MOT...Not worth the paper it is written on....
Discussion
..and certainly not the £39 it costs for one to be done. Theiving sods!
Put my car through it's MOT on Friday and it failes
Not too bad though, minor thing, blowing exhaust, knackered wishbone and dodgy brake pipes £150 Job Done.
BUT, heres the deal.
Picked it up after work, Proprietor, Ian, came up to me,
Ian - "Are you here to pick up the Blue Orion
Me - "Yeah, Why?! Whats wrong with it?
Ian - "Well, Brake pipes are corroded, which is the bad one, lower ball joint on the nearside front wishbone is bust, and your exhaust is blowing."
Me - "Oh Dear, How much is that going to dent my bank balance?"
Ian - "£150 or so. But there is something else not covered by the MOT!"
Me - "Oh, sounds dodgy"
Ian - "Well, it is slightly dodgy, your passenger side engine mount has sheared off before the block and is not holding the engine in place, do you get a knocking noise when you change gear or lift off?"
Yes you read that correctly, THE ENGINE MOUNTS ARE NOT CHECKED DURING AN MOT!
So, your engine can be held in place by one mount and the gearbox and it will pass, but if you have a sticker in the wrong place on your windscreen you've had it!!!
So what is the point of doing it then if the mechanical servicability is not checked?
Anyone had similar experiences??
Put my car through it's MOT on Friday and it failes
Not too bad though, minor thing, blowing exhaust, knackered wishbone and dodgy brake pipes £150 Job Done. BUT, heres the deal.
Picked it up after work, Proprietor, Ian, came up to me,
Ian - "Are you here to pick up the Blue Orion
Me - "Yeah, Why?! Whats wrong with it?
Ian - "Well, Brake pipes are corroded, which is the bad one, lower ball joint on the nearside front wishbone is bust, and your exhaust is blowing."
Me - "Oh Dear, How much is that going to dent my bank balance?"
Ian - "£150 or so. But there is something else not covered by the MOT!"
Me - "Oh, sounds dodgy"
Ian - "Well, it is slightly dodgy, your passenger side engine mount has sheared off before the block and is not holding the engine in place, do you get a knocking noise when you change gear or lift off?"
Yes you read that correctly, THE ENGINE MOUNTS ARE NOT CHECKED DURING AN MOT!
So, your engine can be held in place by one mount and the gearbox and it will pass, but if you have a sticker in the wrong place on your windscreen you've had it!!!
So what is the point of doing it then if the mechanical servicability is not checked?
Anyone had similar experiences??
My gripe is not with the Garage. They are the only garage in my area that I trust, they are also the best, and 75% of business's in the area use them, including most taxi's so they can't be bad!
The bloke mentioned my Engine mount to me when I had my clutch done. The bolts had come loose and one had fallen out, there was the tell tale knocking noise as there is now, and he fixed it FOC.
This time the mount has sheared off, which could be a factor in the wishbone as it's on the same side but the weight hasn't changed, so I can't see how!
£150 to sort the car is very very good, I have had quotes of £500+
so I'm definately not being ripped off, when I had my clutch done, I was being quoted £200-£300, he did it for £60. And he is a bloody good mechanic to boot. He hasn't started any repairs yet, I'm getting the exhaust done first and will have the wishbone sorted under warranty, was done by Kwikfit back in april and there is a 12 month warranty! 
I just can't believe that a Car can fail an MOT test on having a window sticker in the wrong place, and pass it with a busted engine mount.
The bloke mentioned my Engine mount to me when I had my clutch done. The bolts had come loose and one had fallen out, there was the tell tale knocking noise as there is now, and he fixed it FOC.
This time the mount has sheared off, which could be a factor in the wishbone as it's on the same side but the weight hasn't changed, so I can't see how! £150 to sort the car is very very good, I have had quotes of £500+
so I'm definately not being ripped off, when I had my clutch done, I was being quoted £200-£300, he did it for £60. And he is a bloody good mechanic to boot. He hasn't started any repairs yet, I'm getting the exhaust done first and will have the wishbone sorted under warranty, was done by Kwikfit back in april and there is a 12 month warranty! I just can't believe that a Car can fail an MOT test on having a window sticker in the wrong place, and pass it with a busted engine mount.
Just a quick update.
Took the car to Kwik Fit on thursday told them the problem.
No Problem at all sir, we need to order the wishbone and it won't arrive until saturday, can you bring it in then? Oh, and the exhaust will be £75.
