You Tube Car Channels in Lockdown

[mjheathcote]

My opinion is that the majority of YouTubers first lockdown stayed at home. This time, fook it, I'm carrying on as normal. It makes it worse when first lockdown they openly stated how they where doing their bit by staying at home and not driving out/testing new cars.
I made a polite comment to one YouTuber about the change this time, and the amount of abuse I got back was unbelievable from the followers. The YouTuber didn't reply.
Also the amount of being in a car with a stranger with no mask etc.
I can understand maybe with the young 'it won't effect me' generation, but sad to see with the older generation too.
All the YouTubers in question it's a bit on the side, not main income.
The lack of enforcement of course doesn't help one bit.

 

[lifes2short]

Problem is as an ex Tester myself is that the Ministry want you to put down advisories.
Every modern car should have them due to plastic covers that you can't remove obscuring items you can't see properly during the visual Test.
Glad I'm not doing it anymore to be truthful.

i do agree that important things should be advisories, but some are just pedantic, i think our uk mot system here is fair, the 40 year rolling exemption thing is also a good thing imo, do the plastic underbelly covers actually obscure any vital components that testers cant get to or need to inspect ??

 

[Felonious Crud]

I think the home schooling has made a difference to who can or even wants to work from home, I have a number of people who could work home to do their job but are requesting to be able to come to the office due to lack of space at home (kids working in various rooms) and or broad bandwidth.

That’s understandable.

 

[rockits]

My opinion is that the majority of YouTubers first lockdown stayed at home. This time, fook it, I'm carrying on as normal. It makes it worse when first lockdown they openly stated how they where doing their bit by staying at home and not driving out/testing new cars.
I made a polite comment to one YouTuber about the change this time, and the amount of abuse I got back was unbelievable from the followers. The YouTuber didn't reply.
Also the amount of being in a car with a stranger with no mask etc.
I can understand maybe with the young 'it won't effect me' generation, but sad to see with the older generation too.
All the YouTubers in question it's a bit on the side, not main income.
The lack of enforcement of course doesn't help one bit.

I'd agree with this trend as lockdown one was definitely quieter. It seems to follow as well that many seem to be saying screw it....I'll just carry one as normal. I don't really see any deterrent for any of these journey's or traffic. I have been working my socks off constantly forever but just as much if not more so the last year or so keeping workplaces and staff working with the technology. Also fixes issues stopping them working as quick as possible. I have mainly worked from home remotely but have to go to customer sites to resolve physical issues. I don't feel from what I see on the roads and the pavements that we are in a major global pandemic so are in a strict lockdown. This is at a time when most kids or at home not physically at school. Yes, it is definitely quieter but much busier than I would have expected.

 

[rockits]

Pay is also pitiful and testers for the large companies are allowed all of 30-45 mins per vehicle which is not enough to do it justice.

Arguably not fit for purpose but the public would not tolerate a charge of nearer £100 per year to ensure a proper test.

Maybe it's just as well they can pass a vehicle without having to remove undertrays.

Add in the removal of the need for an MOT for cars over 40 years, despite owners' clubs lobbying to retain it, and it really makes you wonder what the purpose is.

How much does an MOT Tester get paid out of interest?

 

[spkennyuk]

Problem is as an ex Tester myself is that the Ministry want you to put down advisories.
Every modern car should have them due to plastic covers that you can't remove obscuring items you can't see properly during the visual Test.
Glad I'm not doing it anymore to be truthful.

Thats my point Phil. Thr ministry want a tester to.put advisories down. So they are now looking for things that are not even a fail or remotely close to a fail.

You could have a garage queen thats almost factory fresh get an advisory for undertray / plastic cover fitted so could not visually check some items.

Either take the cover off or dont mention it at all. it could be all but bramd new under the cover.

Its a pass or a fail thats the point of MOTs.

Like i said in my case it was gauling because 70% of the cars in the uk had been parked up for weeks so they were bound to have some surface rust on the discs. I could only drive strsight there as the MOT expired just before lockdown.

I pressume testers will remove engine covers to check strut tops and battery boxes so why not an undertray.

I bet car battery sales went up straight after the first lock down as well.

 

[philw696]

Thats my point Phil. Thr ministry want a tester to.put advisories down. So they are now looking for things that are not even a fail or remotely close to a fail.

You could have a garage queen thats almost factory fresh get an advisory for undertray / plastic cover fitted so could not visually check some items.

Either take the cover off or dont mention it at all. it could be all but bramd new under the cover.

