MOT Advisory-How long should I leave it

chrisw

My wife's car has just.had the same advisory. Since I can do the.job myself, I intend to leave it a couple of months until the weather gets a bit warmer (!) and do it then. So advisory to me means sometime over the next couple of months.

Strider590

I had this advisory for 2 years in a row, the 3rd year I took it somewhere else and got no advisory, the forth year the pad wear sensor light came on, I got the discs and pads changed all round.

I would never advise ignoring the advisory notes, but use some common sense and remember most garages will use the MOT to sell work that's not massively urgent.

It's not difficult to check your brakes yourself, get the wheels off (might not need to if you have alloy wheels), check the thickness of the pads, then check for a deep ridge at the outside edge of the discs, this ridge is the thickness of the original discs, the area below is how much disc is left, this needs to be greater than the minimum value stamped on the disc near the centre/hub.

Sure it involves jacking the car and removing wheels, but it's good practice for when you get a puncture.

Ratboy

Paperbird wrote: »

While some posters have said they may not need replacing in the next 12 months no one has said to ignore it for the next 12 months.
If the brakes were "shot" it would have been a fail.
If the brakes were "not working" it would have been a fail
They are not "about to kill a child" or it would have been a fail.
They do not "need replacing now" or it would have been a fail.
They are not "about to fail" or it would have been a fail.
The OP is going to get a second opinion in the next week or two when the car goes in for a repair of some kind not related to it's MOT and if an "expert" says the braking system exceeds the required standard (it must have because it passed) then the car poses no threat to anyone and I see no reason for the panic shown by some on here.

I've been to a garage that has advised, then the next year not; but surely sensibility takes over, do you trust a major safety feature? Why are they so worn, in regards to the servicing schedule of your vehicle? Surely they should have been replaced during a service, and not picked up at MOT time? Which hence means that your vehicle in general in not fit for the road, and a danger to all.

So if you don't service your car, what else is wrong with it, that is liable to kill me?

Joe_Horner

Ratboy wrote: »

I've been to a garage that has advised, then the next year not; but surely sensibility takes over, do you trust a major safety feature? Why are they so worn, in regards to the servicing schedule of your vehicle? Surely they should have been replaced during a service, and not picked up at MOT time? Which hence means that your vehicle in general in not fit for the road, and a danger to all.

So if you don't service your car, what else is wrong with it, that is liable to kill me?

You really don't have a clue on this, do you? You must be a fast-fit salesman's dream - "Oh, it's safety! Think of the children!! Think of the Nuns!!! Think of the polar bears!!!! I'd better buy a full set of 8 disks and 16 pads just to be safe!!!!

An advisory from an MOT does NOT mean it's dangerous, or even likely to become dangerous in the near future. ALL it means is that the tester suggests that, in his opinion, you should keep an eye on them. Which all the posters have recommended doing and the OP has confirmed he intends to do.

Here is a General Motors technical service bulletin (bulletin no. 00-05-22-002) which specifically says that scoring of a brake rotor (disk) less than 1.5mm deep should be ignored and that the rotor should be resurfaced if scoring deeper than that is present.

http://www.procutinternational.com/supplier_gm.aspx

1.5mm of wear is very likely to get you an advisory note on an MOT (especially at fast-fit chains), yet it's well within what at least one manufacturer clearly says it's ok to thin the disks by - resurfacing involves grinding or turning the disk down until the scoring is removed, so will make the disk at least 1.5mm thinner if done according to their technical instruction.

By all means let people sell you completely unnecessary parts "cos its safety" but stop telling those with more sense and more technical knowledge that they're acting irresponsibly!

Lum

Ratboy wrote: »

I've been to a garage that has advised, then the next year not; but surely sensibility takes over, do you trust a major safety feature? Why are they so worn, in regards to the servicing schedule of your vehicle? Surely they should have been replaced during a service, and not picked up at MOT time? Which hence means that your vehicle in general in not fit for the road, and a danger to all.

Or that the service technician was more honest than the MOT tester.

Ratboy

Joe_Horner wrote: »

You really don't have a clue on this, do you? You must be a fast-fit salesman's dream - "Oh, it's safety! Think of the children!! Think of the Nuns!!! Think of the polar bears!!!! I'd better buy a full set of 8 disks and 16 pads just to be safe!!!!

An advisory from an MOT does NOT mean it's dangerous, or even likely to become dangerous in the near future. ALL it means is that the tester suggests that, in his opinion, you should keep an eye on them. Which all the posters have recommended doing and the OP has confirmed he intends to do.

Here is a General Motors technical service bulletin (bulletin no. 00-05-22-002) which specifically says that scoring of a brake rotor (disk) less than 1.5mm deep should be ignored and that the rotor should be resurfaced if scoring deeper than that is present.

http://www.procutinternational.com/supplier_gm.aspx

1.5mm of wear is very likely to get you an advisory note on an MOT (especially at fast-fit chains), yet it's well within what at least one manufacturer clearly says it's ok to thin the disks by - resurfacing involves grinding or turning the disk down until the scoring is removed, so will make the disk at least 1.5mm thinner if done according to their technical instruction.

By all means let people sell you completely unnecessary parts "cos its safety" but stop telling those with more sense and more technical knowledge that they're acting irresponsibly!

An 'advisory', means it needs replacing sooner rather than later. I prefer not to be killed but ineffective braking systems in cars; you clearly do. I already posted that the tests aren't conclusive; but you failed to read that part; clearly, you want cars that HAVEN'T been serviced correctly, on the roads, to kill your CHILDREN...Otherwise why would it be a a 'near fail', if the car had been serviced properly?

If I took my car in for servicing, as suggested; then the brakes wouldn't be an issue.

GROW UP!!!!

Lum

Joe_Horner

Ratboy wrote: »

An 'advisory', means it needs replacing sooner rather than later. I prefer not to be killed but ineffective braking systems in cars; you clearly do. I already posted that the tests aren't conclusive; but you failed to read that part; clearly, you want cars that HAVEN'T been serviced correctly, on the roads, to kill your CHILDREN...Otherwise why would it be a a 'near fail', if the car had been serviced properly?

If I took my car in for servicing, as suggested; then the brakes wouldn't be an issue.

GROW UP!!!!

No, an advisory means there's something you should be aware of. Nothing more and nothing less.

As I said earlier, I've had an advisory in the past for a slightly frayed fan belt - not part of the MOT in any way, but the tester though it would be helpful to mention it.

Sadly, many testers use the advisory system to sell parts that aren't needed to people who know nothing about cars except "it's safety innit?". You really do come across as their dream customer!

Ratboy

Whatever! If a person decices to post comedy characters, regarding a serious issue, the the thread has gone to hell.

If people want to drive round with brakes in their cars that have been told need replaced imminently, then don't; so be it!

That PROVES the attitude of Britain today; and why Society is broken.

Grow a life; and think about where your comments come from, and why you are making them?

Richard53

Ratboy wrote: »

If people want to drive round with brakes in their cars that have been told need replaced imminently, then don't; so be it!

If the parts needed replacing imminently, the car would fail.

Youi plainly don't understand the system.