MOT station mystery fail then pass

MOT station mystery fail then pass

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Discussion

spanky3

Original Poster:

258 posts

140 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
Just looking at my cars MOT history. The last three MOTs have all been at the same place and it's passed each time.However, in 2016 there's a fail for headlamp aim, immediately followed by a same-mileage pass.

I watch them do it each year and they've not touched my headlamps, nor was I told they'd failed and then passed it so I'm surprised and annoyed. Aside from the fact they've lost a loyal customer what incentive would they have for quietly making up a fail?

Butter Face

30,192 posts

159 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
Why would they have made it up?

They can adjust headlights in about 2 seconds with an Allen key on lots of cars, but the correct way really is to fail the car (as it was a failure item) then repair and retest.

The fact you say it's lost them a customer baffles me? Are you not happy that they fixed your car, retested it and, I assume as this is the first you've known of it, not charged you for anything?

spanky3

Original Poster:

258 posts

140 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
I'm annoyed because they didn't touch it or make any mention of recording a fail. This particular place it's quite small and the viewing area consists of a sofa in front of a big window directly in front of the ramp. They generally start the timer, stick it up on the ramp then go of and fix another car for 20 minutes. If I thought both headlights were out and they'd adjusted then for free is be overjoyed.

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
spanky3 said:
They generally start the timer, stick it up on the ramp then go of and fix another car for 20 minutes. If I thought both headlights were out and they'd adjusted then for free is be overjoyed.
They need reporting.


Butter Face

30,192 posts

159 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
spanky3 said:
I'm annoyed because they didn't touch it or make any mention of recording a fail. This particular place it's quite small and the viewing area consists of a sofa in front of a big window directly in front of the ramp. They generally start the timer, stick it up on the ramp then go of and fix another car for 20 minutes. If I thought both headlights were out and they'd adjusted then for free is be overjoyed.
So you're questioning why they 'made up' a fail, then in the next post admit that they don't normally even test the cars? rofl

Truckosaurus

11,183 posts

283 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
In related news, I had my car MoTed today. I have 2 sheets of paper, one fail for headlamp aim and one Pass issued a few minutes later. No extra cost.

I suspect the computerised MoT system marks it as a fail as the inspector works through the test list. He then fixes the issue and presses another button.

No scam, just a slightly different way of working from the old hand written tests.

cuprabob

14,422 posts

213 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
Garages often fail on minor points to demonstrate they are picking stuff up to DVSA and keep the fail to pass rate ratio.

Monkeylegend

26,227 posts

230 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
Clearly if they don't even test cars but just leave them on the ramps for 20 mins, they have to show VOSA that they are doing things "properly" so have to show the occasional fail.

You have been "mugged off" wink

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
Headlamp aim checked and adjusted f.o.c. I'll have some of that please, I suspect mine are too high at the moment.

bobtail4x4

3,701 posts

108 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
cuprabob said:
Garages often fail on minor points to demonstrate they are picking stuff up to DVSA and keep the fail to pass rate ratio.
they get pulled up if they pass everything,

ambuletz

10,693 posts

180 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
isn't there meant to be some kind of timer/minimum time limit that they have to test a vehicle?

adeel_gt

226 posts

199 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
They can fail and pass an item at the same time i.e. Fail on aim, adjust in 5 seconds and then pass. Then record on the system to reflect this and keep up their test score

0ddball

859 posts

138 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
I've had it before with bike MOT's. I was told by the my regular mot guy that if they pass too many it looks suspicious and they are more likely to be inspected. I'd have thought there would be enough genuine fails to account for this but I guess not.

I was waiting once when the VOSA guy turned up doing a routine inspection so the tester had to deliberately fail it on a couple of petty things that they would normally overlook to make it look like everything was done 100% by the book. I then had to wait around till he went so they could pass it.

Edited by 0ddball on Monday 26th June 19:57

r11co

6,244 posts

229 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
cuprabob said:
Garages often fail on minor points to demonstrate they are picking stuff up to DVSA and keep the fail to pass rate ratio.
This.

gforceg

3,524 posts

178 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
The guy I use for MOTs will adjust the beam there and then during the test because it's a bugbear of his. Rather that than fail it and have to retest.

ashleyman

6,963 posts

98 months

Monday 26th June 2017
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Can they not do this on people who don't care about their MOT history being squeaky clean?

It pissed me right off when I asked for a list of things to be done to my car BEFORE they did the MOT that I knew were required for it to pass. Instead, they did the MOT first, failed it, did the stuff I asked them to do then re-tested the car.

SebringMan

1,773 posts

185 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
spanky3 said:
Just looking at my cars MOT history. The last three MOTs have all been at the same place and it's passed each time.However, in 2016 there's a fail for headlamp aim, immediately followed by a same-mileage pass.

I watch them do it each year and they've not touched my headlamps, nor was I told they'd failed and then passed it so I'm surprised and annoyed. Aside from the fact they've lost a loyal customer what incentive would they have for quietly making up a fail?
Headlamps take seconds to adjust. That and he may just be putting some minor things down just to look straight. At least you're not being failed for an item which doesn't need failing.

njw1

2,054 posts

110 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
Why do people worry about these things? If I put my car in for an mot and I come away with a pass I don't give a st what they had to do before issuing the pass. I've got much more to worry about than my cars's mot history. smile

cuprabob

14,422 posts

213 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
njw1 said:
Why do people worry about these things? If I put my car in for an mot and I come away with a pass I don't give a st what they had to do before issuing the pass. I've got much more to worry about than my cars's mot history. smile
^this

ecsrobin

17,025 posts

164 months

Monday 26th June 2017
quotequote all
ashleyman said:
Can they not do this on people who don't care about their MOT history being squeaky clean?

It pissed me right off when I asked for a list of things to be done to my car BEFORE they did the MOT that I knew were required for it to pass. Instead, they did the MOT first, failed it, did the stuff I asked them to do then re-tested the car.
I’m not sure the obsession on here with clean MOT’s if it’s for something trivial like beam adjustment it wouldn’t stop me buying a car over one with a clean MOT even more so as we all know that one guy who can get you a clean MOT so I’d be just as cautious as a car with a clean MOT as one without.