Customer information

Terms of Business

At Carcraft Northwich MOT, we aim to provide a professional, honest and reliable service to every customer. To help us manage our workshop efficiently, maintain fair pricing and provide the best possible experience, we ask that you familiarise yourself with the following terms before booking your vehicle with us.

1. Bookings & Workshop Time

Booking your vehicle with us reserves workshop time for assessment, diagnosis or the agreed work. A booking does not necessarily guarantee that repairs will be completed on the same day.

For routine maintenance and known repairs, we will aim to complete the work within the expected timeframe. However, where the cause or extent of a fault is unknown, your booking initially allows time for investigation and diagnosis rather than guaranteeing a completed repair.

Some faults require further investigation, complex repairs may take longer than initially anticipated, and parts availability or sourcing can also affect completion times.

Once we have established what work is required, we will provide a clearer indication of the time needed and discuss any additional work with you.

We will always endeavour to complete work promptly and keep you informed of any significant delays or changes to expected completion times.

2. MOT Bookings & Appointment Times

Unless a specific MOT appointment time has been agreed, we will assume your vehicle is available to us for the full working day.

MOTs without allocated time slots will be scheduled around our existing appointments and workshop workload. We therefore cannot guarantee that your MOT will be completed by a particular time.

If you require your MOT to be carried out at a specific time, please arrange a timed appointment when booking.

To avoid delays for other customers, we kindly ask that you arrive promptly for timed appointments. Arriving more than 10 minutes late may result in losing your allocated time slot.

Where possible, we will endeavour to accommodate late arrivals later the same day, usually towards the end of the day, subject to availability.

If you're running late, please contact us as soon as possible.

3. Minor MOT Repairs

To save you time and help get your vehicle through its MOT with minimal inconvenience, we offer the option of automatically rectifying minor MOT failures, such as replacing bulbs, wiper blades or adjusting headlamp alignment.

Where you have authorised this service, we may carry out these minor repairs without contacting you first, provided the total cost, including your MOT fee and any additional repairs, does not exceed £100.

If the total is expected to exceed £100, we will contact you for further authorisation before carrying out additional work.

If you would prefer us to contact you before carrying out any repairs, please let us know when booking or dropping off your vehicle.

We will confirm your preference when accepting your booking.

4. MOT Retest Fees

MOT retests require additional workshop time to carry out the necessary checks, even when repairs have been completed elsewhere.

To help cover this time, vehicles taken away following an MOT failure and subsequently returned for an eligible partial retest will be subject to a £10 retest fee, unless the vehicle is also booked in with us for other work or qualifies for a free retest under DVSA regulations.

Vehicles remaining at our premises following an MOT failure will qualify for a free partial retest where the applicable DVSA conditions are met.

Certain failures also qualify for a free partial retest when the vehicle is returned to the same testing station by the end of the next working day.

All retests are subject to DVSA eligibility requirements and time limits. Where a vehicle no longer qualifies for a partial retest, a full MOT test and the applicable fee may be required.

5. Diagnostics & Fault Finding

We always aim to diagnose and resolve vehicle faults as efficiently and accurately as possible. However, particularly with complex or intermittent faults, it is not always possible to guarantee a diagnosis or successful repair within a given timeframe.

Our charges reflect the time, labour and expertise involved in investigating, diagnosing and repairing your vehicle, rather than a guaranteed outcome.

Some faults require a process of testing and elimination, and further investigation may be necessary before a definite cause or solution can be identified.

Where repairs are recommended based on diagnostic findings, these may form part of a wider fault-finding process and may not fully resolve the original issue. However, such work can provide valuable information that helps identify the underlying cause and determine the next steps.

Authorised diagnostic and repair work remains chargeable even where a fault cannot be conclusively identified or resolved, provided the work has been carried out with reasonable care and skill.

We will always aim to explain our findings, discuss the recommended next steps and seek your approval before undertaking additional chargeable work.

6. Repair Authorisation & Additional Work

We will carry out work in accordance with the instructions and authorisation provided when your vehicle is booked in or following any subsequent discussions.

Should further faults or additional work be identified, we will endeavour to explain the findings, provide an indication of the additional costs and obtain your approval before proceeding.

Where a repair forms part of an ongoing diagnostic process, we will explain that it may not necessarily resolve the original fault.

No additional chargeable work will be undertaken without the necessary authorisation, except where already covered by an agreed repair authorisation or spending limit.

7. Vehicle Collection & Storage Charges

Due to limited space on our premises, we kindly ask that all vehicles are collected within two working days of being notified that they are ready for collection.

Vehicles not collected within this period, without prior agreement with management, will be subject to a storage charge of £10 per day, commencing on the third working day.

We understand that circumstances can sometimes make collection difficult. If you anticipate any delays, please contact us in advance so that alternative arrangements can be discussed.

8. Payment for Services

Payment for authorised work is due upon completion and collection of your vehicle, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed in advance.

Charges for diagnostics, investigation and repairs reflect the work carried out and do not necessarily depend on the successful resolution of the original fault.

Diagnostic and investigation charges remain payable even where a fault remains unresolved, provided the agreed work has been carried out with reasonable care and skill.

All charges will be explained as clearly as possible, and any additional work requiring further authorisation will be discussed with you beforehand.

9. Customer Agreement & Statutory Rights

These Terms of Business apply to MOT testing, diagnostics, servicing, repairs and other workshop services provided by Carcraft Northwich MOT.

By booking work and leaving your vehicle in our care, you agree to these Terms of Business where they have been made available to you before the work is agreed.

Please raise any questions, concerns or special requirements before work begins so that expectations are clear from the outset.

We are committed to carrying out all work professionally and with reasonable care and skill.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits your statutory consumer rights, including those provided by the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Thank you for choosing Carcraft Northwich MOT. We appreciate your custom and look forward to providing you with a professional, reliable and straightforward service.