MOT pass without re-test - can this be reported?
Discussion
Our Alfa Sportwagon failed MOT last November.
3 failures.
n/s headlamp too high
o/s dipped beam not working
n/s rear brake binding.
I have a trusted mechanic who services the car, but the service is 6 months before the mot.
so for the Mot I take it to a local "Mr MOT only £30 but yer brake discs need changing, that'll be £500" kind of place.
I don't really like them working on the car, but this year I didn't have time so allowed them to do the work. God, how I made a mistake there!
They also changed both rear discs and pads (I kicked myself for letting them rip me off, £200 for two cheapy eurocarparts pagid rear discs that can be had for £40 the pair, but hey-ho, I was under stress at the time and accepted their quote and report that the disc was heat damaged. However, when I picked the car up I asked for the original discs back, I couldn't see anything wrong with them - they were 1 year old genuine AR parts - so I was a bit miffed tbh, but that is a separate issue).
Car came back, work done, MOT certificate granted.
However, I know without a shadow of a doubt that the car was not re-tested after the work was done prior to pass certificate being issued and vehicle returned.
I know this for three reasons.
1, The bulb they put in was incorrectly mounted and the beam pattern was all over the place.
I noticed this straight away and rectified it myself, didn't think much of it because I know they are a bit tricky to get right.
Then, I noticed that the n/s rear pads were not bedding in very well. I put it down to cheapy pagid discs and pads.
2, Then a couple of weeks back my wife was driving the car after dark, following me and dazzling me on dipped beam.
Last spring, both rear springs/shocks were replaced due to rusting spring-cups. The car must sit slightly lower at the rear on the new springs, hence the headlamps were high.
So, they never adjusted the headlamps, and certainly didn't retest them as the initial test flagged this up on the n/s.
I shrugged that off as it was a 5 minute job for me to lower the beams.
3, Then after 1500 miles the n/s rear pads are still not bedded in. In fact the bottom 1/3 of the contact area has never contacted the disc and has the surface rust building up.
Two nights ago I got back from a trip. Touched the off-side rear disc, yes, warm. Nearside? stone cold.
So, the rascals didn't even fit the caliper correctly, or at least the pads are not freely moving, it's as if they are stuck and the piston is managing to bend the pad for very minimal contact.
Anyway, surely this would flag up on their brake roller check?
So, I received the car back with fresh Mot and defective brakes and headlamps.
I called their customer services today and he booked the car in for them to sort out the brakes tomorrow. I don't really trust them to sort it out to be honest, proper bodgers. I would rather take it apart myself to check, but why should I have to sort it out after them fleecing me for £460?
The reason for this thread is really to ask if there is a way to flag up with the MOT authorities that this garage did not re-test our car. If they had retested it, then all the issues would have been rectified before it came back to us, and before my wife would be driving around with headlamps spraying all over and with defective brakes.
3 failures.
n/s headlamp too high
o/s dipped beam not working
n/s rear brake binding.
I have a trusted mechanic who services the car, but the service is 6 months before the mot.
so for the Mot I take it to a local "Mr MOT only £30 but yer brake discs need changing, that'll be £500" kind of place.
I don't really like them working on the car, but this year I didn't have time so allowed them to do the work. God, how I made a mistake there!
They also changed both rear discs and pads (I kicked myself for letting them rip me off, £200 for two cheapy eurocarparts pagid rear discs that can be had for £40 the pair, but hey-ho, I was under stress at the time and accepted their quote and report that the disc was heat damaged. However, when I picked the car up I asked for the original discs back, I couldn't see anything wrong with them - they were 1 year old genuine AR parts - so I was a bit miffed tbh, but that is a separate issue).
Car came back, work done, MOT certificate granted.
However, I know without a shadow of a doubt that the car was not re-tested after the work was done prior to pass certificate being issued and vehicle returned.
I know this for three reasons.
1, The bulb they put in was incorrectly mounted and the beam pattern was all over the place.
I noticed this straight away and rectified it myself, didn't think much of it because I know they are a bit tricky to get right.
Then, I noticed that the n/s rear pads were not bedding in very well. I put it down to cheapy pagid discs and pads.
2, Then a couple of weeks back my wife was driving the car after dark, following me and dazzling me on dipped beam.
Last spring, both rear springs/shocks were replaced due to rusting spring-cups. The car must sit slightly lower at the rear on the new springs, hence the headlamps were high.
So, they never adjusted the headlamps, and certainly didn't retest them as the initial test flagged this up on the n/s.
I shrugged that off as it was a 5 minute job for me to lower the beams.
3, Then after 1500 miles the n/s rear pads are still not bedded in. In fact the bottom 1/3 of the contact area has never contacted the disc and has the surface rust building up.
Two nights ago I got back from a trip. Touched the off-side rear disc, yes, warm. Nearside? stone cold.
So, the rascals didn't even fit the caliper correctly, or at least the pads are not freely moving, it's as if they are stuck and the piston is managing to bend the pad for very minimal contact.
Anyway, surely this would flag up on their brake roller check?
So, I received the car back with fresh Mot and defective brakes and headlamps.
I called their customer services today and he booked the car in for them to sort out the brakes tomorrow. I don't really trust them to sort it out to be honest, proper bodgers. I would rather take it apart myself to check, but why should I have to sort it out after them fleecing me for £460?
The reason for this thread is really to ask if there is a way to flag up with the MOT authorities that this garage did not re-test our car. If they had retested it, then all the issues would have been rectified before it came back to us, and before my wife would be driving around with headlamps spraying all over and with defective brakes.
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