MoT time today

ChrisH

Junior Member
Messages
89
If you ask them to inspect the car as a pre-mot then they can just like anyone can give the car a health check in between mot's.

I was always under the impression that whilst an MoT test is only once a year... the premise of the necessary standard applies all the time... and therefore in theory any responsible person who knows that a car doesn't meet that standard, would be duty bound to fail it... which could in theory even be the day after a new MoT had been granted if something had deteriorated.

That is obviously a really black and white way to look at things and I'm certainly not saying that I agree with it if the idea was to sort it in the first place... but I would imagine that's why some official MoT test stations would just do that as a matter of course to cover their own a55.

Whilst I can understand the sense of pride in a complete clean sheet. For me... I think I would almost value seeing a corresponding action with an advisory just as highly... maybe more so because I could clearly see it was cared for and addressed. It would only be if it was ignored for an extended period I would be worried. In some ways I would possibly be more suspicious of a car that had never had an advisory... because whilst in theory it could show good ownership, it could equally likely show cr4p testing. My Range Rover passed it's test clean last year... and a month later I had a decent specialist look over to assess a knocking and it needed a load of suspension work doing with some parts being described as being very much on their last legs... that didn't happen overnight so the garage who did the MoT clearly didn't spend much... if any time... checking... which is a tad concerning but kinda proves the point.
 

alfatwo

Member
Messages
5,517
I was always under the impression that whilst an MoT test is only once a year... the premise of the necessary standard applies all the time... and therefore in theory any responsible person who knows that a car doesn't meet that standard, would be duty bound to fail it... which could in theory even be the day after a new MoT had been granted if something had deteriorated.

That is obviously a really black and white way to look at things and I'm certainly not saying that I agree with it if the idea was to sort it in the first place... but I would imagine that's why some official MoT test stations would just do that as a matter of course to cover their own a55.

Whilst I can understand the sense of pride in a complete clean sheet. For me... I think I would almost value seeing a corresponding action with an advisory just as highly... maybe more so because I could clearly see it was cared for and addressed. It would only be if it was ignored for an extended period I would be worried. In some ways I would possibly be more suspicious of a car that had never had an advisory... because whilst in theory it could show good ownership, it could equally likely show cr4p testing. My Range Rover passed it's test clean last year... and a month later I had a decent specialist look over to assess a knocking and it needed a load of suspension work doing with some parts being described as being very much on their last legs... that didn't happen overnight so the garage who did the MoT clearly didn't spend much... if any time... checking... which is a tad concerning but kinda proves the point.

Suppose if you take it to somewhere like Halfrods your asking for trouble!


Dave
 

Zep

Moderator
Messages
9,110
I see what you are saying but there is a quandary at the centre of this.

As you say, a car should meet the standard throughout the year, so seeing advisories or fails and the corresponding action might be comforting, but it also suggests that the owner hasn't carried out running repairs until they are required by the test.

A clean sheet on an annual basis on the other hand suggests that repairs have been carried out as required and so the car has been maintained throughout its use. If you are buying a car of the type in question there will be other evidence to support work carried out beyond the MOT pass / advisories.

There is no requirement for a garage to issue an MOT fail on a car that they have only been asked to inspect or quote on. In my view it is their duty of care to inform the owner and advise them of the appropriate action. The onus is then on the owner to take the required action, whether that is taking it away and fixing it themselves or employing the garage to do the work.

In this case Phil has asked them to pre-MoT the car and the garage has instead carried out the test without the option of prior repairs. This isn't covering their ****, it's not following instructions. I'd be fuming.

I would agree that a fail and then repair and pass isn't as big a concern as seeing the same advisories (or minor defects as they will soon be known) year after year.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,759
I have no issue with advisories on MOTs as long as they don't reappear each year. If I get an advisory I just get the corrective action taken and I would expect any well maintained car to have the same.
 

Wanderer

Member
Messages
5,791
Got pass cert today, cost me;

£40 test
£75 excess windscreen
£150 fitting new handbrake (bit of a bugger, not just cable, lever too)
£75 for handbrake cable lever assembly.

No advisories.

Oddly enough cos car is technically an Irish (but UK spec) import, it's a 2017 car, does it have to stay that way being the year of import not manufacture?