pobby · Jul 21, 2009

here is a usfull online copy of the mot tester manual "bible"

its has everything on there and is updated regular

MOT Testers Manual

chil6ep · Sep 16, 2015

But when did the Engine mounts become part of the Towbar???

Or the Speedo for that matter!

EDIT-- To clarrify incase the address bar in the pic above is to small for some people, the pic is of VOSAs own web page not the document linked by the OP.

honolulujoe · Sep 16, 2015

they don't check everything, I have a towbar and electrics, had the dash out before the mot and only realised the day after it I hadn't re-connected the speedo cable

stannswhite · Sep 16, 2015

the M.O.T garage that tested my discovery checked every
nut & bolt,some of the advisories made me laugh,no towball,
rear seat belt,the previous owner had fitted a child seat,so they
reckon it couldnt be tested properly,keen as mustard,it wont be
going to them again ever.

honolulujoe · Sep 17, 2015

some places are real sods, took my s3 to a place in w London a few years ago and they were swines, never went back.

I don't mind being failed on things where necessary but some places obviously don't want repeat business

chil6ep · Sep 17, 2015

honolulujoe said:
some places are real sods, took my s3 to a place in w London a few years ago and they were swines, never went back.

I don't mind being failed on things where necessary but some places obviously don't want repeat business

Or think they are going to get business from the repairs! The works van tends to go to one of those "production line" type while you wait stations. It failed on a leaky CV boot and a windscreen wiper (things they had in stock to offer same day repair and pass) but at the end of it all still passed out with a smashed centre brake light lens (therefore showing white light to the back etc.) which was a custom moulded citron shaped lens that would have taken 2 days to order from a main stealer and their margin would have been diddly-sqat.

My experiance is that pretty much anywhere offering "discounted" MOTs need to make their money back from something and the hastle of challenging the testers opinion over the condition of a wiper blade or the condition of a seal is too much for most.

Place my wifes car goes actually got criticed by the Department for putting to many advisories on the sheet, but what they don't get is that he also goes down the whole list when you pick it up and gives his opinion on urgency, fits the odd lamp for free if weve missed something and never pushes the hard sell. I'd rather have the info so I'm happy to keep paying full price MOT.

Edit-- In another place I once got my old Disco passed with the rear door handle and the bumper level light unit in the boot and told to screw them on before I left the Car Park, they were busy and didn't have time to rebuild the bits I'd not got round to.

raywin · Sep 17, 2015

chil6ep said:
Or think they are going to get business from the repairs! The works van tends to go to one of those "production line" type while you wait stations. It failed on a leaky CV boot and a windscreen wiper (things they had in stock to offer same day repair and pass) but at the end of it all still passed out with a smashed centre brake light lens (therefore showing white light to the back etc.) which was a custom moulded citron shaped lens that would have taken 2 days to order from a main stealer and their margin would have been diddly-sqat.

My experiance is that pretty much anywhere offering "discounted" MOTs need to make their money back from something and the hastle of challenging the testers opinion over the condition of a wiper blade or the condition of a seal is too much for most.

Place my wifes car goes actually got criticed by the Department for putting to many advisories on the sheet, but what they don't get is that he also goes down the whole list when you pick it up and gives his opinion on urgency, fits the odd lamp for free if weve missed something and never pushes the hard sell. I'd rather have the info so I'm happy to keep paying full price MOT.

Edit-- In another place I once got my old Disco passed with the rear door handle and the bumper level light unit in the boot and told to screw them on before I left the Car Park, they were busy and didn't have time to rebuild the bits I'd not got round to.

I agree 100% that some of the cheap testers seem to be looking for a quick buck from a repair, I saw something interesting on this which may be of interest
Take a look at the thing on local council MOT test centers:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-mot

honolulujoe · Sep 17, 2015

I too use an mot only place now, much rather pay a fair price for a fair independent test especially somewhere that is realistic about old cars

I saw that council mot thing too, trouble is the one near us looks like it only does buses and has massive signs saying council depot, I think they made it look intimidating to dissuade the general public form going there

Turboman · Sep 17, 2015

chil6ep said:
Or think they are going to get business from the repairs! The works van tends to go to one of those "production line" type while you wait stations. It failed on a leaky CV boot and a windscreen wiper (things they had in stock to offer same day repair and pass) but at the end of it all still passed out with a smashed centre brake light lens (therefore showing white light to the back etc.) which was a custom moulded citron shaped lens that would have taken 2 days to order from a main stealer and their margin would have been diddly-sqat.

My experiance is that pretty much anywhere offering "discounted" MOTs need to make their money back from something and the hastle of challenging the testers opinion over the condition of a wiper blade or the condition of a seal is too much for most.

