Can we belive MOT Advisory Notices

[Will]

I’d been doing some work on my 911, and had removed all of the under trays. Took it in for an MOT, the only advisory - under trays fitted

 

[Wolfie1]

On my CLS they keep saying 'slight play in the steering rack'. I asked if this needed to be replaced and the answer was 'no'. I asked can it be repaired or adjusted, answer 'no, not worth it as it is so slight'. Should I live with it, answer 'yes it is not dangerous and not bad enough to warrant a fix'.

It would seem they are just covering their a**e, surprised they haven't advised there is a 'wheel at each corner' .

You have to cover your ass though, its a funny thing to the vast majority of folks their car is the second most expensive thing they buy and very few folks want to look after them and spend money on them, that being said lets play this scenario out- car comes in for mot, passes with no advisories, owner is happy that no money has been paid (except of course the test fee) 2 months down the line a brake pipe bursts (as you cannot actually test a brake pipe unless you cut it in half and measure the wall thickness but with an mot destructive testing is not a thing) owner comes back to the test centre 2 months later and starts jumping up and down making angry noises and making a fool of themselves saying “i never had any advisories my brake pipe burst i had my pregnant salamander and its kids on board“ or whatever just to make it as bad as possible “my pedal went to the floor and i nearly crashed my car, you owe me wads of free stuff and money in compensation, its all your fault im going to the papers, dvsa blah blah blah” second scenario there is an advisory there, it was advised that first scenario doesnt happen end of story, the motor trade is a blame game i have heard so many times things like “you replaced my osf wheel bearing 6 months ago now my nsr wheel fell off you worked on my car last so you are to blame!” that is actually a joke in the trade now, it will never change as folks just dont want to spend money to have a safe reliable car, now im not saying all motorists are like this but the vast majority are

 

[chic0821]

Brakes & brake pipes are an easy money spinning job for dealers, plus as its a safety issue many, many people will just say if it needs done, go ahead. When my range rover had its first Mot, with only 6000 miles on it, the dealer had an advisory on front discs & rusted brake ferrules & pipes. As it had only done 6000 miles, I told them the car was not fit for purpose if that's the case. Took it to an independent who said there was nothing wrong. Two Mot's later from an independent, still nothing wrong with them

 

[Will]

To be fair, not all MOT issues are black and white.

Brake pipes don’t go from being brand new to faulty overnight.

If they’re the originals and over ten years old there’s a pretty good chance they’re past their best.

Usually they begin to corrode out of sight - in places some technicians may not even know to check. Ie above the rear subframe, under a plastic cover or inside a supporting bracket for example.

Mercedes-Benz steel brake lines are known for corrosion and will leak and need replacing at some point during their lifespan.

Quite possible that an over enthusiastic tester made the call too early, but despite the OP’s car being garaged and having 60k miles, it’s also sixteen years old and lives near the coast. I’d also be surprised if they were genuinely ‘perfect’ as the report suggested!

 

[zipdip]

Well you do have to be careful who you use for a MOT,my son last week fell foul of the Hyhunda main dealer at Southend on Sea,he has his car serviced there and it needed it's first MOT,booked it in and walked the couple of miles home,having got home he got a call saying the car had had the service but the car was a fail on the MOT because he had left the personal number plate on,ok he said I will be down with the proper plates,my grandson ran him down and thats when things went crazy,right near closing,the young guy tells him they have not done the MOT because if it failed he would not be able to pick the car up,cue my son going ballistic,the older and one would hope wiser manager says yes thats right so my son calls up the relevant government mot advice on his phone and shows them that the car is not dangerous if it has personal plates, they said you learn something new everyday,and no the MOT guy has gone home .
He booked it into Halfords and got a pass but had to run a day without a MOT,so just because you are dealing with main dealers always expect the worse

 

[BPD07]

Well you do have to be careful who you use for a MOT,my son last week fell foul of the Hyhunda main dealer at Southend on Sea,he has his car serviced there and it needed it's first MOT,booked it in and walked the couple of miles home,having got home he got a call saying the car had had the service but the car was a fail on the MOT because he had left the personal number plate on,ok he said I will be down with the proper plates,my grandson ran him down and thats when things went crazy,right near closing,the young guy tells him they have not done the MOT because if it failed he would not be able to pick the car up,cue my son going ballistic,the older and one would hope wiser manager says yes thats right so my son calls up the relevant government mot advice on his phone and shows them that the car is not dangerous if it has personal plates, they said you learn something new everyday,and no the MOT guy has gone home .
He booked it into Halfords and got a pass but had to run a day without a MOT,so just because you are dealing with main dealers always expect the worse

Surely the car failed due to illegal plates, which the owner knows are illegal but doesn’t care about then?

