The ask an MOT tester thread

[MG CHRIS]

BunkMoreland said:

MG CHRIS said:

Btw the industry still rips of customers take a visit to majority of main dealers and you get the your discs and pads need changing sir line. Or the air con is below or above spec, brake fluid change is due or any other easy money maker. My favourite i was told by a manager is to put down tracking if a tyre has more than 0.5mm of wear difference across it so thats almost all new tyres being failed straight away.

The list of things ive been told to up sell so the department can hit bonus is eye watering, the best one is motability cars which always seem to need new discs and pads on its 1st service.

I will counter slightly. Its not the industry as a whole. Its not even main dealers vs indies vs fast fit places

Its individuals that are not very good.

There's a very definite correlation between mechanics/techs who are absolutely dogst and I wouldn't want to touch my car and the unwarranted upsell they put through. As you say "Pads and discs" being the obvious one. I know a particularly st individual who loves a prop coupling rubber as its good time and he can do them well inside that. Amazing that this one guy has sold more in a month that the rest of a dealer combined in the last 12 months! These st employees are of course making good money with their dishonesty, and those of us who will say "pads are about 75% worn now, be ok for a good few months, wait till the pad light comes on" are not taking home anywhere near the same.

This is of course fully enabled by managers who cant tell st from chocolate chip. Only care about the money coming in. So hire anything and don't pay attention to whats actually going on. Of course then the people that can use a multimeter get lumped with the crap, earn no bonus, get irritated and leave. Only for the cycle to continue at a new establishment.

I hate the motor trade with a passion. But what exactly can you turn your hand to that would pay the same money?

Totally agree ive talked to other techs while doing manufacture training (currently doing seniors level) and its the same in a lot of other dealers. The bonus system is just ripe for low skilled techs to take full advantage of and as you said managers not caring about it. Did sort of get my own back recently when i happened to get the managers sons car for a service so i acted like how he wanted me to treat other customers cars. To say he wasnt happy was a understatment.

[MG CHRIS]

Somewhatfoolish said:

MG CHRIS said:

Btw the industry still rips of customers take a visit to majority of main dealers and you get the your discs and pads need changing sir line. Or the air con is below or above spec, brake fluid change is due or any other easy money maker. My favourite i was told by a manager is to put down tracking if a tyre has more than 0.5mm of wear difference across it so thats almost all new tyres being failed straight away.

The list of things ive been told to up sell so the department can hit bonus is eye watering, the best one is motability cars which always seem to need new discs and pads on its 1st service.

I'd be interested if you started a thread on this.

Take all day to come up with the whole story.

[Somewhatfoolish]

MG CHRIS said:

Somewhatfoolish said:

MG CHRIS said:

Btw the industry still rips of customers take a visit to majority of main dealers and you get the your discs and pads need changing sir line. Or the air con is below or above spec, brake fluid change is due or any other easy money maker. My favourite i was told by a manager is to put down tracking if a tyre has more than 0.5mm of wear difference across it so thats almost all new tyres being failed straight away.

The list of things ive been told to up sell so the department can hit bonus is eye watering, the best one is motability cars which always seem to need new discs and pads on its 1st service.

I'd be interested if you started a thread on this.

Take all day to come up with the whole story.

I feel you, never mind no harm in asking

[the-norseman]

Missus told me shes got a puncture on her car the other day, so I took the tyre for repair but upon removal found both rear tyres to be underinflated and slightly worn on the outside edges (weird that the inside edges havent worn the same)

Whats the MOT testers saying? will these get an advisory? or worse? rest of tread has loads of tread left.

[Athlon]

Picky tester will advise them.

[The Mad Monk]

Well, the offside front looks a little worse than the nearside.

[ro250]

I reckon that level of wear might mean the alignment needs checking too. I suppose if the tyres were very under-inflated this could happen but seems quite pronounced wear. They're certainly perfectly legal.

[the-norseman]

They are both rears, Volvo XC90 2011. Alignment was done a few months ago.


Fronts aren't wearing like that.

[ro250]

the-norseman said:

They are both rears, Volvo XC90 2011. Alignment was done a few months ago.


Fronts aren't wearing like that.

Strange then, as tyre pressures would/should have been checked when the alignment was done.

[the-norseman]

I'll risk them for the MOT if they fail it then I'll have to get 2x new tyres. I noticed the other day when it was wet, that part of the tyre is no longer making contact (with the correct pressures) so should be fine.

[ro250]

the-norseman said:

I'll risk them for the MOT if they fail it then I'll have to get 2x new tyres. I noticed the other day when it was wet, that part of the tyre is no longer making contact (with the correct pressures) so should be fine.

They'll pass as you only need legal tread in the central three-quarters of the tyre.

[the-norseman]

ro250 said:

They'll pass as you only need legal tread in the central three-quarters of the tyre.

I thought that was the case.

[Petetfsi]

Test with a gutted DPF.

What’s the rules for the emissions test?

A visual of the DPF for tampering?

A visual smoke check out the exhaust?

[yeager2004]

Hi there, I have a slight bulge on the tyre wall, would this be an MOT fail? Cheers

[Krikkit]

yeager2004 said:

Hi there, I have a slight bulge on the tyre wall, would this be an MOT fail? Cheers

If they spot it, yes

[CharlieAlphaMike]

I sold a car just over 1 year ago. I had an MOT done a couple of days before I sold with an advisory about the handbrake only just passing.

The car was in fantastic condition, always serviced, garaged and generally well looked after. It had under 60K miles on the clock (2008 MY). Out of interest, I checked to see if it passed the last MOT and found out the MOT has expired. I can see it's still insured but not SORN'd.

My question is, can I find out why it no longer has an MOT? I honestly can't believe it wouldn't pass. Could it be the owner has scrapped it for some reason? Maybe because they crashed it wrote it off? It was a great car during my ownership.

Edited by CharlieAlphaMike on Thursday 19th September 12:23

[Somewhatfoolish]

CharlieAlphaMike said:

I sold a car just over 1 year ago. I had an MOT done a couple of days before I sold with an advisory about the handbrake only just passing.

The car was in fantastic condition, always serviced, garaged and generally well looked after. It had under 60K miles on the clock (2008 MY). Out of interest, I checked to see if it passed the last MOT and found out the MOT has expired. I can see it's still insured but not SORN'd.

My question is, can I find out why it no longer has an MOT? I honestly can't believe it wouldn't pass. Could it be the owner has scrapped it for some reason? Maybe because they crashed it wrote it off? It was a great car during my ownership.

Edited by CharlieAlphaMike on Thursday 19th September 12:23

You can look up reasons for MOT failures on the MOT website so it suggests the new owner has just forgotten to do it (or is a scofflaw) rather than it failing.

[Little Pete]

Petetfsi said:

Test with a gutted DPF.

What’s the rules for the emissions test?

A visual of the DPF for tampering?

A visual smoke check out the exhaust?

Both of the above plus the vehicle has to pass a smoke test carried out on a machine to specific limits.

[Little Pete]

yeager2004 said:

Hi there, I have a slight bulge on the tyre wall, would this be an MOT fail? Cheers

Yes.

[Shaw Tarse]

Would you phone about odd tyres or missing locking nut? https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...