BXProject

[Philhod]

Fortunately I learned to weld professionally, before I got a car.
Jesus it came in handy.

And now as an NVQ assessor, I get to assess MOT testers, who need a Level 2 before they can apply for a testers ticket.

[docchevron132]

How hard is it to actually get a testers ticket these days mate?
I mean, what would I need to do to get one?

[Fish_Botherer]

White coat and a stick the same colour?

[David]

How hard is it to actually get a testers ticket these days mate?
I mean, what would I need to do to get one?

Having seen some of the MOT testers around here, I suspect simply having a clue about what you're doing means you're a fair way there for getting an MOT ticket.

I've yet to have an MOT tester find something I didn't know about already, providing I gave the car a "pre-mot test check" myself. If I can do that, I'm bloody sure you can!

[Fish_Botherer]

Having seen some of the MOT testers around here, I suspect simply having a clue about what you're doing means you're a fair way there for getting an MOT ticket.

I've yet to have an MOT tester find something I didn't know about already, providing I gave the car a "pre-mot test check" myself. If I can do that, I'm bloody sure you can!

Absolutely agreed of course, David (moving on from the old joke above). I'd imagine the Doc has checked-over and submitted more vehicles for MOT than some testers have tested, and has a broad and pragmatic view plus the PSV experience. Finding the right employer is probably the more tricky part of the equation, maybe staving off boredom after a while, too. I get the impression that a "have tester's ticket, will travel" approach could be feasible with an established reputation. Testers do come and go, get sick or injure themselves in their free time, and stations sometimes find themselves in a tight spot temporarily.

Some testers will privately admit they're doing a double gig elsewhere for a while, so long as the respective employers can come to a working agreement.

[Philhod]

Joking apart, all you need is an NVQ Level 2 in vehicle maintenance and repair and that is semi skilled level. So that means an apprentice 1/2 way through his training can (and do) get certified.
Provided you can generate evidence at work, or at home if you are working on cars there, if you hook up with your local college, you could be assessed free under the gov's train to gain programme.

If you are in a position to gather the evidence you could complete this in under 6 months

[docchevron132]

I need to look seriousley into this then.
Since it appears the little coach company plan has withered to nought, I have a new plan.
And having a testers ticket could be well useful, since at the moment 2cv's arrange MoT's but use the garage up the road. If the car passes 2cv's loose out since they only charge what they are charged for the test.
So with the time involved in actually taking the car and collecting etc, it's a cost.
If MoT's were done "in house" then there's a better percentage straight off.
Since Mannie's increasingly keen to get out of the trade and the garage has planning consent only to be a garage, I might just have a go at taking it on myself. Cant be any worse tha working for First!

[Father Ted]

Cant be any worse than working for First

Bloody right there, yesterdays nightmare with regards the trains run round here by First was truly dire. Brasstuds the lost of them.

[Vanny]

Okay, WTF, the new Picasso non shitty 4 is excellent, in terms of comfort, reliability, cost, economy etc etc only reason dad doesn't have one is that it launch 18 days too late! Insted he has a shitty Honda Jazz which he now hates. (strangely there are loads of them out here)/


Please be aware that the 'X' series is DEAD, Citroen needs new products which it has, and once it stops giving them away it will be laffin!

[David]

I might just have a go at taking it on myself. Cant be any worse tha working for First!

If you can do with it what a local blokey to me did, it's well worth a go. He managed to take "farting about with a couple of 205's" 6 years ago into one of the more reputable local garages, with 2 mot bays and a turnover of well over a million per annum. He's even managed to build a new workshop a year or so back, entirely from capital, and he's got one of the lower per-hour labour charges in the area.

Got to be worth a shot. With new car sales as down as they are, the garage business is booming.

[Fish_Botherer]

The garage down the road from the caravan yard where I do my repairs is heaving at the moment, and about to expand into new premises. Next to the caravan yard - will make parking around there nightmarish instead of pretty well impossible.

It's certainly not a pay-for-the-shiny-glass-and-metal operation, though I personally wouldn't go there.

Good luck if you give it a go - but beware of the bills, bills, bills all the way - businesses get shafted like that as a matter of course.

[CitroJim]

Be good to have you as an MOT tester Doc

But would you turn into one of those miserable old buggers who wears a permanant frown, sucks through his teeth at everything and then goes and fails it because he can? I know one like that already

"Sorry mate, can't pass that, the furry dice are a bit faded.."

Speaking of furry dice, apparantly they can fail an MOT because they obscure vision

If you do go that way Doc, can you get a good tyre bay set up please. One that does not scratch alloys, uses stick-on weights and does not use a rattle gun done up to 11 millon ft lbs to refit wheels and then wonders why I have the arse-ache because a stud has a stripped thread as a result

Oh, and someone who can actually understand the balancing machine and can accurately track a car properly without leaving the steering wheel at 45 degrees when going straight ahead would be good. All the above seems way beyond all the ones I've tried in MK

For all that, I'd happly travel to Brizzle

[Philhod]

Err I think you are on to something there Doc. It's a numbers game and they are just about to get bigger. More people are going to keep their cars longer, so there will be more privately sourced MOT business and less going the "fixed" dealer route. (I would explain fixed but not in the open)
Secondly, the signs are that my darling employers are not going to offer me a contract past 65, so I could be of some service to you in getting you all the info you are going to require.

