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]
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'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
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
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
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....
Could also be with the fact that they now have to justify the hour long test.
Dave
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]
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Anybody else noticed that MOT advisory notes are going crazy more and more totally irrelevant stuff is getting noted.
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'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
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!!
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
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
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!!
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!!