Does this sound OK to you?

Peter333

Sorry to bother you good folk, but I wonder if you could assist.

Remember I know a big fat ZERO about cars!

I took my car in to the local garage for its MOT just over 3 weeks ago; it failed. It needed a new backbox for the exhaust, (which I knew about as it was hooting and blowing!) new wipers, 2 new tyres, and a few other things doing, including several things I had requested, like a wheel balance, and 2 new lights.

It came to £355 which was more than I was expecting.

I noticed as soon as I started driving the car, that the temperature of the car raised a bit quicker than it did before, and after just 1.5 - 2 minutes of being on tickover (eg; in a traffic queue,) the temperature shot right up to a critical level and I had to keep turning the car off.

3 weeks later, (Tuesday this week,) I woke up and the drive was covered in liquid. Turns out it's the water and the antifreeze etc that was in the radiator.

I took it to the (same) garage, and they checked it over and said it needs a new part (can't remember what it was called now, but something had split,) and it needs a new hose, as that is close to splitting, and several other bits and bobs that are also going to be splitting soon. (All connected to the radiator.) He said the parts come to about £100, and the labour added on makes it £220. I guess they have to drain everything out and take a lot of stuff apart and so on...

So I guess my question is, should this not have picked up at the MOT 3 weeks ago? Surely they should have noticed that the radiator and the parts surrounding it were splitting/fraying?

Also, is it odd that the car suddenly started to have issues with getting hotter quicker as soon as the MOT was done? Maybe it's a coincidence?

For the radiator hoses, and a few clips and bits and bobs to be replaced, to fix the leak, does £220 sound a lot?

Also, this sounds paranoid, but I am now wondering if the garage may have sabotaged it to get themselves more work? (Probably not because there's no guarantee that I would take it to that garage! But I have so many scenarios running through my head.)

We took it for a service there in September (first time we had used them. Our mobile mechanic gave up doing it, so we had to find someone else,) and after that service, the car was fine.

I am really quite cheesed off after paying £355 for the MOT the other week. That was bad enough but now £220 on top!

Please advise me.

Sorry if I sound stupid. Or ignorant. As I said, I know nothing about cars. All I know is that our car (it's an 02 astra by the way,) has only had about £600 spent on it on MOT's and maintenance in total over 4 years, and now we are spending that in a few weeks, since taking it to this other garage.

Thank you.

wiltsguy_2

the price for all the work on the MOT seems fair, x2 tyres, exhaust and MOT price..tyres can be £100 each(£180 on mine) but all depends on size/type of car etc

As for the overheating, unless it over heated on the MOT they would of not known about it as they don't check the hoses for the MOT, some garages may have noticed it and mentioned it but not req'd, if they did im sure they would have told you as would of been extra £££s for the garage. Its a good job that you took it back for repair and overheating could cause the head gasket(seal between coolant water outside of engine and engine internals) could have split when really hot costing a lot more to fix.

Peter333

wiltsguy wrote: »

the price for all the work on the MOT seems fair, x2 tyres, exhaust and MOT price..tyres can be £100 each(£180 on mine) but all depends on size/type of car etc

As for the overheating, unless it over heated on the MOT they would of not known about it as they don't check the hoses for the MOT, some garages may have noticed it and mentioned it but not req'd, if they did im sure they would have told you as would of been extra £££s for the garage. Its a good job that you took it back for repair and overheating could cause the head gasket(seal between coolant water outside of engine and engine internals) could have split when really hot costing a lot more to fix.

Thank you for your input.

I guess the price for the MOT was not too bad as the tyres were £40 each, and as I say, the backbox to the exhaust needed replacing.

I just think it's odd that the car started having problems with over- heating directly after I had the MOT done. It was fine before that.

I am paranoid they sabotaged it, but then they wouldn't know I would take it back there I guess. I am so annoyed my mobile mechanic quit, as he has looked after it for 4 years, and did a grand job. We only spent £600 in 4 years!

BeenThroughItAll

Cooling system is not tested on MOT. The NT wouldn't be interested in it for any other reason than to ensure the car is at temperature prior to emissions testing. None of the work you had done *should* have any impact upon the cooling system.


When you say 'local garage', what do you mean by that? Independent? Main dealer? Kwik-fit or other national chain?

wiltsguy_2

without knowing the garage....but i wouldn't imagine a garage would sabotage it on purpose.

You say your car is a 2002, 13 year old hoses that have regular temp changes...they do just split and require replacement. The garage would of had to drain the system, then refill,blled etc, £100 parts plus the labour does seem fair

Peter333

BeenThroughItAll wrote: »

Cooling system is not tested on MOT. The NT wouldn't be interested in it for any other reason than to ensure the car is at temperature prior to emissions testing. None of the work you had done *should* have any impact upon the cooling system.


When you say 'local garage', what do you mean by that? Independent? Main dealer? Kwik-fit or other national chain?

It's an independent garage, run by 3 brothers and their father. They have been there since 2006. There are 9 people working there.

As I said, they did a good job when they did a service in September. So maybe I am paranoid about them sabotaging it. It just seems odd that it started over - heating, as soon as the MOT had been done. It was fine before, and this is what is rankling me.

Maybe it's a coincidence.

poppasmurf_bewdley

The MOT doesn't even entail looking under the bonnet of the car, so there is no way they would have seen that anything around the radiator needed attention.

From what you have said in your post, it is quite obvious that the car has not been serviced properly or the things you mentioned would have been picked up well before the MOT.

The prices quoted by you seem fairly reasonable to me.

timm_2

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

The MOT doesn't even entail looking under the bonnet of the car, so there is no way they would have seen that anything around the radiator needed attention.

From what you have said in your post, it is quite obvious that the car has not been serviced properly or the things you mentioned would have been picked up well before the MOT.

The prices quoted by you seem fairly reasonable to me.

Not entirely true - most testers will open the bonnet when testing. And - don't forget the inspection from underneath the car which is carried out whilst it's up on ramps. Agreed though, unlikely it would be picked up unless the leak was already evident, and then the garage would more than likely mention it at the time for the potential extra work.

Sabotage extremely unlikely, just a coincidence and something that could always occur on a car of this age.

oldagetraveller

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

The MOT doesn't even entail looking under the bonnet of the car, so there is no way they would have seen that anything around the radiator needed attention.

So how are the top mountings area of the front suspension struts checked for corrosion (if fitted)? Battery fixing security (except if it's located elsewhere)? etc.

Syman

the fact that you have already returned to them after a good experience would make "sabotage" unlikely.
They already have you as a returning customer.

Joe_Horner

oldagetraveller wrote: »

So how are the top mountings area of the front suspension struts checked for corrosion (if fitted)? Battery fixing security (except if it's located elsewhere)? etc.

Also some brake pipes, bulkhead around master cylinder / servo mountings (sometimes possible from underneath but often not), some steering column lower joints, brake fluid level if visible through reservoir......

Not to mention the specific check on the bonnet catch, which is really rather difficult to do without opening it first :rotfl: