Whats going on with MOT Availability at the moment?

Wild Thing

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Tandragee
Heres the northern ireland low down on car maintenance that covers in my guestimate 75% of motorists.

Customer: I need a full service quote for my car brand X.
Garage: ok that will be £160 and we can get it sorted for you before the weekend.
Customer: ok thanks, things are tight at the minute i will get back to you.

2 hours later......
Jimmy ( customers friend): hey bud, theres a mad party on friday night with an after party lockin with accomodation £200 should cover it.
Customer: Im in will get the money from somwhere dude.
It our breed lol.
 

markmeus

RMS Regular
Messages
604
Location
Co. Down
Heres the northern ireland low down on car maintenance that covers in my guestimate 75% of motorists.

Customer: I need a full service quote for my car brand X.
Garage: ok that will be £160 and we can get it sorted for you before the weekend.
Customer: ok thanks, things are tight at the minute i will get back to you.

2 hours later......
Jimmy ( customers friend): hey bud, theres a mad party on friday night with an after party lockin with accomodation £200 should cover it.
Customer: Im in will get the money from somwhere dude.
It our breed lol.

I see this every day in work, cant afford parts for the car, but out all weekend getting sh*tfaced.
 

swansty

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5,317
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Banbridge
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Disco and Saxo
Go to the Bel Tel and you'll get an appointment. Read this the other day:

Seems to be driving a 2 door coupe with a low roof. Wonder which 18yo twin draws the short straw to sit in the back?
 

gizmo98

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Vrs Octavia
Booked mine in today,earliest date was 13th May,not up until 2 weeks after that though
 

chrisdromore

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a8
Looked on the site yesterday, and got one for Armagh today.

Sailed through, so pays to keep checking. Was just in the middle of the day to.
 

davyk31

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3,256
My Polo is due 29 May. Went on just now to to book and first date for Coleriane is 6 June. Ballymena even worse

Booked for 6 June but will check for a cancellation. How do I swap the date online or do I need to make a new booking and then cancel the existing booking?
 

davyk31

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3,256
Scrub that question. Went straight back onto the system and easily found how to change a date. Quick search for the first available in Coleraine and it gave me this day week Mon 6th May. Only one slot available and then all the others were for 6th June as I had booked
 

DaddyCC

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26,368
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VW CC
My Polo is due 29 May. Went on just now to to book and first date for Coleriane is 6 June. Ballymena even worse

Booked for 6 June but will check for a cancellation. How do I swap the date online or do I need to make a new booking and then cancel the existing booking?
Log in with your existing booking and use the option to select a new date, then just keep hitting that search button every so often for the centres you're willing to go to :grinning:
 

Bryan

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10,022
Location
Tandragee
I've been playing the F5 roulette game for the past hour or so. Only managed to get 30th of May so far. Been trying Craigavon/Lisburn/Armagh. A few earlier spots did become available but it appears someone else is faster on the F5 key...
 

Eager

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19,625
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fields
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broooooom
You will 100% always get one that week if needed, yes you need to be able to jump and go, it’s not the mot process fault if tomorrow doesn’t suit. It’s a ball ache with the constant checking but it gets ya sorted.
 

Artoir

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V8/V6
Reasonably small fine in the unlikely event you’re ever caught. Just saying, wouldn’t be stressing yourself over missing the date by a few weeks.
 

FM155

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Alfa 155
We got a cancellation at around 12 last Thurs for the daughter's new wee clio in Derry for 2pm and just blasted up and arrived with 4 mins to spare lol. Got it done though. I think I've visited almost every MOT station in NI now bar Coleraine & Omagh. Nothing new really, just a matter of being willing and ready to travel.
 

davyk31

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3,256
Reasonably small fine in the unlikely event you’re ever caught. Just saying, wouldn’t be stressing yourself over missing the date by a few weeks.

And a minor issue of no insurance cover as your car is not officially road worthy
 

Artoir

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10,668
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V8/V6
And a minor issue of no insurance cover as your car is not officially road worthy

MOT is of little relevance to whether your car is road worthy or not. Check your policy if you're worried I guess.

Not recommending it, just saying the penalty is minimal when compared to no tax, etc.
 

Artoir

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V8/V6
Read your policy. A current MOT is mandatory if the car is old enough for it

I have. Car must be in a roadworthy condition, that's all. Other insurers may be different as I said above (y)

If insurance invalidation was a concern, why would there be an exemption in the law to drive the car to an MOT or to have repairs done for the MOT after expiration/failure.
 
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Bryan

RMS Regular
Messages
10,022
Location
Tandragee
You will 100% always get one that week if needed, yes you need to be able to jump and go, it’s not the mot process fault if tomorrow doesn’t suit. It’s a ball ache with the constant checking but it gets ya sorted.

More than 24 hours later and I've managed to get it brought forward to the 13th of May. Missed out on numerous earlier appointments again with the dreaded "Another user has already booked this appointment". What I find funny is that yesterday the first available date was 8th of June and today the first available date is also the 8th of June - so how are they full until that point if they don't even fill up one day as each day passes?
 

FM155

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Alfa 155
Probably because most people are doing exactly what you are. Taking what's available and then chasing a cancellation so the end dates don't move that much..
 

Bryan

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10,022
Location
Tandragee
Managed to finally hit F5 before everyone else and got the 7th of May so that will have to do since it can't be changed again now (y)
 

Rob

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Amarok V6
Logged in today 12th May and first date in New Buildings is 24th June, WTF! Just over 6 weeks. That's a joke?
 

NickR

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11,042
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A6/E39 530i
Did you try coleraine? They were about a week ahead of all the other centres when I was getting the Passat done last month.
 
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