MOT History Query

[WhisperingWasp]

Seen a car I am interested in and I do like to look at the MOT history as a starting point.

Would this cause concern?


Just wonder if it could be indicative of damage to the front end?

Cheers.

[vikingaero]

For one headlamp it could be that someones not put the rubber cap back on properly, water has got inside and corroded the connection/silver finish. For front end damage I would look at panel gaps and paint and bolts on the slam panel etc.

[21TonyK]

Had same on a car I was looking at. Just prompted a more thorough look at the crash structure (which was fine) before I bought it.

Could be any number of reasons. Half the cars I look at have similar at some point on their MOT history.

[Lester H]

Almost certainly legit, but by all means check the front slam panel, factory stickers, etc. Light bulbs are now so damn awkward to fit that they are sometimes done incorrectly ( those horrid little wire clips!) or drivers just give up on it….tomorrow never comes.

[joropug]

My Mum has a C1 and it has failed on this multiple times to the point my dad raised it with the garage this time and lo and behold no advisory. He suspected they were just putting it down as a failure to boost their fails? Probably overthinking it!

Would not concern me but yes I'd check for water ingress and damage as pointed out above.

[Time4another]

Worth a good nosey around that corner of the car. Wouldn't stop me buying.

[Lester H]

joropug said:

My Mum has a C1 and it has failed on this multiple times to the point my dad raised it with the garage this time and lo and behold no advisory. He suspected they were just putting it down as a failure to boost their fails? Probably overthinking it!

Would not concern me but yes I'd check for water ingress and damage as pointed out above.

It would be interesting to know if testers feel the need to find small faults so as to been seen to be doing their job.

[Summit_Detailing]

Sounds like a bulb is out and the uv coating on the lenses is starting to fail so affects the beam pattern... Japanese brand?

I wouldn't be worried about this in the slightest.

[MustangGT]

WhisperingWasp said:

Seen a car I am interested in and I do like to look at the MOT history as a starting point.

Would this cause concern?


Just wonder if it could be indicative of damage to the front end?

Cheers.

Was this the most recent MOT and has it since passed?

[Smint]

The dodgy beam more than likely some clown has fitted the bulb badly, if i had a quid for every badly fitted or completely wrong bulb etc.

[Sheepshanks]

joropug said:

My Mum has a C1 and it has failed on this multiple times to the point my dad raised it with the garage this time and lo and behold no advisory. He suspected they were just putting it down as a failure to boost their fails? Probably overthinking it!

I'm convinced our village garage did this (beam alignment). Absolutely no evidence of the plastic adjuster knobs being touched.

The owner didn't even mention it when I picked the car up - just said it had passed.

[joropug]

Sheepshanks said:

I'm convinced our village garage did this (beam alignment). Absolutely no evidence of the plastic adjuster knobs being touched.

The owner didn't even mention it when I picked the car up - just said it had passed.

They did the same thing with us too - didn't mention it at all.

Interestingly the same garage, which actually were great with any work I had done with them, adjusted my headlights on my old W204 C Class but DIDN'T put it as an advisory.

I knew they had, as I drove it at night that day and the headlight beam was so close to the car I couldn't see a thing! had to google how to adjust it in a lay-by

[Davie]

Sometimes MOT advisory items create more hassle than they're worth especially if they're the work of a slightly over zealous tester. I would take any MOT history based items with a huge pinch of salt as it's very easy for a very good, straight car to have many trivial advises year on year and it's also possible the biggest piles of crap have clean passes year on year. In this case, could be something as simple as a bulb sitting slightly off or maybe it had a head on smash with a Scania at some stage in its life. Go and look at the car, make you mind up based on what's in front of you.

[Lester H]

Davie said:

Sometimes MOT advisory items create more hassle than they're worth especially if they're the work of a slightly over zealous tester. I would take any MOT history based items with a huge pinch of salt as it's very easy for a very good, straight car to have many trivial advises year on year and it's also possible the biggest piles of crap have clean passes year on year. In this case, could be something as simple as a bulb sitting slightly off or maybe it had a head on smash with a Scania at some stage in its life. Go and look at the car, make you mind up based on what's in front of you.

I wonder how much we have moved on from the days of MOT £30, or £70 without the car. I recall a salesman at an up market garage ( no name, no pack drill) just writing out the pass ticket as it was a Saturday and the mechanics weren’t there. The following Monday, the equivalent of ‘ The Men from the Ministry’. removed the MOT sign.

[WhisperingWasp]

Thanks all for the replies and positive tone. The car looks so good I am definitely picking nits.

And to the poster that asked, it was the first MOT, 10 years ago! It has since had a perfect record bar one or two "tyre wear" advisories.

Think I might have a new car incoming . And not Jap, German...

[stevemcs]

joropug said:

My Mum has a C1 and it has failed on this multiple times to the point my dad raised it with the garage this time and lo and behold no advisory. He suspected they were just putting it down as a failure to boost their fails? Probably overthinking it!

Would not concern me but yes I'd check for water ingress and damage as pointed out above.

Your over thinking it


Its usually when an owner thinks they can fit a bulb and fit it wrong that you get the advisory/fail on beam pattern, or cloudy lights, it could also be the light is out and its failed on that

A bulb out does not equate to crash damage.

[ninepoint2]

WhisperingWasp said:

Thanks all for the replies and positive tone. The car looks so good I am definitely picking nits.

And to the poster that asked, it was the first MOT, 10 years ago! It has since had a perfect record bar one or two "tyre wear" advisories.

Think I might have a new car incoming . And not Jap, German...

Ten years ago!! there are probably a lot of other things worth checking before buying IMHO, what car is it?

[WhisperingWasp]

ninepoint2 said:

Ten years ago!! there are probably a lot of other things worth checking before buying IMHO, what car is it?

981 Boxster.