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Goodwins Garage Ltd 6 Commercial Buildings St Helier
Jersey JE2 3NB Tel 733372
9th October 2018
Dear Mr Jackson
Thankyou for your letter dated 27th September regarding roadworthiness testing
I would like to express my views on the subject
- The impact on my business would be more work (which I do not need), but I understand something has to happen and I am quite sure this could be incorporated into normal servicing so once everyone has settled into a new system it would be manageable. I would imagine some garages would be pleased to have the extra work.
- The introduction of a vehicle test will definitely increase road safety, a prime example of this, which occurs often, is corroded brake pipes which could cause instant brake failure and possibly death to a pedestrian in worst case scenario.
- I think the cost of the test is about right £40-£60 but I don't think the main dealers would be happy with that as I would estimate the time taken would be ¾ of an hour and some dealers are over £100 per hour
- I do not think the states should provide a purpose built facility for this, it would not be necessary. I think most motorists like to keep their vehicles in a roadworthy state and as I said earlier this could easily be incorporated into an annual service. Obviously it would be better if a states department such as the DVS could "vet" the garage maybe every 2 years to make sure they are inspecting the vehicles correctly. As for extra equipment maybe just a headlight beam setter. I for one do not have enough room for a rolling road brake tester (as used by UK garages for testing brakes) and I doubt many other small independent garages would have the room either, so hopefully we could get around this by just road testing the vehicle.
- I think for cars once they are 5 years old, then every 2 years as a lot can happen in two years with corrosion and wear items. I think motorcycles should be the same frequency as cars.
- Finally I would just like to express my concern about garages using this system as a way of making easy money, i.e. suggesting parts need replacing when they don't and refusing to issue a certificate unless they agree to the work being done. My business has been built on honesty and quality work at a fair price, but I don't think you could say that about every garage in jersey, hence my reasons for the states to give guidelines and make sure these are adhered to by appointed testing garages.
Yours Faithfully
Andrew Goodwin Director
Goodwins Garage Ltd