Its a pass or a fail thats the point of MOTs.

Like i said in my case it was gauling because 70% of the cars in the uk had been parked up for weeks so they were bound to have some surface rust on the discs. I could only drive strsight there as the MOT expired just before lockdown.

I pressume testers will remove engine covers to check strut tops and battery boxes so why not an undertray.

I bet car battery sales went up straight after the first lock down as well.

Firstly Dean @rockits not enough considering I have invested the best part of £40,000 into my personal tool kit but back in 2014 I was on £17.50 to £22 an hour freelance being self employed not just testing but doing major technical work too.
With regards removing covers if you can just lift them up that's okay but taking out bolts and screws no.

 

[dgmx5]

How much does an MOT Tester get paid out of interest?

About £24k for the likes of Kwik Fit. Given that most people probably only pay £35 for an MOT, the reason testers are under pressure to test a car within 30 minutes is nothing to do with their own salary but company targets.

If you compare the MOT with the German equivalent or Japanese equivalent, it is easy to pass. German cars though keep going for 150k miles and people do not obsess about high milers like we do in the UK, and Japanese cars used to be sold for peanuts because the cost of keeping an older car was prohibitive until they realised that other parts of the world love those cars and now they are going for strong money even on first import.

 

[Phil the Brit]

Place up the road from me does MOT's for £25. It is nearest to where i live so I always go there. I guess he relies on getting work off the back of failures.

 

[lifes2short]

Place up the road from me does MOT's for £25

personally i wouldn't trust any garages that don't charge the full amount, as you say could be looking to make work up especially with green car owners

 

[Phil the Brit]

personally i wouldn't trust any garages that don't charge the full amount, as you say could be looking to make work up especially with green car owners

To be honest I personally I have never had a single car fail there, my cars are always serviced at main dealers to keep up the warranties and they charge something like £54 a pop. This place is less than a mile from where i live so really handy. I guess I am never their "target" customer. They never moan though, I guess it is nice to MOT Ferraris and Maseratis now and again though.

 

[DJS]

Seems to be a lot of confusion about Covid regulations I m starting to think its more about control than peoples well being - does anybody seriously think we are ever going to get our old lives back in the near future ?
Its going to be one new stronger variant after another until there is nothing left of our old lives IMO
Sorry to be negative but its not exactly easy to be positive in these unprecedented crazy times .

 

[Revenant]

Plastic or metal under trays on performance cars are not " covers". They are an essential aerodynamic mechanical component which enebles the ground effect "suck down" on which the cars suspension, cornering and traction capabilities were designed.

Twice in my life I have taken cars back from a service and MOT to find the under tray missing because the garage though it was too much hassle to refit and that I would never notice

They didn't like me going back and demanding its return and refit!! But they learnt!!

 

[lifes2short]

Twice in my life I have taken cars back from a service and MOT to find the under tray missing because the garage though it was too much hassle to refit and that I would never notice

wow outrageous, that's theft, main stealers are culprits as well in not re using all the bolts/screws when refitting underbelly trays/covers, i always get on all fours and check and caught them out a couple times

 

[rockits]

Firstly Dean @rockits not enough considering I have invested the best part of £40,000 into my personal tool kit but back in 2014 I was on £17.50 to £22 an hour freelance being self employed not just testing but doing major technical work too.
With regards removing covers if you can just lift them up that's okay but taking out bolts and screws no.

Yes, the top experienced guys need to be paid more really. I guess as a dedicated MOT tester less so. I presume many places start to have dedicated MOT testers now that focus just on MOT's then the number clearly work or they wouldn't be doing it. The difference between the £27.50 and £55 guys can make MOT'ing work well @ £55 a pop....the £27.50 less so as they must need to make repair jobs to earn additional revenue.

I worked out a few years back that for what I earnt out of my day job business at that time for the hours I put in I was well under minimum wage per hour. As a Director/employee of the business the govt doesn't care about that though!

 

[philw696]

One thing I have learnt over the years is that a lot of MOT testers aren't capable of repairing a car that they have failed.
Makes it even more scary that many people who haven't got a clue try to repair the car.

 

[Revenant]

The issue with the AA/RAC is that you can’t travel in the cab with him, so you’re pretty much left by the side of the road while your car goes to the specialist.

Ironically you can then still get a taxi!.....

 

[Gazcw]

So if we cover our subframes with plastic we can don't have to worry anymore?

 

[Revenant]

So if we cover our subframes with plastic we can don't have to worry anymore?

Yip.. as they say on the movie sets..”That’s a wrap!”