Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Autowirral MOT centres - why do they do this?

I have used a certain MOT centre for a few years now, because you can just drive straight in without an appointment.
I put another car through a few months ago and have only recently gone over it to replace stuff (there was a lot!).
Having spent a lot on the new bits, I found half of the things listed weren't actually faulty.
The main ones were balljoints. It failed on two, claiming there was play in both. However much I tried, I couldn't get the balljoints to 'play'. They just didn't move!!
Next was 'corrosion to seat belt anchorage'. The seat belts are mounted to a point on the seat. The corrosion was underneath the sill (on the skin) and about 2 feet from the rust.
Another warning was the suspension top mount was corroded. The mount is attached to a subframe and not to the car. He was checked underneath the front bonnet???

Not sure what to do now. I've replaced the stuff, but has anyone heard of this type of thing before?

Arent MOTs done mainly by Computer now, to give a better quality check. Also prevents MOT Cowboys charging whatever they want...whenever they want...finding things wrong thata rent??

I put the lexus through on sat and failed on the sidelights being dull>? they looked fine to me but never the less i changed them

really hard some times, a car i have just bought from the auction needs an mot, im dreadding sending it in

yeah good luck putting that rover in mate

Yeah, good luck putting that G-Wiz through mate.

I was saying he made a list of faults that needed repairing and assumed I'd drop it off at a garage and get it repaired (and get billed for it). The only thing that was wrong was the handbrake cable needed tightening up.

Which garage was this matey?

You should put it in for its free retest without doing the work and see if someeone else fails it.

You only get a free retest if the problem is an easy fix - the list is on this link.

Unfortunatly what this car was failed on would involve a re-test fee

I hate to put it here, but it was Walsh's on Cleveland street. They've been fine in the past.
Just this one, I've been over the car and most of the faults simply aren't there. Retest is out of the window though, as everything has been changed!

This is why I only stick to using the one MOT station now. Fortunatly, I know the man who owns it well, and they won't take the pi$$. But, why should you need to know someone, just to be assured of a fair and legal (ie. telling you something is wrong when it clearly isnt, just to make you fail) MOT?

I think MOT stations should either be

a. independent, and do NO work at all on the cars;

or

b. Council/government run centres, whereby they have nothing to gain by adding jobs etc.

There should also be strict guidelines on pricing for jobs that fail, if they are to continue to let MOT centre's do the work; if they can have pricing guidelines on the MOT's themselves, then surely they can cap work pricing. I mean, some places will charge you £20.00 for a single window wiper, and then put one on that they got for £1.00 for two from Poundland. They will do this because they know you will pay it, you would rather pay that than say another £35 for a re-test...

You could always complain to VOSA

I have no real complaint, but I hate seeing people being shafted by a service run for the government.

VOSA are useless at the best of times mate, they can't even work out vehicles that are taxed and that are not because they rely on their computer database too much, and any error's are not their fault...

Besides, I don't wanna be giving them any more details to sell.

Lol.

There must be some objection procedure, or MOT stations could fail you on something obviously not wrong and get away with it

My mate has a test station - Ill ask him next time I see him