MOT issues, incompetence and near fraud!

ScoobySnacks79_2

Right, this is a good one.

Took my little car in to a local "chain" MOT test station/garage type place for her MOT. We had a load of Tesco vouchers so though we could pay for the MOT with those and save some cash, silly us!

So anyway, the car fails, not entirely unexpectedly, but there was something on the fail slip I'd not expected.

The tester failed her on "fractured o/s/f coil spring" There are also issues with the emissions, but that's not a problem.

I'd made it clear before the test that any work that needed doing I would be doing myself.

Anyway, being a trusting type, I went away and ordered the new parts. I drove the car home, and couldn't feel any sign of suspension damage or broken springs (I've seen a few and they tend to have a certain "feel".)

Got the car home, and stripped the relevant side of the suspension. I'm looking very hard at the spring, but can't see any kind of fracture. There's a little bit of the outer coating broken off in a few places, and a tiny bit of surface rust, but nothing that could be called a "fracture" or reduce the strength of the spring.

I've always been taught to change suspension parts in pairs, so I stripped the other side too. I compared the springs, and they are identical. Both the same length, the ends in the same place, and the side that passed has more surface corrosion than the off side that he's failed it on.

HOWEVER...

When I took the N/S wheel off, I noticed a sizeable crack in the brake disc, which the tester had not spotted. Now, this would be difficult to spot on the ground, but with the car on a ramp, it SHOULD have been spotted!

So, I'm down the cost of a pair of coil springs (they'd quoted me nearly £200 to replace them there!) and the muppet tester failed to spot a very major fault that SHOULD have been a fail point!

Where do you think I stand? I'm not interested in appealing, as although what he failed it on wasn't a fault, it WAS a fail. I'm not up on the law that pertains to these statutory tests. Obviously some kind of contract is formed between me and the company, but what are my rights under it?

I'm also considering emailing VOSA, as it's an obvious attempt to make money by failing the car on something that it shouldn't have failed on, but more importantly he missed the very dangerous fault which could have caused the brakes to fail on that wheel, or lock the wheel up, with potentially disasterous results. If I didn't know anything about cars I could have had a nasty accident.

I'm not interested in liability, just safety, which is the point of the MOT after all.

LandyAndy

Given that you drove the vehicle away from the test it will not be possible to prove that the disc was cracked at the time of the test.

maninthestreet

Take the car back to the MOT test centre, and ask them to show you the 'fractured' spring.

colino

You can certainly contact VOSA, but as you've already stripped the car for repair their not really going to go out of their way to follow up. They'll certainly keep on file the complaint about the tester/station.

ScoobySnacks79_2

maninthestreet, I asked them to show me the failed spring when they did the initial test, but the tester wouldn't, and then the manager didn't seem interested either. All they seemed interested in doing was making up a quote to replace the parts.

As for proof that the disc was cracked, the car has been driven less than 20 miles since the test, and the crack is obviously more than 20 miles old.

Gordon_Hose

Cut your losses and go elsewhere. VOSA won't be interested, they never are.

ScoobySnacks79_2

Gordon, I'm due a free retest, so I'll go back there.

Might just give the old springs a brush up and stick some paint on them, see if they still think they're "fractured"

Gordon_Hose

ScoobySnacks79 wrote: »

Gordon, I'm due a free retest, so I'll go back there.

Might just give the old springs a brush up and stick some paint on them, see if they still think they're "fractured"

Have you fitted the new springs then?

If so, clean the old ones up, give them a coat of hammerite and stick them on Ebay to recoup some losses

mcjordi

hence why i go to somewhere that isnt after business.. he does HGV repairs and said doesnt like messing about with cars so doesnt fail unless it has to be failed.. plus i do 90% of mot fail work myself.

no recourse now if you stripped it

Gordon_Hose

I go to a place that only does MOT's, so there's nothing in it for them if it needs repairs. And they don't "advise" me to use any "recommended" garages either, so I take it to the place that gives me the lowest quote.

cheekychappy

i had similar issue at major chain that has recently changed name/ branding.
They disconected my fan and wanted to fit a head gasket. Failed my car on a split cv gaitor with no split in it, but different colour grease on outside to inside !!!