Steve Newman fears drivers will lose out under MOT changes.

NORTH STAFFS MECHANIC FEARS MOT CHANGES WILL DRIVE 'THROW AWAY' SOCIETY.

A MECHANIC with more than 35 years in the trade said proposals to change the MOT from once every 12 months for cars three years or older to once every 24 could lead to more being scrapped and drivers facing bigger bills.
Steve Newman, who runs the car sales and service/repair centre bearing his name on Uttoxeter Road, Longton, said the plans could lead to more expense for motorists because a problem that might have been caught in time if the vehicle has an annual check could have become so severe by the time it is seen by a mechanic or MOT tester that it is no longer economic to repair and the car will be scrapped.
He also said the culture of increased service intervals is not working in the motorists' favour.
Steve said: "I can understand the surface appeal of someone saying that cars only need an MOT every two years because obviously, most people think they will be saving money but I suspect they won't. What will happen is that problems will go undetected for longer and be allowed to develop to the point where it just doesn't make economic sense to repair and then a vehicle owner will be faced with the situation of having to scrap that and buy another - where's the saving in that?''
He said he is already seeing signs of this through the dramatically extended service intervals of modern cars.
Steve said: "We all know that modern oils are much better than they used to be but it is also true that modern engines run much hotter and rev much higher than they used to - that's how you get efficiency from an injection-fuelled engine.
"But this nonsense about cars only needing a service every two years or 20,000 miles is silly, in my opinion. It allows drivers to think they never need to lift the bonnet and check the oil but now engines are running dry and that causes big damage.''
Steve learnt his trade at John Blacks, the former BL agent at the top of Victoria Road, and said in his day mechanics were taught how to repair components rather than to throw them away and also to take pride in their workmanship.
He added: "It's too easy nowadays to chuck something away instead of taking the time to mend it and I think that the way we are going in this industry we will see a lot more of it. Maybe it's a deliberate ploy to get older cars off the road and make people buy newer, cleaner ones - but drivers will end up paying.
"I believe in the old-fashioned virtue of doing the job properly and right the first time. It annoys me to see cars coming here that have been worked on my other mechanics and they are missing washers and bolts - where's your pride if you can turn out work like that?
"We charge £15 an hour here but do a damned fine job. We get most of our work through recommendation and although I know a lot of people in the areas we sub-contract out too, such as bodywork for example, there are not that many I would be happy to put work out too because ultimately it is our reputation on the line - and I value that.''
For more information on this subject from Steve, call him on 01782 370460.