Tag Archives: MOT REPAIR

Vehicle owners told to stay on top of Servicing and Maintenance during lockdown.

More than half of drivers do not know when next service is due

Vehicle owners told to stay on top of maintenance during lockdown

Highways England and Aarons Autos are this week encouraging road users to carry out regular vehicle maintenance and checks during the current national lockdown after a new survey revealed that more than half (54 per cent) did not know when their next service is due.

Nearly a third (32 per cent) of road users admit they only carry out basic vehicle maintenance, such as checking their tyre pressure or oil levels, at best every few months or never.

This is in spite of advice to perform regular vehicle maintenance – even when a vehicle is not in regular use during lockdown – on top of the recommended annual service and mandatory MOT.

In response to the survey, Highways England and partners – breakdown provider, Green Flag, and Aarons Autos – are now highlighting the importance of basic maintenance and checks in helping road users to avoid breakdowns or endangering themselves and other drivers.

Related: Half of UK drivers at risk after delaying essential car maintenance this year

Without proper care and attention during lockdown, owners risk tyre problems, flat batteries, weather damage and issues due to fluid levels running low when they begin using their vehicle again.

Jeremy Phillips, head of road user safety, said: “While the country is in still in lockdown, we want to remind drivers to act now and carry out those important basic checks.

“Doing regular maintenance, rather than waiting until the end of lockdown is in sight, will ensure their vehicles still work and preventable breakdowns are avoided when restrictions are lifted and the nation gets back on the road.”

Related: Police issue warning amid lockdown MOT confusion

Every year Highways England’s traffic officers deal with more than 85,000 breakdowns – 40 per cent caused by vehicles running out of fuel, poor tyre maintenance, power loss and engine trouble.

Basic checks and maintenance can prevent many breakdowns, says Highways England.

Mark Newberry, commercial director at Green Flag, said: “Cars are designed to be driven regularly and the components rely on regular use to stay in tip-top condition.

“A period of lockdown means many vehicles that may have been running every day could now be used less, which can lead to a number of complications.

Related: Vehicles failing MOT in record numbers over emissions

“Car batteries are often the hardest hit. During the first lockdown, over 60 per cent of our callouts were for battery-related issues and the colder weather will also have an impact by reducing the battery’s ability to hold charge.

“Carry out a few basic checks to make sure your car is ready for when you need it.

“Don’t leave it until your next MOT or service if you know or feel there is something wrong with your car.”

For more information or to make a booking you can contact us at info@aaronsautos.co.uk or call us on 01332 205070 or just click the ‘Book Online’ button.

MOT Extension ends 1st August 2020 as lockdown lifts.

The government has confirmed that it will reintroduce mandatory MOT testing from 1st August 2020 in line with gradually easing lockdown restrictions and rising traffic levels.

Drivers had been given a six month extension of their vehicles MOT certificate to discourage non-essential travel and free up garages for repair work to essential workers’ vehicles. The scheme was set to run until March 2021 but will now end in a month’s time.

The extension still applies to all MOT certificates due to expire before 1st August, but from that date onwards, drivers must have their car’s roadworthiness tested within a year of their last test. Irrespective of whether the extension applies, penalties still apply to vehicles found to be in an unsafe condition.

Book your MOT at Aarons Autos here.

Figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) show that the UK’s service sector has ramped up as restrictions on travel have eased, with more than 90% of UK garages now operating and testing capacity now at 70% of normal levels.

Baroness Vere, roads minister, said: “As people return to our roads, it is vital that motorists are able to keep their vehicles safe. That’s why as restrictions are eased, from 1st August 2020 MOT testing will again become mandatory.

“Garages across the country are open and I urge drivers who are due for their MOT to book a test as soon they can.”

Any vulnerable or self-isolation drivers are advised to contact their local garage, as many are offering vehicle collection and drop-off services to aid social distancing.