Place my wifes car goes actually got criticed by the Department for putting to many advisories on the sheet, but what they don't get is that he also goes down the whole list when you pick it up and gives his opinion on urgency, fits the odd lamp for free if weve missed something and never pushes the hard sell. I'd rather have the info so I'm happy to keep paying full price MOT.

Edit-- In another place I once got my old Disco passed with the rear door handle and the bumper level light unit in the boot and told to screw them on before I left the Car Park, they were busy and didn't have time to rebuild the bits I'd not got round to.

raywin said:
I agree 100% that some of the cheap testers seem to be looking for a quick buck from a repair, I saw something interesting on this which may be of interest
Take a look at the thing on local council MOT test centers:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-mot

Pretty much agree with all of that, and for folk that are fairly confident that their vehicle will pass, the council test centres might be a good option.
Myself I always go to the same place, tester is an old friend, known him for over twenty years. He doesn't work on cars, self employed, just does the mots for an indie garage.
Not particularly cheap, but we spend an hour going through the vehicle, we both know it is going to pass, but it is always good to have someone else you trust cast an eye over it, easy enough to miss something.

Turboman · Sep 17, 2015

honolulujoe said:
I too use an mot only place now, much rather pay a fair price for a fair independent test especially somewhere that is realistic about old cars

I saw that council mot thing too, trouble is the one near us looks like it only does buses and has massive signs saying council depot, I think they made it look intimidating to dissuade the general public form going there

Worth calling in and asking. The one up Druth looks like that too. But they do do mots, and trailer tests, as well as HGV and Bus stuff.

wammers · Sep 17, 2015

chil6ep said:
But when did the Engine mounts become part of the Towbar???
View attachment 90764

Or the Speedo for that matter!

Don't know where you got your screen print from but it is not from the link in the post above.

raywin · Sep 17, 2015

Turboman said:
Worth calling in and asking. The one up Druth looks like that too. But they do do mots, and trailer tests, as well as HGV and Bus stuff.

Scroll to the bottom of the Money Saving Expert page and there is a list of regions with a drop down box so that you can check your nearest one to you.
To be honest I have not used my local one yet but people tell me they are very fair just test your vehicle with no hidden agenda.

Turboman · Sep 17, 2015

raywin said:
Scroll to the bottom of the Money Saving Expert page and there is a list of regions with a drop down box so that you can check your nearest one to you.
To be honest I have not used my local one yet but people tell me they are very fair just test your vehicle with no hidden agenda.

Don't need to thanks, I know exactly where it is, just opposite Macsalvors. My favourite shopping experience, worth getting a ticket there for that alone!

http://www.macsalvors.com/

raywin · Sep 17, 2015

Turboman said:
Don't need to thanks, I know exactly where it is, just opposite Macsalvors. My favourite shopping experience, worth getting a ticket there for that alone!

http://www.macsalvors.com/

Looks like the kind of place I visit and come out with £120 worth of stuff that I didn't even know I was desperate for.

honolulujoe · Sep 17, 2015

as I understand it the council ones have to be open to the public by law it just seems they have made the one closest to me look intimidating to put people off going in.

the place I use now is mot only and very fair, charges £40 too so it is lower than the closest mot only station which charges just under £55, put 2 vehicles through now and will be taking the others as and when. Met an old chap in there having his car done he had been going to them for around 35 years so I figure that was a fairly good recommendation in itself

Turboman · Sep 17, 2015

raywin said:
Looks like the kind of place I visit and come out with £120 worth of stuff that I didn't even know I was desperate for.

It is a bit like that, but what are sheds for, if not to store loads of kit you might need desperately one day!

Turboman · Sep 17, 2015

honolulujoe said:
as I understand it the council ones have to be open to the public by law it just seems they have made the one closest to me look intimidating to put people off going in.

the place I use now is mot only and very fair, charges £40 too so it is lower than the closest mot only station which charges just under £55, put 2 vehicles through now and will be taking the others as and when. Met an old chap in there having his car done he had been going to them for around 35 years so I figure that was a fairly good recommendation in itself

The one up Druth looks like a cattle market, few big sheds, concrete yard, and a high wire fence around it!

honolulujoe · Sep 17, 2015

maybe its just the way they are then and I am being paranoid

Yoyodyne · Sep 17, 2015

Soon as I get mine back (been in since Monday) I'll post the "fail list". Makes some reading ...

chil6ep · Sep 18, 2015

wammers said:
Don't know where you got your screen print from but it is not from the link in the post above.

I reallise that, it comes from the government website as per the address bar carefully left in the screengrab to show the source.
It wasn't supposed to be a criticism of the original link, just another govenment admin failure (though the official testers handbook is also available in pdf from the site in the grab as an alternative to the original link if anyone wants to reference an "official" source when arguing with a test station).

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