Van MoT Changes won’t Help Market

The Government is proposing to change the frequency that vans are being tested at MoT stations, simply lumping your Ford Transits in with cars, which usually have massively different operating cycles. CAP believe that changing the first MoT date to four years and relying thereafter on bi-annual MoT’s will result in not only having more unsafe vehicles on the road, it will drive down the value of second hand vans. The warning comes from John Watts, of commercial vehicle pricing experts CAP. Watts argues that the typically more arduous operating cycles of vans means a reduction in MOT test frequency would be potentially dangerous, lead to more poor condition vans in the marketplace and ultimately damage buyer confidence. “The typical first-life operation for a light commercial is between 3 and 4 years and the trade currently buys with confidence when a significant proportion of the MOT still remains at the time of purchase,” said John Watts. “If a vehicle appears for sale at around 42mths old, having never yet gone through an official MOT, buyers will have no independent indication of its mechanical condition. “They will therefore assume the worst and bid lower values accordingly. “The same situation could then apply in alternate years whenever there has been no MOT carried out for more than a year. “Reducing the frequency of the MOT would also encourage some hard-pressed operators to reduce their maintenance spend, with the side effect of reducing workshop revenues. Original Article: vanlocator.co.uk/van-sales/2011/06/07/van-mot-changes-won%e2%80%99t-help-market/