Fantastic says me and I buggered off home, happy that the car will just need new brake pips following that!
So, dropped it off yesterday morning, bloke said, when Darren (the guy that has always delt with my car) arrives, we'll whip in on the ramp, should be ready around lunch time.
Went back at 3.00 to collect and the car was still on that big workshop jack thing. Gulp.
Darren "Exhaust is done and is fine sir, but there was nothing wrong with the wishbone sir, is was the drop link from the shocker to the wishbone, and we can't weld it sir, it's a Gas Shocker!"
Me "How much? I take it I'll need to replace both fronts?"
Darren "Yes, thats generally whats recommended, it's £55"
Me "Thats pretty good for two shockers"
Darren "Erm, no thats each sir"
Me "Each, Holy cow..." THUD.
So something that should have cost nothing, will now cost £110!
But no harm to KF, they've been upfront everytime I've used them, all there work has been spot on and the only problem was when they got a dodgy part from there supplier. No hidden charges, friendly service, and Darren is always the bloke that works on my car. It's the other place I'm having second thoughts about.
Took the car to Kwik Fit on thursday told them the problem.
No Problem at all sir, we need to order the wishbone and it won't arrive until saturday, can you bring it in then? Oh, and the exhaust will be £75.
Fantastic says me and I buggered off home, happy that the car will just need new brake pips following that!
So, dropped it off yesterday morning, bloke said, when Darren (the guy that has always delt with my car
) arrives, we'll whip in on the ramp, should be ready around lunch time. Went back at 3.00 to collect and the car was still on that big workshop jack thing. Gulp.
Darren "Exhaust is done and is fine sir, but there was nothing wrong with the wishbone sir, is was the drop link from the shocker to the wishbone, and we can't weld it sir, it's a Gas Shocker!"
Me "How much? I take it I'll need to replace both fronts?"
Darren "Yes, thats generally whats recommended, it's £55"
Me "Thats pretty good for two shockers"
Darren "Erm, no thats each sir"
Me "Each, Holy cow..." THUD.
So something that should have cost nothing, will now cost £110!
But no harm to KF, they've been upfront everytime I've used them, all there work has been spot on and the only problem was when they got a dodgy part from there supplier. No hidden charges, friendly service, and Darren is always the bloke that works on my car. It's the other place I'm having second thoughts about.
Another Update.
Car went into Kwik Fit Monday morning to have the shocks done, no problem, apart from when I came to pay, but I won't go there. Absolutely Fantastic 
It's like a go cart on steroids it's almost like it's running on rails. Amazing
So, Job Done me thinks....
Spoke to the MOT Garage on Tuesday, told him I had everything looked at accept the brake pipes he said, have you had the wishbone looked at. Yes and it was fine. So, Put it in yesterday, Did the Brake Pipes. Perfect. Timing Belt. Perfect. Oil. Perfect. Looked at the wishbone and decided not to retest as it would fail
There is play in the lower ball joint. Bolloks.
Asked him to show me, see that ball joint, watch, he moves the wheel side to side, not up and down which is where he said the play was, anyway, I couldn't see any.
Took it back to Kwik Fit today and got them to change the Wishbone (They Did it free of charge too 
) Darren said the wishbone that came off is in better condition than the new one they put on.
So, it's going in for it's retest tomorrow, on the exact day of MOT Expiry, and if it fails on the poxy ball joint I'm gonna punch the barsteward!
Car went into Kwik Fit Monday morning to have the shocks done, no problem, apart from when I came to pay, but I won't go there. Absolutely Fantastic
It's like a go cart on steroids it's almost like it's running on rails. Amazing So, Job Done me thinks....
Spoke to the MOT Garage on Tuesday, told him I had everything looked at accept the brake pipes he said, have you had the wishbone looked at. Yes and it was fine. So, Put it in yesterday, Did the Brake Pipes. Perfect. Timing Belt. Perfect. Oil. Perfect. Looked at the wishbone and decided not to retest as it would fail
There is play in the lower ball joint. Bolloks.
Asked him to show me, see that ball joint, watch, he moves the wheel side to side, not up and down which is where he said the play was, anyway, I couldn't see any.
Took it back to Kwik Fit today and got them to change the Wishbone (They Did it free of charge too
) Darren said the wishbone that came off is in better condition than the new one they put on. So, it's going in for it's retest tomorrow, on the exact day of MOT Expiry, and if it fails on the poxy ball joint I'm gonna punch the barsteward!
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