scottc
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 09:56 AM |
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Tintop MOT
I took SWMBO's 4yr old Ford Ka for an MOT on Friday. It failed 
Patterson Ford in Shiremoor, failed it on the Steering Rack leaking, and a tyre ( I knew about the tyre). There was also a long list of advisories,
Bushs, macpherson strutt loose, rear brake binding......
Anyway Ford wanted £940 to replace the steering rack, strongly advised me not to take the car (as it was apparently dangerous) and told me they could
do the work by Tuesday.
Unsurprisingly I wasn't in the mood to give them £1K so took the car home. Sat Morning I wake KrisMc up and go off to find a steering rack.
£50 quid lighter and £6 for fluid its back to his to fit it. several hours later its done. Sun I go and get a tyre and get the tracking sorted (£56).
This morning I take it in at 8.30 for an MOT. NOT at Fords. and it passes, with no advisories.
How do you explain that? I didn't replace the worn bushes, tighten the macpherson or adjust the brakes........
I did notice when I got the car back from Fords after the first MOT that I'd left the back seat down (ie layed flat) so they obviously
didn't check the rear seat belts....
Scott.
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stevebubs
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:16 AM |
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If they didn't check the seatbelts, they didn't perform their checks properly....if you're feeling in an @rsehole mood, may be worth
a complaint to VOSA.
Alternatively, just start doing the intelligent thing and just take it to an independant MOT centre leaving dealership MOTs to those with more money
than sense.
And dealers wonder why they lose cars when they hit 4 years old...
I had a similar problem when I put my E34 530 v8 into Coopers of Reading for a service before I sold it.
Put it in for a basic Inspection II that I'd been quoted £280 for and firm instructions that no extra work was to be carried out.
2 hours later, I had the garage ring up with a whole list of things to be fixed - including a pair of catalytic converters, their estimated cost to
fix was about £2k (about the same as the value of the car).
Proceded to then to query them on what was wrong with all the items - especially since the car had flown through it's MOT (including CAT test)
the day before.
After a 10 minute conversation, they were convinced not to carry out any extra work.
At 5.30 I walked round to pick the car up and was presented with a bill for £550 quid. Then went ballistic to the service reception guy.
Ended up paying the quoted £280+VAT (hadn't asked about VAT on the call)
[Edited on 27/11/06 by stevebubs]
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Guinness
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:21 AM |
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Hmm, and you wonder while main dealers have such a poor reputation.
We recently sold my father in laws KA, which was 8 years old. Passed it's MOT first time, with a few minor advisories at my local
independant.
Scott, can recommend a couple of good independants if you want!
Cheers
Mike
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scottc
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:22 AM |
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Ouch! Had it been someone else they could easily have been ripped off to the tune of £2k!
I don't know for sure they didn't check the back seat belts, but find it unlikely they put the seats up to check the belts then put them
back down again. Most testers don't even release the belts after testing.
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scottc
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:23 AM |
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Thanks Mike,
I ended up using North East tyres near B&Q A1058/A19
was more than happy with the service I got from them (cos it passed) 
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graememk
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:56 AM |
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see thats strange, i used twells of billinghay (main dealer)for my vauxhalls and they are very very fair with there prices, eg my 52 plate vectra
failed on pas light on and rear light bulb and my bill inc a top up and check for leeks new bulb and the price of mot was 80 notes, which i thought
was very fair, as to top up the pas you have to remove the front bumper head light and airbox must be an hours job..
so they arnt all bad.... where as i've used another vauxhall garage locally and i wouldnt wee on the place if it was burning
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scottc
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:58 AM |
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That sounds like a good price to me. Considering the MOT would have been £50.
Ford's told me the rack was gushing fluid, yet the reservoir was at max, and hadn't been filled in the last 2 years. Maybe it was gushing
out, then back in?!?!
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DarrenW
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 11:01 AM |
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i had a kind of good experience at Preston Hall BMW last week.Bought car a year ago with 12month BMW warranty inc MOT insurance.
Last monday i reaslised i had 3 days test left. Was going to B'ham on Thursday and no time to take to dealers (30 miles away). Took it to
independant garage as i thought it would pass - alas no - a fail for ball joint and several suspension bushes.
At this point it is 17.15 on Tuesday. Warranty runs out next day. I called Preston hall immediately, they understood the predicament - no problem sir
bring it in first thing in morning. I paid for another MOT cos i had no time to go back to original garage for cert, actually this was a good
investment cos if they found more faults they would be fixed under warranty. They found the same faults as independant, all fixed under warranty and
me a very happy bunny.
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trogdor
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 11:37 AM |
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Its strange how it varies with garages in the country,
have taken our micra for its mot and expected it to fail on a few things such as the suspension bushes as they were an advisory on the last mot etc
however it failed on aload of welding that must of been there last year, albeit not as bad, but no probs with the stuff on the advisory?
is strange how differnt testors fail u on one thing but not another whereas a different tester would go the other way
[Edited on 27/11/06 by trogdor]
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oliwb
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 06:20 PM |
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Our series 3 landrover failed its MOT for amongst other things (ie a number falling off the plate!) "the service brake made the car pull to the
left" .....interesting me thought....why does that matter and how did they check it?? Then I started thinking and remembered the service brake,
brakes the transmission not the wheels! So they must be speaking balderdash! Oli.
If your not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room!
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PeterW
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 06:30 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by oliwb
Our series 3 landrover failed its MOT for amongst other things (ie a number falling off the plate!) "the service brake made the car pull to the
left" .....interesting me thought....why does that matter and how did they check it?? Then I started thinking and remembered the service brake,
brakes the transmission not the wheels! So they must be speaking balderdash! Oli.
I use somewhere that does MOT only, and found them excellent.
Ironically, my Series 3 failed last week, but for having no rear reflectors..! It passed last year, and its the only thing I was picked up on..! I
told the tester that it had passed previously and he asked me where I'd had it tested....
"Here...." I said...
Cheers
Pete
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DIY Si
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 06:39 PM |
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One of the best places to go for MOT's is the council garages, as they only do the MOT, and will test to the letter of the book. They
don't do any extra work, so have no financial desire to fail the car. However, if it should fail it will.
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
My new blog: http://spritecave.blogspot.co.uk/
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