 

[geoffus]

Surely the car failed due to illegal plates, which the owner knows are illegal but doesn’t care about then?

Exactly. We are all fed up of these illegal plates, the owner has mixed up the letters to try and spell half their name, put it in the windscreen, on the side of the bumper or spaced them randomly.

Spotted: The b35t of the worst private plates • MotorPunk

We wouldn’t normally feature private plates. If it’s your car, it’s your business and they’re not a particularly MotorPunk sort of thing anyway. We’re more interested in cars enjoying an automotive adventure than any statement the owner is trying to make. But some of these are so bad, so funny...

www.motorpunk.co.uk

 

[moonloops]

I've had a few cars repair themselves between MOT's where advisories had gone away

 

[SpikyMikey]

To avoid the 'upselling' issue, I use a local place that only does MOTs, no other service or repair work.

 

[zipdip]

If you had read it they did not MOT the car because the idiots thought that my son could not drive away with the car because illegal plates made the car dangerous,we are dealing with numpties,and on top of that given my son had the correct plates could not do the MOT because the guy had gone home,and I and my son do not care if you are fed up with illegal plates

 

[geoffus]

If you had read it they did not MOT the car because the idiots thought that my son could not drive away with the car because illegal plates made the car dangerous,we are dealing with numpties,and on top of that given my son had the correct plates could not do the MOT because the guy had gone home,and I and my son do not care if you are fed up with illegal plates

So your saying they should have passed it with known illegal plates, and if stopped shortly after for a vehicle check you could have said the MOT said they were legal? And maybe risked their jobs ?


There is no incentive for an MOT tester to pass a non-standard number plate.



“DVSA takes strong action against any poor quality MOT tests which can include a ban from testing.”

MOT test: Police officer warns illegal number plates may be 'getting through' garage check | Express.co.uk

NUMBER plate issues could be slipping through MOT tests as police officers have revealed 'lots of cars' were found breaking the rules.

www.express.co.uk

 

[190]

The MOT not longer feels right to me. It ought to be about ensuring vehicles in dangerous condition are not allowed to continue being used on the roads. Instead of which it seems to have grown into an ever more complex inspection looking for petty problems which in some cases are used for revenue generation. I can't find the statistics but I believe vehicle condition is a very minor cause of accidents. There are countries with no safety inspection and there is little evidence that it makes much difference to accident rates. I do think there needs to be vehicle safety inspection in the UK but the national effort that goes in to the current MOT seems hugely out of proportion compared to issues which are a much bigger cause of accidents, for example distracted driving. We are even designing cars with increased distractions built in which seems madness to me.

I've left emissions out of the debate because I have no issue with emissions testing.

 

[chic0821]

Years ago, ball joints were a favourite fail. Not an expensive job so not really worth taking it away to fix yourself. It was a standing joke when your car went in for an Mot. How many thousands of ball joints were replaced when not required.
My Range Rover went in to main dealers for service & as first Mot was due I asked them to do it. Advisory for corroded front discs. Car had only done 6000miles so I said they were not fit for purpose so should be replaced under warranty. No, no. I took it to an Independent specialist who had a look. Nothing wrong with them & 3 years later they are still on, never mentioned again at Mot time by Mot garage (not main dealer) In fact when it goes for Main dealer service they send you a health check video & they are never even mentioned by them.

 

[PhantomF4]

The MOT not longer feels right to me. It ought to be about ensuring vehicles in dangerous condition are not allowed to continue being used on the roads. Instead of which it seems to have grown into an ever more complex inspection looking for petty problems which in some cases are used for revenue generation. I can't find the statistics but I believe vehicle condition is a very minor cause of accidents. There are countries with no safety inspection and there is little evidence that it makes much difference to accident rates. I do think there needs to be vehicle safety inspection in the UK but the national effort that goes in to the current MOT seems hugely out of proportion compared to issues which are a much bigger cause of accidents, for example distracted driving. We are even designing cars with increased distractions built in which seems madness to me.

I've left emissions out of the debate because I have no issue with emissions testing.

I’m inclined to agree.

A couple of years ago our CLK convertible failed because of corrosion on what was described as a suspension link.

The offending part was actually a body bracing strut which isn’t part of the suspension and isn’t even fitted to the CLK Coupé which shares the same suspension. The tester conceded that if it was removed the car would pass. Somewhat confused I asked our local indy (Merparts) for their expert opinion and to order a replacement part.

Paul Mazzoni of Merparts was so surprised that this had happened he actually phoned the MOT tester to explain that he was incorrect but couldn’t get him to change his decision.

The part being very rarely required wasn’t available at Mercedes U.K. and had to be ordered from Germany. Paul Mazzoni commented that in all his years in the business, changing this strut was a first for him and his team.

