britishtrident
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:26 PM |
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MOT advisories ----- getting out of hand totally OTT
Anybody else noticed that MOT advisory notes are going crazy more and more totally irrelevant stuff is getting noted.
One that go me last years was -- brake pads will shortly need replaced the pads had worn from 8 mm to 5mm they were the original on 6 year old car
had done 64,000 miles so by my estimate they had 5 years wear left before the service limit, 6 years plus before the MOT limmit.
Of course Kwikfit take the biscuit they failled a Rover 45 on a wiper blade and brake pads --- wiper blade fairenough -- the brake pads were
carefully measured when removed measuring the friction material thickness on a 4 pads the thinest measurement that could be obtained was 3.9mm.
Kwikifit of course so busy looking at the pads they missed the badly rusted and cracked ABS rings and the split pin missing from the lower ball
joint.
A year later another outfit noted the rear offside spring has 2 rusty coils --- the car in question was a 9 year old Rover 45 what do you expect
!
They also put a few other advisories on the same car -- all related to tyres, shock absorbers or exhaust - hmmm yes the car had been taken to
another fast fit outfit for an MOT.
[Edited on 18/5/09 by britishtrident]
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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iank
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Kwikifit of course so busy looking at the pads they missed the badly rusted and cracked ABS rings and the split pin missing from the lower ball
joint.
I believe Kwikfit will sell brake pads, doubt they will replace ABS rings etc.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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skibum
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:30 PM |
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I'm with you on that one
One of my tractor units went through the test and got an advisory for having a dirty chassis, new one on me
Matt
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Hellfire
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:34 PM |
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I'm surprised they get an DOT License to do MOT's - it's kind of a conflict of interests...
It's a bit like taking it to Kwifkit and it failing on:
Exhaust
Brake Pads
Shockers
Clutch
and whatever else they have on the shelves...
S
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britishtrident
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:37 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by skibum
I'm with you on that one
One of my tractor units went through the test and got an advisory for having a dirty chassis, new one on me
Matt
We have refused to test for that on a car -- but it was really bad guy worked on a motorway construction site, just got his mate to steam clean it
and all was well.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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big_wasa
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:43 PM |
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Yep allways best to take it to firm that doesnt have a vested interest.
The local k fit to us had a scam going by telling every customer they needed a new kat. This was pushed two fold. You need less of them to meet
targets and some one was floging them out of the back door. 
The wife took her escort in for a mid section and back box and they just cut the cat of saying it was shaged with out asking and refused to do
the job that I had asked them to do with out replacing the kat
I had to drive it home with out any exhaust after welding it back on it passed its Mot for another 3 years. I know of three others they tried
that scam on. All carried on passing the mot when they where told to get bent....
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need4speed
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:44 PM |
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Could also be with the fact that they now have to justify the hour long test.
Dave
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mcerd1
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 03:52 PM |
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sounds you need to find good non-chain garage
I got an advisery on exactly what I expected too:
I got 4 bushes to keep an eye on - fair enough, they are 8 years old and have a few supeficial cracks in the rubber
(but are just the same as they were last year)
and the fornt discs are pitted - also fair enough, they are cleaner now than last year but still quite bad.
and I've already got the new ones because I want them to work a little better 
[Edited on 18/5/09 by mcerd1]
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Marcus
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 04:16 PM |
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Our council have started to do MOTs. They don't repair cars, so have no vested interest, Used them a couple of times now, always fair.
Marcus
Because kits are for girls!!
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dhutch
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 04:29 PM |
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Mine have all be fairly reasonable of late.
- However i tend to go to small independnt drive in MOT centers rather than quickfit.
The list i got for the previous 306 the last time was a cracker however. 10 items i think.
- Offside front shock, slight leak.
- Front brake hoses, signicant signs of aging.
- Front tyres approaching legal limit.
- Breke hose mounts secured with cableties not bolts.
- CV joint gaiter secured with cable tie.
- Rear brake pads approching limit.
- Exhast starting to blow, cat rear flange sevierly coroded.
- Air bag light flashing.
It just went on! All previous work (cableties) caried out by a respectable garage.
Good job i crashed it into a fence and wrote it off really....?
Daniel
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MikeCapon
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 04:39 PM |
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This is just the tip of a very dirty iceberg. Ask anyone who has worked in one of these chains how things happen. The chain already mentioned above
has a particularly unpleasant MO.
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prawnabie
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 04:42 PM |
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Im sorry but this thread is pointless!
Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that if you take a car into "fast fit" centre where there have in stock, and can quickly fit
items such as brakes, tyres etc then you are asking to be bent over!
This is how these, and alot of other garages (esp the one i work at) make there money - regardless if it is wrong or right its just business!
If they fail your car on somet thats perfectly ok, then you have a case - advisorys are going to get more and more common as garages struggle for
work.
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Mark G
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 05:48 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Of course Kwikfit take the biscuit they failled a Rover 45 on a wiper blade and brake pads --- wiper blade fairenough -- the brake pads were
carefully measured when removed measuring the friction material thickness on a 4 pads the thinest measurement that could be obtained was
3.9mm.
If the lowest pad measurement is 3.9mm then its not a fail. The minimum limit for MOT is 1.5mm of friction material. Of course you can't
remove pads to measure on an MOT but you have to use your judgement, If you can't see that the pad is less than 1.5mm then you can't fail
it.
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 05:59 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Anybody else noticed that MOT advisory notes are going crazy more and more totally irrelevant stuff is getting noted.
Yep, local chap I know ALWAYS puts an advisory if there is surface rust on springs or anti-roll bars...that'll be most cars on the road then!
He'll also fail any solid brake pipes which have even a tiny hint of surface corrosion, and I reckon his headlamp alignment system must be out
because cars seem to have excellent illumination of about 5 feet in front of the car on dipped beam after he has adjusted them.
quote:
Originally posted by prawnabie
Im sorry but this thread is pointless!
Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that if you take a car into "fast fit" centre where there have in stock, and can quickly fit
items such as brakes, tyres etc then you are asking to be bent over!
I think you have missed the point, BT is talking about excessive advisories not failures. Fast fit places don't tend to make money from MOT
advisories.
[Edited on 18/5/09 by MikeRJ]
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Daddylonglegs
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 06:30 PM |
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I've used the same MOT garage for several years now. He's 'old school' and always treats me fairly. If something needs
replacing he'll tell me, and if it just needs an eye keeping on it he'll let me know.
He does repair if needed, but never touts for business by 'failing' random items on the test.
Local garage for me everytime 
It looks like the Midget is winning at the moment......
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owelly
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 09:08 PM |
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I've used these two guys since before I was old enough to legally drive! I was there today with my plastic car and they spent 45 minutes
laughing, taking the piff and poking things. No advisories, a good pass, although the guy did say he'd have to get his eyes tested......
And back to the topic, my Laguna got a fail for having 'not orange enough' indicators!! That was the one time I went somewhere else!!
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 09:16 PM |
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I'm the same - I take all of the family's cars to my local place (Station Garage, Capel St Mary, Suffolk).
Won't let anything through that breaks the rules, but won't fail it on anything unnecessary. Will also make an effort to get a pass,
although he won't let you fix anything during the test.
He also likes kit cars! I think I've seen 4 or 5 there over the years, plus a few wild trikes (he does bike MOTs as well).
quote:
Originally posted by Daddylonglegs
I've used the same MOT garage for several years now. He's 'old school' and always treats me fairly. If something needs
replacing he'll tell me, and if it just needs an eye keeping on it he'll let me know.
He does repair if needed, but never touts for business by 'failing' random items on the test.
Local garage for me everytime
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mediabloke
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| posted on 18/5/09 at 10:39 PM |
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I agree with the other posters. I've used the same independent tester for the last 20 years, bar once where I was offered a discount
"service & MOT" package by a garage that I stopped using some time ago. I'm sure you can guess how the rest goes... Never
again!
The independent tester's a petrolhead, so him and his colleagues were interested in the Indy, and even re-crimped one of the connectors on my
number-plate lamp that had comically gone out during the test... You can't pay for that kind of service.
Hillside, in Heywood, if you're local. 
Francis
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 19/5/09 at 08:26 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by owelly
And back to the topic, my Laguna got a fail for having 'not orange enough' indicators!! That was the one time I went somewhere else!!
That is one of the most common failures these days, and justifiably so. Modern clear lenses require the use of coloured lamps, and the coating on
these degrades with time and flakes off, making the light whiter.
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pgtips
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| posted on 19/5/09 at 08:43 AM |
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quote:
And back to the topic, my Laguna got a fail for having 'not orange enough' indicators!! That was the one time I went somewhere else!!
Yes that is the most common failure this days I agree. Why do you judge an MOT station for doing there job properly? You got a fair MOT and a fair
fail in my opinion. If he din'd failed the faided orange bulb and you went down the road and get stoped by your local copper and fined you for
displaying white light from your indicators, you would gone back to the station had the MOT done like a shot and having a right go at him.....you
probably also apeal to your local VOSA office for that issue.
As for advisories. MOT's are probably the worst job a fully qualified mechanic like to do. When you are trained to do MOT's or when we are
doing our refresing course the fraise "PASS AND ADVISE" is what they tell us 100,s of times.
Rand over.
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