The ask an MOT tester thread
Discussion
Little Pete said:
STO said:
Do you advise on an under tray being fitted even if standard fitment?
When the advisory first became available I did but I must admit I don’t much now unless I suspect they are covering corrosion to brake or fuel pipes. It’s what my DVSA guy called a CMA advisory, covering my arse!
RazerSauber said:
Have you ever had a customer be so rude or ignorant you've turned advisories into fails?
Are there any particular vehicles you don't like testing?
No, it's part of the job, you have to test the car not the owner, I have been wound up more than once by folk telling me how to test from the viewing area, same with those who decide they are going to look underneath without being invited over, they get told to walk away fairly firmly. Are there any particular vehicles you don't like testing?
Transits I dislike, Land rovers/Range Rovers as the former are always filthy and the latter because there are so many unique processes with the suspension and park brake, takes ages.
Monkeylegend said:
Can you MOT your own cars or is this seen as a conflict of interest?
You can for now, I do and I am very strict with it because it needs to be right, sometimes we test each others cars just to mix it up, rumour they will stop it soon though, daft as we all know other testers so it's a much of a muchness reallyOilchange said:
What cars do you expect to be a mess and aren’t
and conversely, what are expected to be loved and aren’t?
Is there any pattern?
No real pattern, I see horrible cars that you would expect to be well looked after, larger family cars that are health hazards inside, honestly, people spend a fortune on all sorts of crap to keep their young kids sterile then transport them around in a bin full of rotting crap..and conversely, what are expected to be loved and aren’t?
Is there any pattern?
I get a few really cheap Kia's etc that are mint, older folk who really take pride in the car, always nice to see.
Little Pete said:
Coil springs are something we fail an awful lot of. I don’t know if it’s the quality of the springs or the general condition of our roads but we fail a lot more now than say, ten years ago.
I agree, the number of springs that are broken nowadays is crazy, partly because of poor roads, partly poor metal and partly poor design with the ends finishing on a flat plate so the coil above is stressed as it hits the end..I hate doing Mercedes fronts with the struts that collapse in when you release the mount...idiot idea!ChevronB19 said:
OP (and other MoT peeps). What’s your opinion on the removal of the requirement for an MoT on classic cars?
I’m a classic fan, and I worry that what will inevitably happen is someone in a classic will eventually plough into a bus queue or similar. I know the reasoning is ‘classic car fans look after their cars’ but having been involved (a lot, including customer cars) some are terrible - shiny in top, death trap underneath.
Worse idea ever. I tested a Land Rover last week for a chap who was driving it every day but wanted a check, it should be no where near the road. Same with a VW camper, rotten. A chap brought a lovely old Ford Consul that looked show winning but he always likes it testing, steering box cracked at the mounting. All cars should be tested.I’m a classic fan, and I worry that what will inevitably happen is someone in a classic will eventually plough into a bus queue or similar. I know the reasoning is ‘classic car fans look after their cars’ but having been involved (a lot, including customer cars) some are terrible - shiny in top, death trap underneath.
[quote=Who me ?]q for the MOT guys. If I take a hatch in for a test with back seat( or two section of a three seat rear bench) down what will result be.
[/quote]
We need to see it upright to check it can be secured and to check the seat belts, if it is down I would attempt to raise it and if unsuccessful then it would be a reason to refuse to test, they have sent us a message recently about not refusing to test if the back seat area is loaded with stuff so the same rule applies.
[/quote]
We need to see it upright to check it can be secured and to check the seat belts, if it is down I would attempt to raise it and if unsuccessful then it would be a reason to refuse to test, they have sent us a message recently about not refusing to test if the back seat area is loaded with stuff so the same rule applies.
oceanview said:
Do you have many more emissions failures, what with plenty of diesels being bought over the years, that don't do the mileage or driven hard enough to keep them clean?
We are getting a few more now, testing to the manufacturer plate can be a problem but surprisingly to me most cars seem to be doing OK in the main. 2gins said:
If l put a car in with a very noisy serp belt that is very probably the alternator pulley bearings slowly becoming more and more oval, what are the likely and worst case outcomes?
I do intend to fix it and have the parts... Question of time is all!
No interest to us as long as it does not break down.I do intend to fix it and have the parts... Question of time is all!
XRMike said:
Have you ever had a cam belt snap on a diesel emission rev test? Also have you ever point blank refused to test a car based on its condition?
Not yet...I have never refused to test a car but have asked the owner to remove some stuff beforehand. Some cars are mobile skips, I find it hard to understand how someone can let a car get into such a state.
bolidemichael said:
Nice thread! I'll bundle in with a few questions of my own:
Does an MOT test when looking to buy a vehicle give an informed view as to its condition, as opposed to its roadworthiness?
Does a clean vehicle in and out create a positive view of the vehicle - enough to colour a view on potential advisories?
If a vehicle has little or no advisories, does that indicate that it is mechanically sound and well looked after?
Should we be suspicious of vehicles that have never received an MOT advisory over many years?
