Based at home but reporting to our head office in Nottingham the ideal candidate will be self-disciplined, organised, well-motivated and a good negotiator.

• Salary – Negotiable Dependent Upon Experience
• Holidays – 28 days per annum (including Bank & Public Holidays)
• Pension
• Bonus Scheme
• Vehicle

The ideal candidate will be qualified to a minimum of I.A.E.A or ATA (VDA) standard.

Current or recent experience working as an automotive engineer or body shop estimator is essential. Applicants should be able to assess, value and negotiate repair costs,  provide vehicle valuations, negotiate total loss settlements and have a detailed  understanding of salvage categories and claims management.

Experience of vehicle estimating systems such as Audatex and Glassmatix is essential.  Experience of Motex Easiest is also preferable.

The vacancy is in the M4/M40/M25 area with the ideal applicant based in or around Slough, Staines, Hillingdon or Maidenhead.

To apply, please complete the contact form below and provide a copy of your current CV.

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The majority of the additional testable items were introduced as reasons for refusal to issue a test certificate as of 1st January 2012, but several are initially only advisory items. However Mike advised that in spring 2012, they will all become items which can be reasons for refusal to issue a test certificate, if deemed defective in accordance with the MOT Testers manual, which can be viewed on line at: www.motuk.co.uk/manual.

The components and systems which are advisory until spring 2012, when they will become potential test failure items, include:

• Main beam warning lamp
• Headlamp wash and levelling systems
• Steering Lock
• Tyre pressure monitoring (2012 models onwards only)
• Airbag and/or seatbelt pretensioner (SRS) warning light
• Speedometer condition
• Visible wiring condition
• Engine Mountings
• 13 pin trailer socket continuity (a 7 pin socket will be subject to a visual check only)

The traditional MOT test certificates which don’t list advisory items have been scrapped in favour of a new style MOT test certificate, which lists the advisory items on the same page.

MOT 2012 Test Certificate

Effectively the new style certificate will draw the attention of anyone buying a 3 year or older used car to any advisory items. Subsequently many advisory items may well be replaced or repaired prior to the sale of a car to satisfy the purchaser. The old system of providing a separate advisory notice form effectively discouraged disclosure of any advisory items to purchasers. Therefore the new all in one style certificate will be welcomed by many purchasers at least.

There is also a new Refusal of an MOT Test Certificate form which is shown below. This also lists any advisory items, as well as the reason/s the vehicle did not comply with the statutory requirements.

MOT Test Refusal

Looking to the future, there is the possibility of legislation for a biannual MOT test, European standardisation and historical vehicle exemption.

Mini says there has been 1 UK case of a fire caused possibly relating to the fault. The problem typically relates to a circuit board connected to the cars’ water pump.  The issue in the Cooper S and John Cooper Works affects models built between 2006 and 2011.

Mini (owned by BMW) will be sending letter sover the next few weeks to owners of affected models, inviting them to have a replacement water pump fitted at a local dealership. The work will be free of charge.  The replacement of the water pump should take no more than an hour to complete.

In the meantime, Mini insists that the affected vehicles remain safe to drive and that the issues caused by the electric fault are very unlikely to occur.

For more information about this recall, please contact your local Mini dealer.

Saab Automobile Parts UK has been formed following the administration of Saab GB to work with a small network of authorised repairers.

Approximately half a dozen outlets were visited by a Trading Standrads officer posing as a member of the public.  The officer took the guise of a person with a single wheel rim that needed a cheap tyre.

None of the tyres provided by the various outlets met the standard laid down for part-worn tyres.  None of the tyres carried a mark identifying them as part-worn tyres. More seriously, Banwells engineer Mark Brown found that two of the tyres supplied  were not the correct width for the rim and one tyre had a ‘botched puncture repair’ which made it potentially unsafe. In addition, two of the tyres were not correctly balanced on the rim.

Nottingham Councillor Mick Murphy, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “With the cost of motoring increasing it is understandable why there is a greater demand for cheaper tyres but cashing in and costing lives is inexcusable.”

