Yardley's Garage

19/06/2026

Can you still drive your car if it fails the MOT test, if you still have remaining time left on the old certificate?

You are allowed to drive to and from the MOT test centre.

However you are driving a vehicle which has failed to meet a minimum safety standard, and you have been handed a failure notice to prove this.

Admiral Insurance have now set a precedent, and refused to cover a car that had failed its MOT five days before it was involved in an accident.

Basically the car was being used as normal, but in an unroadworthy condition (leaking shock absorber).

So, while we would never stop you taking your vehicle away if it fails, beware that you probably won’t be insured.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18g9weTAoi/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Admiral Insurance has refused to pay a claim on an accident-damaged Ferrari worth £120,000, stating the vehicle lacked a valid MOT certificate at the time of the collision.

Read the full article here: https://garagewire.co.uk/news/insurer-refuses-payout-on-damaged-ferrari-due-to-lack-of-valid-mot

14/06/2026

Weekend Musings of a Grumpy Mechanic are officially back! 🚗🔧

About four years ago I ran a series of these posts… well, they’re back. At least until Mrs Y spots what I’m up to, gives me a proper bollocking, and confiscates my phone.

This is my little corner to have a proper rant about cars, the people who make the rules, daft technology, and occasionally… customers.

First up: MOT pricing.
Let’s be honest — nobody looks forward to MOT time.

The maximum price you can be charged for an MOT (£54.85) is set by the DVSA… and it hasn’t changed in 16 years.

Sixteen. Years.

What other service has stayed the same price for that long?

Car tax (VED) has risen with inflation — by around £55 over the same period. If the MOT had kept pace, it would now cost about £87.

Meanwhile, every piece of testing equipment has to be calibrated (usually every six months), and we’re no longer allowed to do it ourselves. It has to be done by an approved outside company, at extra cost. As kit gets older it has to be replaced with newer, more expensive versions that meet updated specs. Our latest brake tester? Best part of £35,000… and it’s the most unreliable thing in the workshop.

The truth most people don’t realise? MOTs barely pay for themselves. They keep the doors open by generating proper workshop work.

And it’s about to get worse. In the next couple of years we’re facing tighter emissions testing with new particulate matter and NOx checks.

That means yet another expensive new machine (around £10k) for every testing station in the country.

All while margins are already razor thin.

So yes — expect an MOT price increase soon. We’re all waiting with bated breath to see how much they’ll actually allow us to charge.

13/06/2026

No guesswork involved.

The latest VW group engines require the valve timing to be set with a digital gauge.

This is because they are capable of deactivating two cylinders, to save fuel and improve emissions, so every degree counts.

VAG changed the replacement interval of these belts from 5 years to 144,000 miles no time limit.
We however, think this was a mistake. Non of the materials used have changed, and after three years you’re out of warranty, so if it breaks, it’s a you problem.

29/05/2026

We are seeing more and more Peugeot/Citroen/Vauxhalls fitted with the petrol Puretech wet belt engine, giving problems due to the belt breaking up and blocking the sump strainer. This leads to low oil pressure warnings on the dash and various timing related codes.

Although this is an inherent problem with this particular engine, it can be made worse if the wrong oil grade is used.

We make sure our oil supplier is manufacturer approved, and has an insurance based backup in case anything should go wrong.

27/05/2026

☀️ Despite this scorching heatwave, we’ve made a big change to how we handle air conditioning bookings.
From now on, we will no longer offer a simple “regas”.
Instead, we’re only booking vehicles in for a full Air Conditioning Assessment.
Let me explain why…
If your aircon isn’t blowing cold, it has a fault.
If it was regassed elsewhere and stopped working after a few days, weeks or months… it has a fault.
If it’s never worked properly since you’ve owned the car… it has a fault.
And you know what? We love faults.
Whether it’s an easy-to-find leak, a nightmare leak that’s almost impossible to locate, an electrical issue, or a mechanical problem — we’re up for it. We’re equipped and experienced to find and fix them properly.
We’re getting loads of calls every day asking for a quick regas. I’m going to be honest with you: we are not the cheapest. Not by a long way.
But what we do offer is proper diagnostics and repairs that actually last. We use digital manifold gauges that can detect tiny leak rates (good luck spotting a 2 psi/hr leak on old manual gauges). We have both OFN and hydrogen trace gases depending on how tricky the job is, and we’re more than happy to strip the car down to its component parts to find the problem.
If you want it done right, we’re here for you.
If you just want the cheapest regas possible, we’re probably not the right garage for you.
Heatwave getting to you? Book your Air Conditioning Assessment today.
Drop us a message or give us a call! 🔥❄️

09/05/2026

While everyone is welcome in the office, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t sit on my computer.

A feathered friend flew into the office to see us this morning, just a fleeting visit, now returned to safety.

10/04/2026

Today we achieved SERMI accreditation! 🎉

What is SERMI?
SERMI (Security-related Vehicle Repair and Maintenance Information) is a mandatory European certification scheme. It allows independent garages like ours to access secure manufacturer data for specialist tasks such as ECU programming, key programming, and immobiliser repairs.
Currently, 19 manufacturers require SERMI certification to carry out security-related work on their vehicles.

What does SERMI accreditation mean for us?
It proves that we operate to the highest standards of legality, security, and professionalism. We will also be subject to regular inspections over the coming years to maintain this accreditation.

What does this mean for you?
Honestly, not a great deal in day-to-day terms. The trust you already place in us is the best proof that we’re doing things right.
However, it does mean we can now carry out certain specialist jobs that many other workshops are unable to perform.
For these specific tasks, we may need a copy of the vehicle’s log book (V5C) and proof of your ID. We will always let you know in advance if this is required — and it will be a relatively rare occurrence.

29/03/2026

Oil Prices.

With the current global oil shortage, bulk prices are starting to increase.

We currently have over 1000 litres of various grades in stock, which will be sold at our regular prices.

As we need to replace this prices may rise.

Thank you for your understanding.

11/03/2026

Possibly the most uninteresting jigsaw in the world.

Assembling a new Transit ignition lock barrel to retain the old key.

This means all locks remain on the same key, and saves the need to reprogram the immobiliser system.

09/03/2026

Just once it would be nice to have an easy diagnostic job….

2022 Citroen Relay wth intermittent complete loss of power. Turning it off for a while restored performance, until it was driven hard.

The only fault codes were for boost pressure coherence, and egr sticking.

Now this is where being in a network of likeminded garages is invaluable. I remembered seeing a case study, on the Dpf Doctor network from Barry Lawson in Scotland with a similar issue, a couple of years ago.

To cut a long story short, the turbo hose has failed internally. When the turbo is on full boost, it inflates a large blister inside the turbo hose cutting off the air supply to the engine.

This would have been an incredibly difficult find without the help of the network.