Car failed MOT 7 months after buying it..advice please

mrmot

I do a bit of MOT testing and it no longer surprises me what gets presented for test.

The main thing that people want to know is How much?, the next maybe is - is someone else responsible, followed by how lucky they've been to get away with it and not hurt themselves and they never give a thought that they have a responsibility to other road users about the state of their car.

If you get the MOT fails fixed, it's no guarantee that the car will be roadworthy for the next 12 months, it also looks like there'll be substantial cost involved in replacing the clutch.

AdrianC

Too many people forget that an MOT pass isn't a once-a-year highpoint that's meant to be horribly difficult and expensive to get to. It's a BARE MINIMUM of acceptable roadworthiness...

Londoner_1

In all honesty i'm surprised you expected much from a £900 car.

loskie

to be driving around with so many faults that should be part of your regular checks(bulbs, tyres, winscreens) and not checking the basics prior to the MOT would suggest you are a danger to yourself and all other road users.
Scrap the car and use the £100 for bus fares.

OP it's not about car maintenance it's just basic common sense.

happyc84

when you miss service intervals the costs build up; the risk of failure increases. I would be very wary of running a sub £1k car bought from a dealer. You are worth more than a cheap car. It's too risky.

Really unless you drive less than 5k miles pa, get a bike,

SuperAllyB

Wish I'd been on this morning, I'd have bet good money on the leaking sunroof being a 2002(ish) Clio!

forgotmyname

My MOT guy said that when a car comes in with non working lights or obvious defects he does look harder and slightly stricter because he feels that once it goes out the door its unlikely to see a garage again until the next MOT.

He wont fail it just for the sake of it and doesnt charge extra for a retest if you take it away for repair.

andygb

Londoner_1 wrote: »

In all honesty i'm surprised you expected much from a £900 car.

I once bought a £120 BMW from auction, spent £300 on it and kept it for 5 years before selling it for £1500.
It is all down to careful purchase - regular checking and maintenance - replace when worn out.

Strider590

I suspect OP had fallen victim of this socially perpetuated myth that an MOT negates the need for regular servicing and checking of the vehicle.

Back in the early 1980's I distinctly remember my own mother doing weekly checks on her Mk2 Ford Escort, tyre's, water/oil levels, etc.
Granted, cars have become less friendly in that respect, but at the end of the day your driving around a potentially lethal 1 tonne lump of metal.

I understand the social pressure on people (women in particular), the complex set of rules by which one must live in order to avoid social rejection, firstly the current "fashion" of being utterly stupid in order to fit in, secondly the idea that one has "made it" once they have an office job and that anything technical is "dirty work" for the working class people to do.

So I can see why people let car maintenance slip and the experience of going to places they trust, places that have TV ads, coffee machines and fancy signage (ie Crapfit) has left them thinking that cars are these horrible complex beasts that go wrong all the time.

My missus was a bit like this, but seeing me practically building a car in my garage, combined with the frustration of waiting 6 hours for a breakdown recovery on two occasions, has inspired her to try things for herself.
In the last 12 months she's changed 3 bulbs, checked her levels, checked her tyres and changed a car battery.

AdrianC

Strider590 wrote: »

Back in the early 1980's I distinctly remember my own mother doing weekly checks on her Mk2 Ford Escort, tyre's, water/oil levels, etc.
Granted, cars have become less friendly in that respect

If anything, they've become MORE friendly for those kind of regular checks - brightly coloured contrasting dipsticks and caps highlighted against tidy covers hiding all the scary gubbins...