or, to use the cheap parts and materials. This may make "good business sense" but "Technicians" rarely have training for doing any work beyond the simplest of general Service tasks, and cheap parts and materials are more likely to fail. Therefore, this annual opportunity to help keep a customer’s vehicle in good working order and reliable, is often being severely compromised.

If you want to rely on more than "blind Trust," we can offer you three suggestions: -

1) Do some research to find a highly recommended garage (one that employs experienced and qualified Mechanics to Service your vehicle).

2) Find out what the age/mileage related Service Schedule is for your vehicle, and talk this over with the Mechanic.

Come to Trickett Autoworks, as we only employ very experienced Mechanics; we only use manufacturer recommended parts and materials (or better); we never try to sell you parts or services you don't need; and our prime motivation is to offer our customer's a "high quality and value for money" service. Our profits come from "good old fashions hard work," and definitely not from taking advantage of our customer's lack of mechanical knowledge.

To enhance our customer's Service options further, we are now introducing a new "Keepers MOT & Service" package. This option has been specifically designed for people who intend to keep their Car, Commercial Van, Pickup Truck, 4x4 Off-Road Vehicle; Camper Van or Motorhome, for well over three years.

Whether it's for an environmental or economic reason, we know that if any vehicle is cared for properly, it will can last many years, and be as reliable as a new car.

'Old' and 'Reliable' - is this really possible?

Yes, but it takes a slightly different mind-set so to kick things off, let's first think about a Commercial Passenger Aircraft... like any motor vehicle, an aeroplane is just a collection of parts e.g. engines, steering mechanisms, wheels, bulbs, seats, carpets, air-conditioning, etc. Yet the average life expectancy for such an aircraft is going to around 30 years and over this time, it will travel many millions of miles.

An Aircraft has to be 100% reliable because if a component fails, simply pulling over onto the hard-shoulder and calling the AA is not an option.

In reality, the only significant difference between a Commercial Passenger Aircraft and a Motor Vehicle, is that because the consequences of any reliability issue on aircraft can be so severe, that all maintenance work (both "General" and "Scheduled"), is done to a high standard and on time. In fact, if you look into the history of Aircraft disasters (which are very rare), the route cause is almost never a component failure.

So, to achieve 30 or more years of reliable service from our motor vehicles, our mind-set just needs to adopt a similar maintenance philosophy to the Aircraft Industry.

Mathematically NO, it is the cheapest way of owning a reliable motor vehicle. However, whether an individual can always afford to meet the rigorous maintenance schedule, well that's another thing e.g. will you put some of the money you saved by not buying a newer car aside for maintenance, or will you simply spend the saved money elsewhere?

So, if you really want to help preserve our environment and/or save a lot of money, owning an "old and reliable" car is very possible.

If you would like to see the "Maths," click HERE. (Maths available soon).