Recent research by Tyre Safe who are a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness about tyre safety supported Councillor Murphy’s comments by suggesting that 34% of drivers were using or had used part worn tyres in September 2011 compared to just 12% in March 2010.

Mark is an Expert Automotive Engineer and qualified collision investigator who has recently joined Banwells. Previously, his engineering career included twenty-four years with the Royal Air Force.

Mark has great experience in the maintenance and repair of a variety of vehicles, including HGVs and specialist vehicles concerned with the operation of a large airfield; along with the overseeing of all technical matters including repair costs, incident or accident diagnosis and repair costing.

Mark is also qualified in City & Guilds Motor Vehicle Craft Studies parts I, II & III as well as holding certificates in Professional Competence in Road Haulage Operations, ADR Dangerous goods and in the Institute of Leadership & Management.

His qualifications also include RTITB Fork Lift Operator and vehicle engineering training at the RAF School of Technical Training..

He is currently finalising a University CPD Certificate in Forensic Road Collision Investigation.

Phil brings with him a wealth of knowledge of the motor insurance industry having served in various positions at insurers and approved repairers over the last 35 years.   As Chief Motor Engineer at  CIS Phil developed various processes to streamline the claims management processes.

During his career Phil has gained experience in the manufacture and repair of both motor vehicles and heavy goods vehicles of every description for major UK companies.

Phil’s Background:

• Forensic Collision Investigator at GBB (UK) Ltd
• Member of the Insitute of Automotive Engineer Assessors
• Former Chief Motor Engineer for the Co-operative Insurance Company
• Former member of the ABI Thatcham Engineering Sub-committee
• Former Technical Advisor to the ABI Group Rating Committee

To Contact Phil:

Email: phil@banwells.co.uk
Office: 0115 9500476
Mobile: 07921 057770
LinkedIn

Whilst temporary diverts are in place on telephone and fax lines, all customers need to be aware of the following changes:-

The postal address will be:

7 Chase Park, Daleside Road, Nottingham, NG2 4GT

The telephone and fax lines will be:

Tel: (0115) 9500476   Fax:  (0115) 9881454

These contact details relate to new business enquiries and those relating to existing instructions.

HW Bell & Co Ltd, currently based in Sevenoaks, Kent, joins  Banwells as part of the GBB (UK) Holdings group of companies.

Michael Morris , current Managing Director of HW Bell, will assume the role of Senior Engineer within Banwells working closely with Operations Manager Mark Brown to ensure that there is no interruption to the service that HW Bell offers  to their clients and that the transition into Banwells is seamless.

Banwells Director Matthew Stansfield commented “Over the next 12 months we have plans to expand the portfolio of services  available at Banwells and also to provide nationwide coverage in respect of vehicle assessing.  The purchase of HW Bell, whom we identified as a company that fits with our business model, is the first part of this process.  We welcome Michael and his engineers to our team.”

The purchase of HW Bell extends Banwells coverage into Central London and the surrounding area meaning that Banwells now has coverage right through Central England from North Yorkshire to the South Coast.  The HW Bell areas are immediately available to existing Banwells clients whilst HW Bells clients will benefit from the areas covered by Banwells and the additional expertise available.

We use our experienced vehicle assessors and forensic vehicle examiners to assess vehicles and produce AD reports with a specific focus upon consistency and other issues that may be of concern.

The vehicles are assessed and an informal advice note is provided allowing clients to make informed decisions early in the investigation process.

The scheme sits perfectly with the MOJ claims reforms.

Benefits of the Scheme:-

• Reduction in time wastage through early recognition of suspect cases at claims handler level.
• Useful AD reports in cases where damage is found to be consistent.
• Reduction in cases embarking on the litigation process.
• Cases of the correct type only being litigated, leading to full CPR compliant reports only where necessary and value added.
• Quick Turnaround Time (cases can be dealt with electronically).

What Does it Cost?

One Vehicle

Two Vehicles

Upgrade to CPR Report

For more information, please get in touch.