Maybe it’s not categoric proof but perhaps an indication of how the MOT is far from perfect?

 

[Petrol Pete]

Many on here have lived in foreign parts where MOT does not exist and have seen the scary stuff on the roads. I for one firmly believe some sort of safety check (annually to be the minimum) is a must. We on this forum (in the main) are 'car' people and would not dream of letting our vehicles becoming unsafe on the road, but in my own experience I know people who's only check on their vehicle is forced upon them by law every year, the MOT

Without it they would just drive until tyres blew, disc pads fell from the callipers and exhaust systems gassed the car's occupants. My friend who has two MOT stations tends not to get hung up on number plates and exhausts (within reason) but is dead strict on the safety stuff, brakes ,tyres , lights , seatbelts etc.

 

[PhantomF4]

Many on here have lived in foreign parts where MOT does not exist and have seen the scary stuff on the roads. I for one firmly believe some sort of safety check (annually to be the minimum) is a must. We on this forum (in the main) are 'car' people and would not dream of letting our vehicles becoming unsafe on the road, but in my own experience I know people who's only check on their vehicle is forced upon them by law every year, the MOT

Without it they would just drive until tyres blew, disc pads fell from the callipers and exhaust systems gassed the car's occupants. My friend who has two MOT stations tends not to get hung up on number plates and exhausts (within reason) but is dead strict on the safety stuff, brakes ,tyres , lights , seatbelts etc.

I recently saw an AMG-GT and being curious about how old it might be (it had a private number) I did a DVLA check. I was amazed to discover it failed its first Mot because one tyre was worn so far that cords had been exposed!

If those with the wherewithal to own such a high performance car allow things like this it seems obvious that a regular vehicle safety check is essential to protect drivers from themselves.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I recently saw an AMG-GT and being curious about how old it might be (it had a private number) I did a DVLA check. I was amazed to discover it failed its first Mot because one tyre was worn so far that cords had been exposed!

If those with the wherewithal to own such a high performance car allow things like this it seems obvious that a regular vehicle safety check is essential to protect drivers from themselves.

A lot of people just wait for a light to come on or a little screen to tell them that something is wrong. In many cases by the time that happens it's too late.

 

[davymead]

I recently saw an AMG-GT and being curious about how old it might be (it had a private number) I did a DVLA check. I was amazed to discover it failed its first Mot because one tyre was worn so far that cords had been exposed!

If those with the wherewithal to own such a high performance car allow things like this it seems obvious that a regular vehicle safety check is essential to protect drivers from themselves.

Our Indie is less than a half a mile from one of the busiest M1 junctions, and we are frequently visited by people travelling long journeys, stopping off with one problem or another. Daily I’m staggered with the condition of people’s vehicles. One of many favourites being punctures/slow punctures, where the other tyres are bald/flat/wrong size etc etc etc.
It’s draining and bewildering how SO many vehicles are dangerously being driven about. Our advice to rectify anything additional is looked on immediately as ‘trying it on’. It really makes your brain ache.

 

[geoffus]

A lot of people just wait for a light to come on or a little screen to tell them that something is wrong. In many cases by the time that happens it's too late.

And glad we don’t live in foreign parts, I took a taxi in Dubai once, the driver missed the motorway exit, he turned round in the sand and rejoined the motorway in the wrong direction traveled a mile the took the proper exit off, thought we were going to die!!

 

[zipdip]

Oh help,my son was ok with getting a fail because of the plates,I know there are people who must have a pass on their MOT,but nobody gives a hoot about a fail on a number plate,for the last time,he turned up at the MOT station with the proper plates to put them on then get a pass,the big problem was the MOT station had not done the MOT ,because they said if they had and failed his car he would not have been able to drive away as it would under the new rules a dangerous fault,you could not make this up,when shown the MOT rules they said you learn something new every day.
With regard personal plates which seems to have some posters up in arms,right from the very first day of cars having license plates it has been about being able to read them and find out who's car it is,today we have ANPR, and both mine and my sons are able to be read by ANPR,because every time I use the Dartford Crossing money is taken from my account,to me that has to be the litmus test ,I am aware that police can take action,but again there are far more important things on the road that they need to crack down on like no MOT,no insurance and people driving without a license.
I have posted before that the time you are most likely to get a pull by the police is when they are stuffing their faces with food,I was using a Morrisons fuel station and was approached by the police still clutching the remains of a meal deal,and the second time I was with my grandson at a Mc Donalds and again clutching his take away meal the copper was interested in my car so I had another coffee and Jack had another ice cream until some more pressing business took them on their way,the chances of being stopped while driving is very small,but can happen.