MOT tester 'toughness'

[Rory]

Or maybe 'rigour'?

I know a lot of the MOT is a matter of opinion, but has anyone had an MOT done at different places and got very different results?

Had my car MOT’d and, as last year, got a long list of advisories for corrosion and wear on pretty well everything underneath the car, as well as faded lights etc etc.

I recently saw a car for sale same age and model as mine, but 2x the mileage (mine is just on 100K) and it was noted as just having passed with no advisories. I looked up that car’s MOT history and it was astonishingly clean – a comment some years ago for thin pads and something about a tyre another year, but that was it. Not even the usual “undertrays fitted” comments.

Could they be so different? The guy doing mine said I don’t use it enough – yet it’s not going to wear if its not used and I’m dubious it would corrode more that a car that’s driven on often wet roads.

 

[clk320x]

Simple answer is yes it’s very much tester dependent.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Very much the case. Almost all will be v strict on brakes and emissions , but the variations between individual testers are massive, shouldn't be like that as technically there are no 'grey areas' . But life is just not like that.

 

[zipdip]

Yes MOT stations and testers vary a lot,around here there are three that the MOT testers sing the company song and salute the flag every morning before starting work,there are two that are not so rigid in their views,one allows those LED lights,and another does not care if your number plate is messed about with,and both of them will say get that looked at soon if they pick up something like a split gaiter or the like,if you are new to a area,look who the trade are using and taxis companies.

 

[Rory]

I'm probably being a bit bonkers taking it where I do but I feel that, as he knows Mercedes, he may let things go that another tester might fail. But could be it's not really as bad as he's making out.

It has always passed, but I think the advisory list has destroyed any value the car might have had (not that it'd be much, to be fair)!

 

[Neiltodd]

Had a 3 year old Honda CRV 30k on it full service history at the dealer it was in booked in for service and 1st MOT at the same time. They failed it on a passenger windscreen wiper not working properly! I had driven it the day before in rain and certainly didnt notice any problem.

 

[Rory]

What I find odd is a couple of cars same as mine have popped up in the forums recently - one was nudging 200K miles, so double mine - with remarkably clean MOT histories. The 200K one had 'brake pads wearing thin' a few years ago, and another with a comment about a tyre, but that was it - didn't even have the usual 'undertrays fitted' comment!

Could it really have done all those miles and never had several worn suspension components at MOT time, or a bit of corrosion?

 

[Jobsworth]

A lot is down to the discretion of the tester. The MoT testing manual is a fascinating publication. Whilst it is extremely rigid in what constitutes a failure there is a large degree of judgment required. For example, play in a balljoint that results in a failure is expressed as a percentage of the diameter of the ball within the joint. No one can measure that without dismantling it, and that isn’t allowed. Judgement call required. Just an example, there are many more.
I get all my MoT tests done at a place local to me. It’s a father and son team, the son served his apprenticeship with me about 15 years ago. Dad does a fair test, Joe (the son) likes to go through my stuff with a fine toothed comb. I don’t blame him, he wants to show me he is still a worthy student Saturdays, Joe is the boss, dad takes the weekends off these days. The other Saturday I turned up early for a test and there were two in the queue ahead of me. Both of those lads were also ex-apprentices of mine. I tell you, that felt a bit weird!!

 

[Chrishazle]

My SLK when I bought it came with a brand new MoT with no advisories, yet when my local specialist indie inspected it he found a shopping list of faults including a front shock absorber that was completely shot! Makes me think that some dealers have tame MoT testers! Admittedly after sending the dealer the list from my indie, he collected the car to let his mechanic look at it, and corrected FOC a lot of the things my indie had flagged! There were a couple that were considered "wear and tear" which I had the indie fix, and 12 months later she sailed through the next MoT with no advisories (at a local garage of my choice!).