Site Assessments.

Stealth, appreciate you keeping us up-to-speed on some of the stuff that may not be readily available to some of us & I’m sure the other members would agree too.

Any chance you could come up with some (un-official if you like) figures re: test fees and failure rates in Class IV……

a) What is the initial test failure rate (%) of the VTS’s charging full-fee?

b) What is the initial test failure rate (%) of the VTS’s discounting the fee?



To be fair, I did put in a request thro’ FOI route some time back but was told VOSA did not have that information which made me wonder why the VE asked and recorded this info with each routine visit.

Thanks again for your input,
Best, Hooters.

I keep hearing this worry about discounts affecting failure rates. Simple answer - in some cases they do , and in some cases they don't. Any one seeking to prove this connection is doing a lot - and I do mean a lot - of testers a dis-service. I have full control of my testing standards, which I want to be as high as possible, I have no control over our fee, which is heavily discounted. My boss does not try to get me to cut corners or distort failure rates to claw back what he is losing on fees. No connection. Hope this helps.

Hi Hooters

If your FOI request didnt get any info then thats probably correct I guess. It possibly depends on what info VOSA wants out of the stats that MOTCOMP generates, and they will probably have to pay ATOS for it.

What sort of questions did your VE ask. I usually ask about their own stats from performance reports just to make sure they are monitoring any unnusually high/low component fail rates, and what the national figures are.

The test/retest fees subject is a site specific question. I'm not personally aware of any info which ties failure rates & test fees together.

Currently only Trading Standards Institute Code of Practice members.....

Motor Codes (Service & Repair)

Robert Bosch Ltd

Vehicle Builders Repairers Association Ltd

The ones I have listed were the only ones mentioned in the internal Memo sent out regards the changes, which came into effect mid February.

Spot on phaetonott, at my last VTS we were in a rural setting and we charged full fee, and my failure rate was running about 40%. I now work in an industrial estate in town and we charge £35. My failure rate shot up yo 70%. Just paying attention to figures, the wrong conclusion fairly leaps out at you. Sorry Hooters, but although I can see your motives are pure, the stats you're looking for might not give you the correct results, were you to find them.

Interesting comments fellas & I can see why.

Certainly it is unfortunate when any of us are ‘forced’ into discounting in order to stay competitive and I am certainly not having a ’dig’ but I think the only tool the testing trade has in order to stand a chance of getting VOSA to enforce ‘full-fee’ is to demonstratively show a higher failure rate from discounting stations.
I don’t think for one minute that it will necessarily result in bad press for all that fall into the cut-price category; customers are too smart and know when they get good service from their garage.

Bare in mind VOSA see discounting as a risk in that it puts the spotlight on any station that does so. Indeed the amount you discount will affect your ‘risk score’ and subsequently, points levied.

So, reading the guidelines & doing the sums, and if it’s not changed, with the initial Class IV test, if you charge ……


between £41.14 and £54:84 you will have one point added to your risk-score

between £27.43 and £41.14 you will have three points added to your risk-score

less than £27.43 and it will be five

So potentially by charging a smidge more (or less) you could alter the amount of points and influence the ‘traffic light band’ that you fall into. Have I got that right, give-or-take?

That’s how it was last time I looked, but as always, I stand to be corrected so don’t hesitate to correct me if I’m wrong.

On the other subject within the topic, I remember the Institute of the Motor Industry attending a previous seminar, their representation apparently therefore endorsed by VOSA. Does any one know what happened to them? I’m interested as I am due to renew my membership shortly.

Cheers.

How many m o t s are you expected to knock out each day, did you say 10 ?

Don't forget that a portion of what they make is down to you