I have offers of work but it will be only part time and not fixed hours.....will know more in the next couple of weeks.
I'm off to Sweden for 10 days, a week on Friday, Ostensibly to ponder on what's next, so I will add this to my things to think about list if your interested

[David]

If you do go that way Doc, can you get a good tyre bay set up please. One that does not scratch alloys, uses stick-on weights and does not use a rattle gun done up to 11 millon ft lbs to refit wheels and then wonders why I have the arse-ache because a stud has a stripped thread as a result

Oh, and someone who can actually understand the balancing machine and can accurately track a car properly without leaving the steering wheel at 45 degrees when going straight ahead would be good. All the above seems way beyond all the ones I've tried in MK

I agree with this, but it still amazes me that there are so many outfits that are as shit as they are. After all, I've had no formal training in a garage environment at all, yet I can (and have) used a tyre machine without shagging the wheels, used a tyre balancer and actually got it right, use a torque wrench on wheel bolts/nuts, can set up tracking to within a gnat's cock of being spot on, and generally have a bit of pride in the work I do on vehicles.

If I can do it, why can't the "professionals"?

Professional tossers more like.

[Philhod]

The professionals are supposed to be the main dealers. Unfortunately they actively employ people who require training, so that they can send them on single make training programmes, that they can claim funding for.
This doesn't give the mechanic a very broad experience, he also aint paid very much and consequently does'nt give a shit.
Most "back street" garages survive on correctly repairing whatever comes through the door, are usually a pair of guys who work for themselves and are generally of a much higher standard. They have to be, or they would'nt survive.

As for balancing and alignment. If you are going to make this one of your specialties....
Invest in a dynamic balancer,make sure you have the nylony bitz for doing alloys and the real biggy A laser four wheel alignment rig.

You'll even be able to measure how fucked your rear bushes are on your BX's

[David]

the real biggy A laser four wheel alignment rig.

Thing is, even these are only as good as the operator. Last time I had my tracking done on one of these (A very long time ago) the operator had just used the jacking beam to jack up the front of the car. He just put it down, and then attached the laser wheel units, and was about to make all manner of adjustments before I asked him if he was actually going to roll the car backwards and forwards a bit to allow the suspension to settle.

"wot?"

"you're a fucking idiot. Get someone with a clue over here now"

So, the supervisor-y bloke comes over, farts about a bit, rolls the car about a bit, and then installs the steering wheel clamp to hold the wheel in the "straight ahead" position. I then asked him if he was actually going to check if the rack was centralised, or just assume that the rack was central just because the steering wheel was in "straight ahead"

"wot?"

"you're a bunch of fucking idiots. Get my car off your ramp. NOW!"

So I took the car home and did it myself with an "optical measurement device" (by eye) Tracked perfectly in a straight line, and wore it's tyres perfectly evenly. From that day on I've tracked every single car I've owned by eye, and never had a problem.

[Philhod]

Exactly what I tell all the garages that show me their new equipment.

It's no good having the gear if you don't know how to use it.

The latest versions are a lot easier to set up correctly and very quick to use also very accurate. If Doc is thinking of making money, a wise investment in time management.

To make money these days, you need the gear to speed the job up. Most of your work is minor repairs,ie brakes, shockers, steering gear, wheels and tyres, wheel alignment and MOT's
Unless you are a leckie leave all but simple jobs to the specialists, they will undercut you every time on price and it's a waste of your time, and very good money you will make

[Cartman]

i shall quite happily frequent doc's mot centre/jack of all trades place!

i took the works transit in for a tyre last week, they put it on the ramp and i sat in the waiting room. the bloke in charge told some spotty kid to put the tyre on.

after a few minutes of looking, he came in and asked me 'which side needs doing?' to which i replied 'the n/s/f' he then asked 'which one?'

fucking inbred idiot!

THERE WAS ONLY ONE THAT NEEDED DOING BTW!

wankers!

[docchevron132]

It's not set in concrete or owt like.
But Mannie is getting increasingly sick of the garage business, and would rather play golf I think!
As it goes I use the same tyre guys that 2vc's use, they be Western Tyres in Princess Victoria Street, Clifton.
If you're ever in Brizzle, I recommend them. They are fucking spot on for tyres, tracking, balance etc.
These days if I wander in with tyres sourced elsewhere, they fit them free, dont even charge for the valve and balance.

I knew they were good first time I went in with a slow puncture. They knew where to jack the car up, took the wheel off, wandered off into the office, looked in abook, set a torque wrench and wandered back out with said torque wrench.
I have never seen that happen before in any tyre fitters ever.
I took the valver in for a track when I rebuilt the car forst time round, he asked of the HC's were sticky and worked the car up and down, let it settle, shoved it to and fro and even centered the steering wheel after setting it up.
I was impressed after earlier experiences with Kwik shit.

There's no potential for expansion at 2cv's, but they have three lanes and ramps, are always busy and the place has an excellent reputation already.
If Mannie does sell up, I really think I'd fail to go wrong.
I would up the hourly rate since it's wayyy too cheap right now, he aint put it up in 4 years, and even then it was only £2PH.
But it's a good well established business.

Marty, you have my sympathy mate.
First trains are even more appalingly run than the buses!

[Fish_Botherer]

single make training programmes

The curse of any industry (IT springs particularly to mind) at a lower level - subsidised manna for training companies too. Never a substitute for first principles, general principles, and breadth of knowledge/experience/interest. Not that i need to tell anyone here that...