The majority of UK garages are still conducting MOT tests, and drivers are able to have their car tested voluntarily. Any MOT certificate issued after the original date of expiry will only be valid until that date the following year.

Stuart James, chief executive of the Independent Garages Association (IGA) – which has campaigned for the government to lift the extension – welcomed the announcement but expressed concern about the safety of many cars on UK roads. “This is a welcome retraction of a policy doubtless designed to provide relief to motorists”, he said. “However, this additional month will allow at least 1 million unroadworthy cars to remain on the road for an additional six months, as well as the 1.6 million dangerous vehicles that have already had their MOT extended.

“With road traffic increasing, people being encouraged to use their cars rather than public transport, and further lockdown measures easing on 4 July, we believe this additional month will leave a number of motorists with an accumulation of faults and repair costs when they are least able to afford them. Even though this scheme has only been in place for four months, it has detrimented the roadworthiness of many cars, taken away the bread and butter of the independent garage sector and left a great number of consumers confused.”

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Re-opening on 1st June 2020 to the General Public.

We hope everyone is taking care and doing their best in this strange and worrying time. Trying to fight this Corona Virus is a bigger job than most of us initially thought but we do seem to be getting there and some of those business’s that were affected by Covid19 are starting to re-open.

Aarons Autos will be re-opening its doors as of the 1st June 2020 and once again be offering its excellent ‘Services’ to the general public and local business’s.

We are putting several measures in place to keep our customers and staff safe from the Corona Virus;

We are fitting a Perspex screen across the whole office counter which will have a small cut out for customers to pass keys through and for them to make payments (card payments are preferred but we will accept cash)
We will be enforcing a one customer in reception at a time rule and customers will not be able to wait in the reception area whilst large repairs are being carried out.
All customers vehicles will be wiped down with anti bacterial wipes pre and post work being carried out, technicians will wear gloves whenever possible.
We will be supplying small hand sanitiser bottles for customers and technicians to use after any transactions.
We ask that customers will leave out their ‘Locking Wheel Nut Keys‘ and ‘Service Books‘ where required so we do not have to search around the car trying to find them (reducing contact inside the car).

If you have any other worries or queries please don’t hesitate to contact us.

MOT’s have been extended, but we are urging customers to have their MOT’s carried out as soon as they possibly can (or feel safe enough to do so).

There are several reasons we are suggesting getting your MOT done sooner rather than later;

18 months is a long time for your car to go un-checked, if you had not had your car Serviced just before the ‘Lock Down’ and your MOT was due how do you know if your tyres, brakes or suspension are safe!
Garages are going to be inundated with MOT’s that are actually due on the date you want yours doing (12 month MOT’s) so imagine the difficulty for the garage to deal with double the amount of MOT’s, this is why we suggest contacting us early so we can spread out the work load.
Think of your local Garage. If NO MOT’s are carried out in April or May what will happen next year? Garages will have less work in those months and possibly struggle.

If you would like to book in for the first week of June please contact us by email info@aaronsautos.co.uk or our Facebook page ‘Aarons Autos Derby Ltd‘ if you would like to contact us after the 1st June just call us as normal between 8.30 – 5.00 and we will be happy to help.

Finally, stay safe and take care.

Top Again for Aarons Autos by Three Best Rated.

Dear Aarons Autos,
Congratulations! You are now listed as one of the Top 3 Car garages in Derby. We would like to Thank You for providing consistent high-quality service in your area of business. Our review team either approved or updated your business listing using our rigorous 50-Point Inspection which includes everything from checking reputation, history, complaints, ratings, satisfaction, nearness, trust, cost, and general excellence.

Three Best Rated® was created with a simple goal to find you the top 3 local businesses, professionals, restaurants, health care providers, etc., in your city. We display only businesses that are verified by our team since customers deserve only the best.

That’s not all… Businesses do not pay us to list them ever. You do not pay us for the listing at any time. We believe that local businesses provide better and personal services locally. Local businesses know your city better since they live there too. Our policy is free to list because if you can pay to list, then is it really the best business?