Minimum standards apply to the test, it is a long way away from what an inspection would flag up, so I would say no.Does an MOT test when looking to buy a vehicle give an informed view as to its condition, as opposed to its roadworthiness?
Does a clean vehicle in and out create a positive view of the vehicle - enough to colour a view on potential advisories?
If a vehicle has little or no advisories, does that indicate that it is mechanically sound and well looked after?
Should we be suspicious of vehicles that have never received an MOT advisory over many years?
A clean vehicle is always appreciated as some of the bins we have to test are unhygienic at best! It certainly makes me feel like the owner may keep on top of a car if it is clean, but please, no tyre dressing, stupid stuff gets everywhere!
I know of 15 year + cars that have never had an advisory, the cars are well maintained and I would not have any worries on that score .
Codotuk said:
On number plates -
if you have a dateless registration does it need the gap between the letters and numbers?
As the rules say about gap between the age identifier and dateless plates don’t have that.
On a motorbike plate does it have to be on 2 lines if it fits on 1?
Cheers
Vehicles with non-date related plates, such as those issued before 1963 and Northern Ireland plates must still meet the separation requirement between groups of characters where relevant.if you have a dateless registration does it need the gap between the letters and numbers?
As the rules say about gap between the age identifier and dateless plates don’t have that.
On a motorbike plate does it have to be on 2 lines if it fits on 1?
Cheers
I don't test motorcycles so I am unsure regarding that.
bolidemichael said:
Thanks all for your informative responses. Picking up on this final point, would the only way to spot a pattern be to enter the latest V5C number in order to view the test locations in order to evaluate if it was continually the same tester or premises?
Yes it would. We do not have any more info to hand than you, I use the history to see if it was advised on anything previously before I test a car for my own reference, sometimes the fault is there, sometimes not, fixed or otherwise..Mr Tidy said:
Just curious, but how did the tester of my BMW E91 determine that is was "at operating temperature" for the emissions test last year given that it didn't have a temperature gauge? 
And why did it get an advisory for worn rear brake pads when the OBC showed 22K miles?
Isn't the test supposed to reflect the performance on the day the car is tested, rather than it's potential longevity?
Or did I miss something? (Like revenue generation maybe).
And why did it get an advisory for worn rear brake pads when the OBC showed 22K miles?
Isn't the test supposed to reflect the performance on the day the car is tested, rather than it's potential longevity?
Or did I miss something? (Like revenue generation maybe).
Emissions testing machine have either an oil temp dipstick or more usually now a dongle that plugs into the OBD port that reads oil temp and RPM.
Your OBC will never operate as accurately as the testers MK1 Eyeball. The OBC uses an algorithm to figure out how long fitted/how many miles allied to the pad wear sensor that trips when the pads are too low. The tester uses common sense and experience.
As for the last comment, the test has an advise in place on the scheme to let you know the pads are wearing down, it is not a random comment by the tester, it is there to help and guide the owner towards potential problems in the future.
So yes, yes you did miss something
Fastpedeller said:
Similar to the question asking if anyone's tried to bribe you.....
Do you know of any testers who try to hold the owner to ransom?
Years ago (when the customer was more actively involved
and used to shake the steering whilst the tested was underneath etc) I took a couple of our cars to a local garage and it became clear the tester was taking the *
went like this "ooh that's a bit high on the revs, If you give me a few quid I'll slow it down a bit"
On his attempt with out 2nd car I said "It's ok, I anticipated that. I've got the allen key that fits" and after I fiddled (and did nothing) he said 'that's ok now'
After I got home I called the owner of the garage to tell him what was going on
No, I would never think of doing that and I don't know any testers that would, not only is that terrible behaviour I am sure it is illegal...Do you know of any testers who try to hold the owner to ransom?
Years ago (when the customer was more actively involved
and used to shake the steering whilst the tested was underneath etc) I took a couple of our cars to a local garage and it became clear the tester was taking the *went like this "ooh that's a bit high on the revs, If you give me a few quid I'll slow it down a bit"
On his attempt with out 2nd car I said "It's ok, I anticipated that. I've got the allen key that fits" and after I fiddled (and did nothing) he said 'that's ok now'
After I got home I called the owner of the garage to tell him what was going on
Fastpedeller said:
Have you ever had a car where the emissions reading is clearly incorrect?
I ask this because I took our (at that time) Ka for test and the reading said CO and HC were both zero?
I asked if I could apply for a £0 Road Fund Licence Maybe the machine was turned off?
Not incorrect really, I see cars with 0 emissions fairly often, if it was wrong being that low then the lambda would be out of range and it would fail that way.I ask this because I took our (at that time) Ka for test and the reading said CO and HC were both zero?
I asked if I could apply for a £0 Road Fund Licence
Maybe the machine was turned off?Zombie said:
One of my cars has a speedo marked in km/h only. Whilst it has apparently passed 2 MOTs like this, is suspect it shouldn't. Is this correct and what would be required to get it to pass? Thanks.
If it is there, complete and lights up that's us done with it unless we do a road based brake test then we have to note if it is working.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff