The government is considering its proposal to make the MOT test a biennial event, and while it ponders the industry tries to decide whether a cost of £1.6bn every other year can be overcome or not. The safety ramifications of an extra 12 months between checks are not the purpose of this Blog post, we are looking at the financial implications and how workshops may claw back the lost income. After all, a £50 saving to the motorist is a 50 loss of income to the workshop!
Absolute Alignment suggests that a biennial MOT is an ideal chance to upsell wheel alignment services. It should not be too difficult to promote the implications of poor wheel alignment to a motorist thinking about the safety of their car. Once the check has been made, it is a small step to diarise for 12 months time and issue a reminder. Who knows, a wheel alignment check could be as profitable as the "missed" MOT!
A survey by the AA suggested that 40% of cars are carrying suspension damage that requires rectification, and 28% of MOT failures are due to suspemsion-related problems that will require re-alignment. The full facts are on our main web site https://www.absolutealignment.co.uk/5/About/ but the bare bones are worth repeating here:
- In the first three months of 2021, despite the lockdown, the RAC received 4,694 call outs to vehicles likely damaged by potholes
- Suspension problems are costing drivers £2.8 billion per year
- Road surfaces are worse than ever
In conclusion, although biennial tests could in theory take money out of workshops' pockets, a little creative marketing and effort could bring that cash back - and more! Workshops could already be taking the chance to liaise with their local customers through TV, press and social media to raise awareness of the role wheel alignment plays in vehicle safety, thereby future proofing their profits.
Anyone wanting to invest in wheel alignment for the first time or to upgrade their existing equipment should call the Absolute Alignment Technical Team on 01252 549340 or contact us through this web site.
Miss Alignment
May 2022