When is an MOT failure not an MOT failure? (Groupon Alert!)

Joe_Horner

colino wrote: »

As SB said above, it's a percentage game and they expect to get the imbalance sorted out easily and in that price.
On the point of cheap MOTs, have a search in your area, theres one in Glasgow and one in Greenock, both half an hours easy drive for me charging £9.99. Would I use them? No.

Trouble is, it's only a "percentage game" if when, say, they find that in fact the imbalance is caused by a faulty caliper that needs replacing rather than just working back & forth a few times, they go ahead and replace it within the "percentage".

Only, they don't - they call you and tell you that they've "discovered another problem and it'll be £xxx on top". That's not a percentage game because they're taking no risk on the percentage.

davewynd

Fortune82 wrote: »

Front brake imbalance 31%. My mechanic says there's nothing untoward.

Front brake imbalance must be less than 25% to pass MOT.

Scots

pendulum wrote: »

Did you miss the last part of his post: Would I use them? No...

Why do you think, he wouldn't use them?
Is it anything to do with what I said, earlier on... about there being a "catch"...

Your right I don't understand what your getting at.

Whats the catch ?

My m8 took his car the place and got an MOT done for £10 and it passed.

Whats the problem ?

dave_ave

I've been caught out with these cheap MOTs before and surprise, surprise they always fail on something. At one time it was headlight alignment, £15 will sort it, so it was done.

Next year, guess what failed again and on headlight alignment - oh I said, that's what it failed on last year. Oh, he says, they do tend to become loose. Bolleaux I thought.

I've bought one of the In and Out Groupn vouchers. I know I'll end up taking it to a PROPER MOT place soon after as they'll fail it on something or other. When will I learn?

jase1

Never really understood why people would take their chances with a potential ££££ bill over £35...

Most reputable back-street garages will knock off a tenner or so off the £55 maximum charge... and generally if the car is OK they pass it, as they should.

mikey72

dave_ave wrote: »

I've been caught out with these cheap MOTs before and surprise, surprise they always fail on something. At one time it was headlight alignment, £15 will sort it, so it was done.

Next year, guess what failed again and on headlight alignment - oh I said, that's what it failed on last year. Oh, he says, they do tend to become loose. Bolleaux I thought.

I've bought one of the In and Out Groupn vouchers. I know I'll end up taking it to a PROPER MOT place soon after as they'll fail it on something or other. When will I learn?

That was always a popular one.

I don't think I've had a headlight alignment fail in the last thirty years.
Even ones I've set up on the garage wall.

rodenal

Scots wrote: »

Thanks m8 for backing me up.

I will find out the name of the garage from my m8 when i see him, but at least there is somebody else knows the same place.

I also know of them and wouldn't touch with a bargepole.

A mate who is a tester won't MOT any of my cars for whatever reason, I assume so there is no question of me getting a "friendly" MOT

pulliptears

Road_Hog wrote: »

Look, see here, here it is. Guaranteed fail every time, or a pass if you spend £200 to have the failures fixed.

For clarity the £10 MOT image is taken from this site:

http://www.betsservicecentres.co.uk/mot-testing

2 less than favourable reviews on the Cardiff branch can be found here:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bets+service+centres+review&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=imvns&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=679&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=XXJHT-qNPMj98QPE_v27Dg&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=3&ved=0CBcQ_AUoAjgK

fivetide

My local honda garage (big main dealer) does £10 MOTs for bikes as a special offer.

I've taken two different bikes to them. One passed no issues although it turned out to have an import headlight on it I didn't know about. They put tape on the flatten the beam and passed it.

The next one did fail but the rear pads were shot. It also had advisories for the front but was passed without the work. All in all not bad.

Just because some on here wouldn't use a place doing an offer doesn't mean that other people have used them without issue and as such shouldn't be abused for simply sharing an experience IMHO.

5t.

birkee

Bought my car brand new from the main agent. Had it serviced by them every year. Now it's into MOT time, and it seems to fail every year on wiper blades, even when they replaced them 12 months prior.

Last time, I queried them, are you telling me, that Ford wiper blades last less than 12 months? Embarrassed silence.

Point? Trust NOBODY.