Halfords & my MOT

mkshizzle

Hi everyone,

I am aware, that I should of not taken my car to Halfords for an MOT even though they were offering 1/2 price tests, but my stupidity aside can anyone help?

My V plate fiesta failed on 6 different issues and I kind of feel that they've taken the MOT to the extreme. (see point 3)

1. Nearside headlamp aim to low.
2. Offside headlamp excessively deteriorated so that the light output is severely reduced.
3. Spare wheel carrier insecure!
4. Nearside rear outer sill suspension mounting excessively corroded
5. Offside rear outer sill suspension mounting excessively corroded
6. Offside rear wheel bearing has excessive play.

Point 3 is a joke, as there is a bolt on the boot that tightens the carrier. I replaced the tyres 2 months ago and didn't have time to put it back in the carrier so the spare is in the boot. Surely a garage such as Halfords could tighten a bolt!

Anyway Point 3 aside, they've kindly offered to do the work for me for... wait for it..... £295.07. This includes £114.24 for the headlamp unit which I can pick up from a breakers for £15.

The question I wish to ask is, if I think they've been over zealous with their test and book my car in somewhere else, will the new garage have access to the failures unless I provide them with the refusal certificate?

Thanks in advance

Mike

scheming_gypsy

When I had a failure with a long list, I took it to a different garage to do the repairs and then MOT it (didn't really trust the first place). For them to do the repairs it needed, they MOT'ed it first so they could repair any faults that they found rather than going off somebody elses list. Strangely enough it passed with just needing a headlight re-adjusting

Not sure if they can find out with just your car reg, from their system... but with the log book / an MOT reference, anybody can find out what a car has failed on as the information is online.

mkshizzle

Thanks for this, was this a long time ago? as I know it's all online and I presume from the registration they can get the list of failures, but you never know. If I go on the basis that I didn't trust the last garage and ask another to re-test it, it might just work!

Strider590

mkshizzle wrote: »

Point 3 is a joke, as there is a bolt on the boot that tightens the carrier. I replaced the tyres 2 months ago and didn't have time to put it back in the carrier so the spare is in the boot. Surely a garage such as Halfords could tighten a bolt!

Not during an MOT they can't.... If it fails, it fails.

However im in agreement that a visit to Halfrauds was a bad idea.....

scheming_gypsy

mkshizzle wrote: »

Thanks for this, was this a long time ago? as I know it's all online and I presume from the registration they can get the list of failures, but you never know. If I go on the basis that I didn't trust the last garage and ask another to re-test it, it might just work!

Going off the car, it was between 2005 and 2007 so either January 2006 or January 2007...... From that I'm presuming that it was computerised although I think i just gave them the failure list to do the repairs off.
It was them that actually told me that they had to MOT it themselves before they did the repairs so they didn't fix what I'd asked them to fix, then MOT it and it fail on something else as well.

mkshizzle

Thanks guys, off to the scrap yard now for the light unit. Got someone to do the welding then off to another garage, wish me luck!!!!

mikey72

None of my underslung spare wheel carriers can be tightened securely without the wheel in it. They all have to tighten the wheel against the body to hold the clamp in place, or they bounce loose, then drag on the road.
Only way I've ever made them safe is with an elastic or cable tie when I've been getting a puncture fixed.

Horizon81

For a Fiesta of that age I wouldn't say that list was unreasonable. As said above, if you dont have the spare wheel in its cradle, then even with the carrier tightened, if you go over a harsh bump/pothole then there's every chance the cradle could bounce out of the little clasp that holds it in place, releasing the cradle to the floor and resulting in sparks!

You're doing the right thing getting the light unit from a breakers (just make sure it's a lot clearer), headlight adjustment should cost no more than a fiver. Did Halfrauds offer to do the welding? Always thought it was just backstreet places that did welding.

[Deleted User]

Places like Halford/Kwik-Fit/National nearly always only fail on stuff they can put right. Like exhausts and tyres and stuff.

slyracoon

That list doesn't seem excessive for a car of that age.

An MOT tester is not authorised to make any changes to the car, so no they cannot just tightern this and that, it must be tested as it is presented to them. Of course you can get parts cheaper at a scrappy, however I don't think halfords will source their parts from a scrappy.

I've used the 50% offer on 2 cars this year. First passed OK, a couple of advisories on the exhaust (I actually took it back for them to sort it as a I knew it needed doing and they quoted cheaper than the local independant and other nationals). The second failed on a faulty headlamp unit like yours, they quoted £115 to supply and fit a new one, I got a used one from a scrappy fitted it myself took it back and they passed it no problem.

slyracoon

Deleted_User wrote: »

Places like Halford/Kwik-Fit/National nearly always only fail on stuff they can put right. Like exhausts and tyres and stuff.

Maybe also because tyres and exhausts don't last forever on cars. Even an independant will pick up on excessivly warn tyres and exhausts!