Whats going on with MOT Availability at the moment?

moglie

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Lurgan
Whats going on with MOT availability at the moment? Seems to be absolute chaos. Have several cars sold or provisionally sold pending MOT and have been checking for nigh on a week now for availability and the earliest slot is like 3/4 weeks away. I've been checking availability at basically every centre in NI and scouring the online portal for cancellations without any joy.

Anyone know any contacts at an MOT centre who wants to fire through a few cars ^o):joy:
 

NickR

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A6/E39 530i
I booked the Passat in for its mot in coleraine at the end of February and the first available date was the 22nd March. Seems to be even worse in some of the other centres when I checked too.
 

NI_Volvo_Nut

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It generally is a 4-6 week waiting time, you can just hit lucky and get appointments on the day, you need to be looking at around 9am
 

azzamut

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i find if you go on about 8.15am you can get lucky. But they do say at the centres 9am
 

paddymcc

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Newry
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C63
Whats going on with MOT availability at the moment? Seems to be absolute chaos. Have several cars sold or provisionally sold pending MOT and have been checking for nigh on a week now for availability and the earliest slot is like 3/4 weeks away. I've been checking availability at basically every centre in NI and scouring the online portal for cancellations without any joy.

Anyone know any contacts at an MOT centre who wants to fire through a few cars ^o):joy:

Have you tried the portal at abut half 8 /quarter to 9 in the mornings?

I believe the cancellations are put onto the portal around those times and has worked for me booking cancellations in Newry in the past.
 

Lyons

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Texarkana
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MOT’d both within the last couple of months. When I booked the nearest date was a good few weeks away. But throughout the days that followed I just refreshed every now and then and was able to get both within a week of booking.
 

Burt2000

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Type RA Ltd
Same as above. I was able to get a cancellation handy enough if your online when they are released.
 

moglie

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moglie
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Lurgan
Spoke directly with the mot booking line today. They said that cancellations are uploaded throughout the day and not just at 8.30/9am / 12/12.30pm

I know of a few dealers who will actually book several cars in for mot in Scotland. Get rhe boat over. Get them mot'd and home again. Booking mots on the mainland can be done with only a days notice
 

AMG

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Kilkeel
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I know that there are ex mot testers that will get you a quick date, think the usual rate is around £30. Can speak with the testers next time I am down to see if I can get contact details for you? Usually have them up next day I believe.
 

Jason

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Ballymoney
Can't say i've had any problems myself, always get ones within 2 days max going on at 9:15 between 3-4 local centres.
 

RickyB

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I know of a few dealers who will actually book several cars in for mot in Scotland. Get the boat over. Get them mot'd and home again. Booking mots on the mainland can be done with only a days notice

Ive known of a few dealers who book the cars in for MOT in Scotland but they never get the boat over.....:monkey:

Not much trouble getting MOTs myself just a matter of updating constantly and most centres have an extra man so once everyone turns up in the morning extra dates are loaded on if he is spare.
 

Eager

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fields
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broooooom
Just keep rattling the site every half hour. And be ready to leave, you will get one
 

suckindiesel

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Lisburn
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I'd rather spend hours refreshing the site than take a car to Scotland for an MOT lol. Same as above, there does seem to be less availability in the last year or so, but if you're persistent you will get them.
 

Wild Thing

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Tandragee
Have not had any issues at armagh or newry, booked a van for psv on monday for end of april, then got a cancellation the following day,
 
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KyleR

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2,351
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Portadown
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MYSR
Had a 4-5 week wait for 2 cars when I was booking at the end of Jan, but each night around midnight I'd log on to see if there were any cancelations I could change too, ended up getting them both done inside the week. I think a lot of people are still a bit old school and use the phone to book cancelations, so there are usually some available at night before they get on the blower.
 

mx5 turbo

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Bangor
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it hard
I went for my mot 2 weeks ago on a Saturday and the test centre in ards was empty, no que of cars outside, I arrived 15 mins early and they waved me straight in
 

AMG

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The way Boucher Road works and probably all of them is that they take bookings as if they were a man down.
Then at 9 o clock if and when everyone is in, there are extra slots released.

Not sure on car dealers having block bookings, but I think the likes of Translink and Dennisons etc have block bookings for buses/HGV's.
 

roverspeed

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Belfast
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Insignia
Ards seems to be the one to go for when looking for cancellations.

I booked one for my mates car, date was the 25th April.

That afternoon I managed to get one for 29th March at 19.55

Car failed on an upper rear control arm. Bugger

Went online and booked retest (12+ appointments available for the next day)

Had the retest done by 11.15 am the next day.
 

Lyons

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salster

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belfast
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mini
(Out of 2,001 drivers, some 59% said they found the test stressful, while a fifth called the process "a hassle and too much effort" and the same amount said they struggled to find time to take their car to a garage. ). a quote taken from the above article, if you can,t find the time to take your car to a garage to get checked over how can you find the time to go to the mot centre. do people expect cars never to need any work doing?.
 
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