MOT failed

[Deleted User]

Have you read this?

The link from my original thread no longer works, the guide is here now.

johnnyrubin

Do your self a massive favour and take it to the nearest Council run MOT testing station.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/119

Most garages operate a "bait and switch" scam. They get you in with a cheap MOT test which will always result in a failure for things like brake hoses, suspension parts etc - things that you cant normally see with out the motor being put on a ramp
They then suggest costly repairs to pass the MOT

Really really common especially in the South West

jase1

AdrianC wrote: »

Have to admit, I'm very surprised that a 53-plate BMW is starting to suffer badly from rotten brake pipes.

Why? It's just a car at the end of the day, and BMWs are not so much better built than anything else that failures don't happen at 10 years old.

spacey2012 wrote: »

Could be worse, it could be a Ford, the suspension is made from cardboard.

Ain't that the truth. Or Vauxhall for that matter.

johnnyrubin wrote: »

Most garages operate a "bait and switch" scam.

Most? I think that's rather unfair. The vast majority of garages are honest.

debbiereynolds76

Most? I think that's rather unfair. The vast majority of garages are honest.[/QUOTE]



In my experience garages are the most - forget about estate agents and legal loan sharks, they are the real predators on the high street.

Hubby needed a new set of front brake pads nothing else - and this was because it was suggested in the manual.

Took it to the local Halfords garage ( yes I know:mad: ) had him over a barel as they said it would be unsafe to drive and needed to hoses, disks, and pads including the rear !!

Was not happy forking out 750 pounds for this as the car has only done 15000miles for new.

[Deleted User]

jase1 wrote: »

I think that's rather unfair.

Read my thread here then:

I took car to another garage who said the bearings didn't need doing! Took car back to original garage (having had no work done on the bearings), who passed the car through MOT!!

I've just had my car tested by Edinburgh City Council and it passed first time. Whoppee!! That is the first time that has happened in over 5 years.

First car that I have ever had pass first time!! Excellent tip, thanks

The link from my original thread no longer works, the guide is here now.

jase1

The fact that some people have had bad experiences is not justification for tarring an entire sector with the same brush.

And the minute people start talking about Kwik-Fit/Halfords etc, the problem becomes clear.

bigjl

spacey2012 wrote: »

Could be worse, it could be a Ford, the suspension is made from cardboard.

Yeah.

My mk3 Mondeo only had about 250k on the original shocks, wishbones, clutch, dmf and exhaust. What a pile eh!

10/11 yr old BMW is likely to have had a carelss owner along the way.

And a lot use cheap pattern parts. Some of which last less than 10k miles.

It also depends on the state of the shocks. If they are weak it increases the amount of war and tear on the rest of the suspension.

owen_money

AdrianC wrote: »

Summer '03 is the breakpoint between E39 and E60. 53 plate would be winter 03/04, so I'm presuming E60.

Mister-Auto is a good site for comparing various parts brands :-
http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/tie-rod-end-track-rod-end/bmw-5-e60-525i-192hp_v17293_g914.html

FirstLine - £20
Bolk - £24
TRW - £33
Delphi - £40
Moog - £44
Lemforder - £64

Take yer pick... Lemforder is very likely the OEM supplier to BMW.

Correct Lemforder will be the OE. ZF supply a lot to BMW and also supply a lot to ECP. Its worth paying a bit more for the OE quality and you make sure you get beef and not horse meat

[Deleted User]

jase1 wrote: »

The fact that some people have had bad experiences is not justification for tarring an entire sector with the same brush.

Thousands of savvy MoneySavers have used these test centres and the vast majority report their cars either consistently passing the test, or needing fewer repairs compared with MOTs done at other garages.

After reading Martin's article on council MOTs I had a pre-MOT at my local garage. They said it would fail and cost £400 to put right. My nearest council MOT centre tested my car and passed it, saving me £400! Thanks.



A huge thanks for bringing the council MOT test centres to my attention. Today I rang the Croydon test centre, my car passed with only the £50 test fee to pay (the tester also replaced a bulb for me). I'm so pleased considering last year I felt I had been ripped off by £400 repairs for my 12-year-old Micra.



I took my 10-year-old Renault to my local council depot for a test last year, it passed first time. This has NEVER happened in my life. RESULT.



Took my Mini for a service at a dealership. They told me it needed £1,700 of repairs, many of which would be likely MOT failure issues. Having read this thread, I took the car to the Camden Council test centre. This has just saved me £1,700 - more than a month's pay. I can't tell you how happy I am!



Took my 4x4 to the local garage only to find out it had failed with a £1,200 bill. My council's MOT centre passed it... Massive thank you.

AdrianC

jack_pott wrote: »

Thousands of savvy MoneySavers have used these test centres and the vast majority report their cars either consistently passing the test, or needing fewer repairs compared with MOTs done at other garages.

The one time I've used a council test centre, they made it _very_ clear that I was very much in their way, and that they'd have loved to have told me that my business wasn't wanted - but part of being a test centre is that they have to be open to anybody. And, yes, I got a big long list of totally unwarranted spurious fails out of it.