It has been an honour and a pleasure to work with you. Share this exciting news!

Cheers,
Melinda Crawford,
ThreeBestRated®

These are the emails we love to receive, and the best bit is we have no input what so ever, all the information comes from YOU! our customers. Click the Award to see the results.

We would like to say a massive thank you to all our customers new and old without your trust, feedback and reviews we would not be able to get the ratings we have.

“Thank You”

Aarons Autos car service garage.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Scared Drivers Avoiding Annual Servicing.

Number of misguided motorists that avoid servicing over cost fears is “alarming”

Half of UK drivers worry about unexpected car bills, survey finds

Millions of motorists are avoiding car maintenance over fears of unexpected problems, with many admitting that they avoid getting their car serviced in case vehicle faults are found.

Around half of UK drivers (47 per cent) worry about having to pay for unexpected car repairs.

The survey of 2,000 motorists also found that a quarter (24 per cent) of those who worry about unexpected problems say this uncertainty is putting them off getting their car serviced.

The research suggests that drivers are paying hundreds of pounds to pass an MOT, with five per cent paying £1,000 or more to get their vehicle through the test.

Further MOT analysis reveals that around 40 per cent of cars fail their MOT at the first attempt.

Lauren French, product manager at RAC MOT Assist, the company behind the research, said: “Clearly, taking a car in for a service or MOT can be a nerve-wracking experience with many drivers concerned about what might be uncovered, and the unpleasant financial consequences that can result.

“But it’s even more alarming that this experience is enough to put some people off getting their car serviced in the future.

“Just how many people are driving vehicles on the UK’s roads that they know have problems?

“The best advice to any driver is to keep on top of servicing and maintenance work – the quicker problems are identified, often the cheaper they are to remedy.”

“Spread your Servicing and MOT costs.”

Here at Aarons Autos we advise our customers to spread their servicing and MOT if cost is an issue, this way they can plan for the up-coming months.

If the car has any advisories on the MOT they can save money and have those carried out with a ‘Service’ six months later, and also if we find anything on the service they can save and have the work done when there MOT is due.

Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.

Range Rover Rear Hub Bushes.

Range Rover Vogue Rear Hub Spherical Bushes.

This Range Rover came into us after failing its MOT on the rear hub lower spherical bushes having excessive movement.

Once we had removed the wheels and disconnected the lower suspension arms we could get a good look at the bushes and what we had to deal with.

The cir-clip that holds the bushes in place had completely rotted into the hub not allowing us to remove it in the conventional way, which meant we had to improvise!

range rover hub bearing — Cir-Clip rusted into the bush and hub.

As you can see from the above picture we had to grind into the bush until we reached what was left of the Cir-Clip to be able to remove it.

range rover swivel joint — Weaken the bush.

After grinding enough of the bush away to access and remove the Cir-Clip we cut into the side wall of the bush to make pressing it out easier.

Voila, bush pressed out using our bearing and bush pulling tool, hole cleaned up and greased ready for the new bush to be pressed into place.

Here you can see the bearing and bush pulling tool being used to press in the new bush, once the new bush is pressed in we just need to fit the new Cir-Clip and then begin the rebuild.

RANGE ROVER BUSH FITTED — New bush and Cir-Clip fitted.

New bush fitted and a new Cir-Clip fitted, after a quick rebuild the car was ready to go back to the customer for its MOT retest.

At Aarons Autos no job is to big or to small, we will en-devour to repair any car that comes through our doors.

Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info

Peugeot RCZ 1.6 THP 2011 stretched timing chain P0016.

Peugeot RCZ engine management light on Fault code P0016 and engine rattle.

