Van insurance and your MoT – you can’t take to the road without either and the condition of one may well have an affect on the cost of the other. No one likes going through either, as you feel you’re often at the mercy of people who are only in business to extract as much cash from you as is legally possible for the transaction you are about to enter into. In some instances, as has been well documented, MoT dealers have been accused of adding items to your bill that haven’t even been inspected, let alone replaced.
Over recent years, the rise and rise of the comparison website has kept your once cheap van insurance policy slightly in check, wherever possible, but the same cannot be said for your MoT. If you don’t know someone in the game – not every street has a Kevin Webster – you are bound by their word that what they say needs correcting to pass the test does; and being British, we don’t like to call them a liar or, much less, take the car away and go get a second opinion. Although that would be our rite, if we so chose to do so.
Many people who own a van do so because they have to. Their business and livelihood depend upon it and sometimes you can get the impression that mechanics know it. But one thing you must not let happen is emotion to override common sense – they are professionals at what they do just like you are in your trade of choice; if they say it needs fixing you have to psychologically go with the train of thought that they’ve got your best interest at heart and that they’re fixing your van in line with legislation in order to save you suffering calamitous effects at some stage in the near future whilst you’re on the road. Effects that could have a more serious impact than just adding a few quid onto your next van insurance premium or losing you your no claims bonus.
In another of today’s articles, we’ll take a quick overview of what you, the van driver, can do to prevent being ‘charged the market rate’ (a polite way of saying ripped off, to which one of my previous MD’s will attest) when it’s time for your MoT, at least giving you the opportunity to put those things right that you can in advance, rather than leave everything up to the mechanic on the day of the test and contributing to their hourly rate, when there are things that even the unskilled driver can address.
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