Advertising dodgy MOT's on the web

[Sp!ke]

The otherday I was shown some adverts on a foreign website for uk based foreign nationals.

There was a series of adverts, some blatant and others with slightly more subtle wording but all of them were basically claiming that they have a 100% MOT pass rate regardless of the vehicle condition. Most claimed to not even need to see the car. The service was door to door so they would meet you, take the relevant car details and they would return within 48 hours with a fresh MOT certificate. (I have been reliably told that these are valid MOT certs rather than just forged ones)

Some of them were even offering to tax the vehicle for a fee should you not have the correct insurance paperwork. (bent post office workers involved here I guess)

I know this sort of thing goes on but to blatantly advertise these services like this came as a bit of a shock. If VOSA got wise to this it would be so easy to set up a sting. It would take just one person to see the advert and not approve and they'd be up the creek without a paddle.

What would the likely sentence be I wonder, prison time or a slap on the wrists and a fine? I'm guessing that the penalties are pretty lenient or they wouldn't have the front to do this.

 

[franey]

Crimestoppers

And you could claim a community action trust reward!!

Sentence will be pretty heavy here I would imagine, numerous offences involved.

 

[d w124]

Crimestoppers

Sorry to go OT but where did your friend ANNA go?

 

[franey]

Erm, I believe she was 'taken out' by the admins!!!

 

[d w124]

Erm, I believe she was taken by the admins!!!

What lol

 

[crockers]

I thought all MOTs were now computerised so a certificate isn't worth the paper it's printed on unless registered on the DVLA computer. I can see that a PO employee can tax the car. But it will still show up on the ANPR system as being not MOT'd.

Who is ANNA. Or is this a private joke?

 

[Sp!ke]

I thought all MOTs were now computerised so a certificate isn't worth the paper it's printed on unless registered on the DVLA computer. I can see that a PO employee can tax the car. But it will still show up on the ANPR system as being not MOT'd.

As I said above, these are genuine MOT's properly registered with the DVLA etc.

Interetsingly around here MOT stations are having to compete on price to gain business. £30 is not untypical now... I suspect some are having to resort to other means to make ends meet.

Anna was spam. She was pretending to be young pretty and blonde but in reality she was probably a he and working in a far east sweat shop for a couple of roupees a day tasked with spamming the wibbly wobbly web.

 

[jaymanek]

that is very serious... I would pass details straight onto VOSA.

 

[AMG-Al]

About ANNA?????

 

[neilrr]

Who is Anna?

 

[Spinal]

young pretty and blonde

Sorry; I missed the rest... what was the thread about?

On the other hand; being serious; I'm not too surprised. What I do find strange is how they get away with it... surely VOSA would be suspicious of a tester/garage that never fails a vehicle?

Or maybe they go to a random garage with a vehicle that looks like yours with fake plates?

M.

 

[Sp!ke]

I guess this is stuff they do on the side... they fail normal customers but if you're willing to pay the £140 charge then you'll get a definite pass without even seeing the car.

I've been in the position before when I've got a UK registered car located abroad with an MOT about to expire and whilst there's nothing wrong with the car and it'll pass an MOT with the car being stuck abroad 1000 miles away I can see the attraction in this sort of thing. In my case drove the car without an MOT until I got it back to the UK but I took quite a big chance in doing so and I was tempted to lean on a friend in the trade to sort me out in a similar fashion.

The problem is that they could be MOT'ing complete death traps... and just as bad is offering to tax uninsured cars.

I suspect whats going on is just the tip of the iceberg - so much for VOSA tightening up the system, clearly it hasn't had much effect.

 

[clk208]

Friend of mine who works for a car firm in the parts department recently had his MOT done by their internal garage located a couple of miles down the road without them even seeing it!

Perk of the job I guess.

Personally I think £40 or whatever an MOT costs is a worthwhile exercise for checking items like brake pad wear / safety items outside of a normal service.

 

[yachtman]

Sorry; I missed the rest... what was the thread about?

On the other hand; being serious; I'm not too surprised. What I do find strange is how they get away with it... surely VOSA would be suspicious of a tester/garage that never fails a vehicle?

Or maybe they go to a random garage with a vehicle that looks like yours with fake plates?

M.

cant do it with false plates as the vin no has to be entered i believe.

 

[moonloops]

I just had my CLK MOT'd on Saturday. I asked "any advisories"

Tested quickly replied - yeah don't bother watching England play football

They had loads of cars booked in for the Saturday MOT and hardly any of them turned up??

 

[Spinal]

cant do it with false plates as the vin no has to be entered i believe.

If it's checked anything like mine, they just glance at the VIN in the windscreen... that's easily covered / replaced...

If they come around, I assume they ask for some details...

<.

 

[crankiejohn]

3 months ago my son bought a car of a dealer, the dealer put a new mot on it,my son collected the car next day with a new mot done at another test centre but the car was still in the same spot blocked in?

 

[alexmoon]

I've been told that garages can't fake MOTs now because car is tested by DVLA computer via local garage's computer – so emission tests etc are done essentially in Swansea. Of course I imagine stuff like bodywork and suspension parts have to be tested physically at local level. However, don't forget that an MOT only verifies a car's worthiness at the TIME it was tested. You could drive away from a successful MOT and 10 minutes later a part could fail that makes the car unroadworthy.

 

[nick mercedes]

I've been told that garages can't fake MOTs now because car is tested by DVLA computer via local garage's computer – so emission tests etc are done essentially in Swansea. Of course I imagine stuff like bodywork and suspension parts have to be tested physically at local level. However, don't forget that an MOT only verifies a car's worthiness at the TIME it was tested. You could drive away from a successful MOT and 10 minutes later a part could fail that makes the car unroadworthy.

There are just as many dodgy MOTs around as there were before the changes.

MOT testers only risk is being visited mid MOT by VOSA.

 

[flango]

I've been told that garages can't fake MOTs now because car is tested by DVLA computer via local garage's computer – so emission tests etc are done essentially in Swansea. Of course I imagine stuff like bodywork and suspension parts have to be tested physically at local level. However, don't forget that an MOT only verifies a car's worthiness at the TIME it was tested. You could drive away from a successful MOT and 10 minutes later a part could fail that makes the car unroadworthy.

There is no link between the emissions computer and the VOSA computer on an MOT test lane, hence VOSA or Swansea only know what the MOT Tester physically inputs on the keyboard.

There is absolutely nothing stopping a dodgy MOT station inputting the details of one car to VOSA whilst another car is on the ramp, thats how they do dodgy MOT's without ever seeing the car. The only risk is someone from VOSA actually truning up at the MOT centre whilst a test is in progress.

This does happen and VOSA often sit outside premises watching cars on MOT lanes and then checking from their laptops wirelessly what car the operator has logged on to VOSA.

How do I know? In the 8 months we have had our MOT lane we have been randomly visited by VOSA 6 times including a trading standards annoymous visit with a car with obvious doctored faults and I have had some very interesting chats with the VOSA Inspector on what they get up to. So far we have the highest standard it is possible to achieve with VOSA and have passed every inspection with flying colours. This is one area where you need to play to the letter of the law as you are effectively dealing with peoples lives, a slight oversight or a favour for a mate could end in someones death, so it's just not worth it straight & fair is our policy.

Very soon the emmissions system is going to be linked directly to the VOSA computer to try and combat the above fraud they are also talking about ANPR equipment to recognise what is on the test lane ( but there is a flaw in that one too)

It's a very dificult area to police but if you know of any dodgy practices or services being offered like posted here then I would inform VOSA immediately, you never know it might be your loved one that buys a motor with a dodgy MOT and ends up losing their life or someone elses because of it!