We see quite a few Peugeot RCZ’s with engine management lights on and when diagnosed the fault code is P0016 Synchronization lack of coherence between engine speed sensor (crank sensor) and inlet camshaft sensor. This means that the engine is sensing that the timing of the vehicle engine is incorrect when running. The reason for this is that on this engine model (that is also fitted in the BMW MINI and other vehicles) the timing chain stretches due to either a mechanical component being worn, not being serviced regularly or low oil levels.

peugeot rcz timing chain aarons autos derby P0016

Peugeot RCZ 2012 fault code P0016

With the Diagnostic code read taken place we first remove the rocker cover and fit the engine timing pins to see how stretched the chain is but on this one we could see even with fitting the engine timing pins how far the chain had stretched.

Rocker cover removed with no timing pins fitted.

Having timed the crank and inserted the timing pin we went to time the cams and as you can see they were many teeth out. The two cam timing plates should meet together in the middle and both together.

Timing tool fitted showing how incorrect the timing was.

We removed the Chain and corrected the timing so that the new timing chain kit could be fitted.

Timing chain kit removed.

We always fit a brand new full timing chain kit that includes tensioner, chain, rocker cover gasket, guides, sprocket and VVT pulley.

All new parts fitted and timed up correctly.

With the new timing chain kit fitted and a oil and filter change completed the ecu was reset and the car ran allot quieter with no engine management light or code coming back on.

https://youtu.be/AkQTHUgsOSM Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world

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Suzuki Alto front shock absorber major failure.

Suzuki Alto Front Shock Absorber Failure

This Low miles Suzuki Alto got recovered into us with suspension failure causing the o/s/f wheel to be leaning out.

Suzuki Alto front strutt failure.

It was very apparent straightaway that the strut had failed due to corrosion.

Suzuki Alto strut failure due to corrosion.

We also checked the n/s/f and also found that it had a large crack in it.

Suzuki Alto strut cracking due to corrosion.

We replaced both front struts and a inner and outer cv boots due to them being torn and after checking the tracking the car was good to go.

Suzuki Alto front strut replaced.

Suzuki Alto tracking completed

Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info

Rotten Ford Transit LWB for Welding.

Ford Transit Chassis Cab Extra LWB for MOT Welding.

This Ford Transit extra LWB (Long Wheel Base) had been specially adapted for the customer many years ago to enable it to carry extra long loads. It came in to us for its annual MOT, whilst carrying out the MOT it became apparent that the extension section of the chassis which makes this van an ‘Extra LWB’ was made from a lower quality steel than the original chassis and was in very poor condition.

After removing the body from the chassis we could see what we had to deal with and realised we would have to completely replace the cross member as well as repairing the chassis legs.

The structural integrity of the the chassis legs was still very good and it was just the thin outer skin that was holed and corroded so we decided to sleeve the complete chassis leg to increase the strength of the existing legs.

New Sleeve And Top Being Welded Into Place

“MOT Welding on Transit Van”

Once both chassis leg sleeves and tops had been welded into place it was time to align and fit the new cross member, the cross member also supports the prop shaft so needs to be perfectly in line as to not cause any vibrations.

Cross Member And Modified Prop Mount Fitted

Next job was to weld the top onto the cross member and seem seal and paint the chassis to help keep it protected.

After completing this section there were a few plates to be made for the rear section of the chassis then the welding would be complete and we could refit the body.

“Time to refit the LWB body”

Aarons Autos is the best car servicing garage in the world

Your friendly car garage in Derby.

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info

Transit Van cross member on back order!

What do you do when a van that has failed an MOT on a rear cross member being excessively corroded (not much left at all) and requires a new one only to find the Dealers are on inevitable back order and non of the motor factors list the part?

Well, in our case we make one.

Transit van repairs at Aarons Autos — Old v New.

A sheet of steel and a bit of patience and ‘voila’ a new cross member for the van.

WELDING AT AARONS AUTOS DERBY — New beam in place.

Once welded in place its just a matter of sealing and painting the new cross member and its a job well done.

If your car or van fails an MOT on welding don’t hesitate to give us a call for a quote.

Aarons Autos for all your car or van requirements.

Your friendly car garage in Derby

Give us a call at Aarons Autos for more info.