Can we belive MOT Advisory Notices

[ShaunB]

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.

Thankfully in Northern Ireland we don't have any upselling nonsense to deal with.
The MOT's here in are all done in official government controlled test centres, we do not allow independent garages to do the tests.

 

[Bellow]

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

You can lay into the MOT testers all you want but the obvious fact is that had the car been presented with legal plates then it would have been given a fresh MOT as expected. Problem started with your son - no one else.

 

[geoffus]

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.

Sounds like your plates are OK then, do you know why the failed ? Mine are spaced correctly on pressed metal but do not have a BS number but always get a pass.

 

[davymead]

Our MOT tester has been doing the job for many years and as we are always snided out with work for him, we regard him as well thought of by our large customer base.
He’s following strict guidelines, is rigid and, coupled with common sense accomplishes a very difficult job. As with everyone else, his on-line computer submissions are constantly monitored by the DVSA, any deviation in passes/non passes would be quickly investigated although this has never been the case.
With him, ‘nothing’ is personal‘ and he works to the same pattern every day.
Simply, a pass is a pass, and a fail is a fail.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

So an MOT tester gives a car the once over, realises it is going to fail so does not put it through, sounds like a reasonable position.

OK so the incorrect plate presentation, guy going home, giving conflicting info. are other matters but I'd have been happy if they had called to point out the plates need changed before the MOT.

 

[zipdip]

I give up I will have whatever you guys are on

 

[E55BOF]

Erm... It's not really an argument about the MoT tester as such, is it? I think the problem was that he (and his manager) believed, incorrectly (and God alone knows how), that non-standard plates were a 'dangerous' defect. If the car had been presented with standard plates, it would have passed, so they avoided failing it in the (mistaken) belief that it could not be driven away if they failed it; they thought they were doing the customer a favour - driving a car with an expired MoT is surely less serious than driving a car with a dangerous defect. By the time the garage was persuaded of the mistake, the MoT tester had gone home for the day.

Or, of course, it could just simply be that the MoT tester had cocked up and his colleagues were trying to deflect criticism.

The MoT ran out the same day. Best not to leave it to the last minute next time, then, just in case, and to put the legal plates on before it goes for test?

 

[PhantomF4]

I’m curious to know what made the number plates illegal and if he knew they were likely to cause problems, why didn’t he change them before driving to the garage?

I don’t know about anyone else, but I always check the obvious things like washers and wipers, lights etc before heading for a test.

 

[davymead]

Extra set of correct plates + 4 x small double sided sticky pads = happy

 

[geoffus]

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

This is the bit I do not understand, even if your exhaust was falling off you can, or could still pick your car up and take it home.
So unless the plates were metal and mounted at a sharp angle then why ? Had the MOT ran out that day ?
Can we have a photo of the plates ?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Driving a vehicle that’s failed​

You can take your vehicle away if:

• your current MOT certificate is still valid
• no ‘dangerous’ problems were listed in the MOT

Otherwise, you’ll need to get it repaired before you can drive.

If you can take your vehicle away, it must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times.

Source: Getting an MOT

I’m not really sure why it failed, but I’m assuming it was because the number plates were illegal rather than it being a personalised registration number.

I think the MOT tester was doing the OP’s son a favour given the imminent expiry of the current MOT certificate.

 

[Fastcar155]

Many many years ago a friend of mine who was an MOT tester was hauled over the carpet by the Ministry of Transport for passing a car that should have failed it's 5 year test.

He was caught out by an Old Lady who presented her car for the test.

He found out later at the meeting that car he passed should have failed because it had a break ligh bulb missing , wiper blade ripped and some thing else that I cannot remember.

His comment back to the MOT inspector was that if he looked he would find that he had replaced the bulb and the wiper blade at no cost to the customer.

My friend told the inspector that lady was old and he felt sorry for her.He then asked the inspector were the regulation was that he could not provide minor help.The inspector could not provide evidence that my mate was in the wrong. My friend then asked the inspector if the car was road worthy. Yes was the reply : I am glad you think so and he then left the meeting.

The car had a major design fault with the rear brakes that he had reported as an MOT tester to the MOT was no reply was ever received.

To be fair to the inspector he followed my mate out and asked him what the problem was.

The problem was that the design of the rear drum brakes allowed the rear brake shoes to release rather than tighten up when the brakes were applied.The inspector according to my mate went white.

In reality has the MOT test has improved car safety but the tester is still the weak link in the system.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Many many years ago a friend of mine who was an MOT tester was hauled over the carpet by the Ministry of Transport for passing a car that should have failed it's 5 year test.

He was caught out by an Old Lady who presented her car for the test.

He found out later at the meeting that car he passed should have failed because it had a break ligh bulb missing , wiper blade ripped and some thing else that I cannot remember.

His comment back to the MOT inspector was that if he looked he would find that he had replaced the bulb and the wiper blade at no cost to the customer.

My friend told the inspector that lady was old and he felt sorry for her.He then asked the inspector were the regulation was that he could not provide minor help.The inspector could not provide evidence that my mate was in the wrong. My friend then asked the inspector if the car was road worthy. Yes was the reply : I am glad you think so and he then left the meeting.

The car had a major design fault with the rear brakes that he had reported as an MOT tester to the MOT was no reply was ever received.

To be fair to the inspector he followed my mate out and asked him what the problem was.

The problem was that the design of the rear drum brakes allowed the rear brake shoes to release rather than tighten up when the brakes were applied.The inspector according to my mate went white.

In reality has the MOT test has improved car safety but the tester is still the weak link in the system.

How did it come to light that the car should have failed?

 

[Fastcar155]

The car was a MOT mule car and should have failed on the issues he found under the requirements of the test at the time.

From that day forward my friend tested every car to the book and the vast majority of customer cars failed the test.

Customers then started complaining re failures that prompted another visit from the MOT but he was found to be correct in every case.

In his opinion every car on the roads then could easily fail the MOT due to again ( MOT tester opinion was good enough as it is to this day )

He de registered his tester status and worked in the stores of the garage until they garage sent out an apprentice to sort out a misfire on a Ferrari !

Local garages begged him to come and work for them and he was not interested.

He left the industry.

Should really say he retired at 38

 

[geoffus]

That’s a nice story,

 

[Seamster15]

One of my cars has had advisories for the last three years on the same tyres (wear). I've not changed them as they are good, however each year the advisory shows a little more wear, or a little more gain in tread depth... Same garage!

 

[horatio]

This was my latest advisory. No I didn’t clean them up after the MOT! Some testers feel the need to ‘find’ something!

 

[E55BOF]

'Components obscured by undertrays' seems to be a favourite.

 

[Trickythemerc]

I have had tyres at 6mm as advisories and this year the rusty rear brakes pipes seem to have been fixed by the brake pipe fairies..........

 

[190]

In his opinion every car on the roads then could easily fail the MOT due to again ( MOT tester opinion was good enough as it is to this day )

This reinforces my view that the MOT test has become unnecessarily complicated. Somewhere along the line they have lost sight of the objective which is to ensure basic safety of the car on the road. In many ways I feel for the MOT inspectors who have been given and increasingly impossible task.