Do you have questions about car maintenance or opinions on your previous experiences when sorting out an MOT or service? Ask Quick Lane - £200 voucher to be won

[LucyBMumsnet]

Quick Lane CEO David Alexander and Centre Manager Vicky Oakes have answered Mumsnet users questions on car maintenance and MOTs. Click here to read what they had to say.

Your car’s MOT may have you worrying about the amount of work that will need doing, how long your car could be out of action for and how much you’ll be out of pocket, but it’s crucial that your vehicle can get you from A to B safely. However, lots of people find the world of car maintenance and servicing confusing, and aren’t sure about what they should expect.

With this in mind, Quick Lane is here to help answer your questions about the car servicing industry and what you should expect when you’re getting an MOT or your car serviced. They’d like to hear about the experiences you’ve had in the past, and whether there’s anything putting you off of engaging more heavily with car maintenance, so that they can help you understand how to have a less stressful experience in the future. Quick Lane CEO David Alexander and Centre Manager Vicky Oakes will be answering your questions.

Do you have questions about whether your experience of car servicing or getting an MOT was what it should be? Perhaps you have questions about the car servicing industry and your perceptions of it? If you’re distrustful of the car servicing industry, perhaps you have questions about what you should look out for?

Here’s what Quick Lane has to say: “Quick Lane is a movement to change previously disappointing, intimidating or surprising interactions when looking to get your car serviced or worse, in a disruptive situation like a punctured tyre or an MOT failure. At Quick Lane our ambition is to build a business whereby a community of vehicle owners can be confident that any question regarding their vehicle will be addressed in the right way by experts – we’re supporting this with our Quality Assurance Check. It doesn’t cost Quick Laner Customers anything and we complete them on all the vehicles we see to provide our customers with all the information they need to keep them and their families safe and mobile.”

Want to know who will be responding to your questions and comments? Find some information on David and Vicky from Quick Lane below:

David Alexander, Quick Lane CEO
David has been the CEO of Quick Lane for just over a year, after working for likes of British Gas and Europcar. He was brought into Quick Lane for his experience within customer services and his non-automotive background to try and bring new energy to the sector rather than the tried and tested.

Vicky Oakes, Quick Lane Centre Manager
Vicky started her time with Quick Lane as a Service Advisor receiving high volumes of 5-star customer reviews. Because of her dedication to customer satisfaction and continuing the brand mission detailed earlier by CEO David Alexander, Vicky has been promoted to Centre Manager.

Whether you’ve got a burning question or an experience to share, let Quick Lane know by posting on this thread and their experts will join the conversation and address some of the queries raised.

All who post on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

I'll be honest and say that although I own & drive a car, I wouldn't have a clue what I was looking at under the bonnet.
How can I be sure I'm not being ripped off at a garage? Is there anywhere which list standard prices e.g.. of a new set of tyres?
Thanks.

As someone who knows nothing about cars is there any professional boby which garages can belng to? To offer me price of mind when choosing where to take my car. So many stories about being ripped off etc.

Why isn't there some kind of professional standard with garages so that you can trust that you aren't being ripped off?
I've had widely differing quotes with one place saying I needed a lot of work done and when I went for a second opinion, most of it was completely unnecessary. It's not right that they can vary so much and pretty much make stuff up. No-one wants to risk driving an unsafe car.

What’s the best way of checking the reliability of a mechanic/garage for doing services and MOTs?

My car is old so really not worth anything. Is it worth still paying for a full service? What would you suggest?

I last took my car for it’s MOT in October and was so shocked when he rang to say it had failed. Is there any way of knowing before hand what I can expect? Also, does the MOT pick up everything or just certain problems/issues?

Using independent garages to have your car serviced is often much cheaper than using a main dealer.

But how can you be certain that they are using genuine parts, and is it important that they do?

When I first used to book my car in for a service they would ask me what the car mileage was. Now they no longer ask . Why not?

I know little of car mechanics, should I ask someone who does to accompany me when my car needs to be repaired? I have heard of a certain chain who have a habit of adding on things that need to be done in order for them to reach their 'quota'.

My car had its MOT and servicing end of November one of the bulbs has gone in a headlight would I get it replaced free also have to drive into town now Level 4 really frightened as I’m vulnerable

I can change a tyre if I have to. Have made it in minutes on the M4 once mainly because of desperation to get off a busy motorway.

I can do fluids, batteries, jumps and bumps.

Will always help if I see anyone broken down.

For 24 years I've had the RAC who have been increddible every time .

There is no such thing as the quick lane. It's just another middle man trying to overtake.

Oh, and I'm not daft. I knew my Moggie Traveller was a rotten wooden car but it still passed because the 17yr olds testing it didn't.

I spent my life's savings of £750 on a posh car this year. Kept trying to get it back to life but no the beautiful Honda Accord thingy had to be rescued by the RAC twice.

Sold it for 300 quid and bought the cheapest car for 300 that goes on for ever with about £40 worth of petrol in it.

I wanted to keep the big Honda because it was a lovely drive. It owes me about 250 but, hey, a big dream car that goes nowhere is worth nothing to me. Now I've got a silly liitle thing that I enjoy because it delivers.

Why are some MOT’s more expensive than others? Surely an mot should be a standard price as they only do the same thing?

As a woman, I've found a couple of larger chains try and take advantage of the fact that they assume I don't know what they're talking about. This has resulted in them failing my car and stating certain work needs to be done. When I've questioned it, and asked to take the car elsewhere for another opinion they've back tracked and cited a mistake.
How can we avoid this?

I wonder if I should take my car ti the Audi garage or if it's ok to use my local one.

I normally always leave servicing and MOTing to my partner as he is more understanding of cars. It’s not an interest of mine and I’d be worried they’d catch on to that. Is there any tips for what to look out for on an MOT or service card that is standard practice for ‘ripping you off’?

I'm always so nervous that my car will fail it's MOT. Is there things that we can do before hand or check ourselves before booking it in?

At what age of cat is it no longer worth having a car serviced by a main dealer?

What is the difference between summer and winter tyres? I hate driving in winter when it's icy, but can't really afford a second set of tyres plus having to pay someone to fit them.

Would you recommend that work is always done at a brand/dealership garage with genuine parts or is it okay to support local independent garages?

Will there be replies at some point?

For beginners, is there anything you'd recommend to do?

Is there like a website with reputable services that has feedback?

When would you say is the point of no return for a car?

Is there a website which lets you know reasonable prices for different types of repair?

For some reason my local garage always says they've fixed something and they charge x amount. A few weeks later, the same problem is there and yet they still have the audacity to charge again. I wish there was a list of reputable garages.