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

Joe_Horner

Strider590 wrote: »

[...]In the last 12 months she's changed 3 bulbs, checked her levels, checked her tyres and changed a car battery.

What? She's only checked levels and tyres once in 12 months???? Tell her to get a grip!!!!

AdrianC wrote: »

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...

Unfortunately, they've also moved a lot of stuff inside with idiot lights for everything, so a lot of people take the attitude that it doesn't need looking at unless the oil level light / TPS warning and so on tell them to.

They then get a car where the oil level warning is actually an old style oil pressure warning and don't check until the big ends are knocking.

Or, because their tyre pressures are always fine (the dashboard told them so) they never get close enough to a wheel to notice the ostrich-egg bulge in the side-wall or the canvas peeking through on the shoulders.

Strider590

AdrianC wrote: »

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...

I think that's often make/model dependant, in some the shear amount of stuff in there is enough to put anyone off. Take for example French cars, where they fit the engine, then throw everything else in on top of it and bolt it all down with tamper proof screws.

IMO in a lot of newer cars there is a deliberate attempt to make the engine bay look as complex and intimidating as possible, which only serves to make peoples eyes glaze over before they quickly shut the bonnet again and make some lame excuse as to why they cannot do it.
One you start identifying parts it becomes less terrifying, but getting past that initial reaction is the biggest hurdle.

AdrianC

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Unfortunately, they've also moved a lot of stuff inside with idiot lights for everything, so a lot of people take the attitude that it doesn't need looking at unless the oil level light / TPS warning and so on tell them to.

They then get a car where the oil level warning is actually an old style oil pressure warning and don't check until the big ends are knocking.

Or, because their tyre pressures are always fine (the dashboard told them so) they never get close enough to a wheel to notice the ostrich-egg bulge in the side-wall or the canvas peeking through on the shoulders.

Whilst I agree entirely with you, that's a different point. If people DO bother to check, it's easier and more friendly to do so.

AdrianC

Strider590 wrote: »

Take for example French cars, where they fit the engine, then throw everything else in on top of it and bolt it all down with tamper proof screws.

IMO in a lot of newer cars there is a deliberate attempt to make the engine bay look as complex and intimidating as possible

Strider590

^^ Classic example of hiding everything under plastic covers, nothing quite says "leave me alone, no user serviceable items here" like sealing it all of. The initial reaction to that is one of "i'm not supposed to mess with this".

AdrianC

Strider590 wrote: »

^^ Classic example of hiding everything under plastic covers, nothing quite says "leave me alone, no user serviceable items here" like sealing it all of.

Everything apart from the bright yellow dipstick, the bright blue washer bottle cap, the oil filler cap with a big yellow oil can symbol on it, the header tank cap with warning symbols not to unscrew it whilst hot...

Herzlos

forgotmyname wrote: »

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.

Seems like a perfectly good approach. If you can't be bothered to check the lights work and tyres are free from obvious defects, then there's likely to be a host of other neglected issues and yeah, the car won't likely be considered until the next MOT.

DKLS

Herzlos wrote: »

At least you know what to do now

Yes scrap the heap, hand in the their licence and get off the road.

Sounds similar to my neighbour who advised me that her brakes were making a funny noise, I had a quick look and discovered zero brake pads, just metal grinding!!!, I told her to get them done asap, and she said she had to take the kids to a birthday party and she would get round to it. I shook my head as she loaded her 3 kids into the car.

She was one of those mothers that would regularly say, "I would kill for my kids", you might just do that if you carry on with your lax attitude to car maintenance.

goldlemontree

Christ keyboard warriors I get it! I can't believe this thread is still going with sanctimonious people saying the same things to me that someone else just said, but differently worded! I GET IT, OK?? As I said earlier, yes I have been very irresponsible, stupid, all the rest of it and have admitted so -I feel very ashamed of myself. But no I am not going to get off the road (thank you for those kind suggestions) because I am far safer in my stupidly maintained car while driving than a lot of idiots I see driving out there in their expensive cars, and on top of that I HAVE LEARNT MY LESSON OK?? I will be checking all of the things you people are so eagerly putting forward, (no doubt those measuring tapes are still at hand, and women put your claws away) and I will be much safer from now on. And to the user who said it's common sense, it's really not. When you grow up with no car in the family, and this stuff isn't taught in schools, it's actually quite difficult to maintain a car if you have no one to explain how to properly, you know, to a standard that is so obvious to you guys. And it's not because I feel I have to act stupid because of social pressures, (can't remember who wrote that, but what??) it's apparently because I am- before someone else says it. I'm unintelligent, but hopefully now I'll be smarter thanks to you lovely people -- and i'll be keeping a car, ta. So seriously, give it a rest.

AdrianC

goldlemontree wrote: »

And to the user who said it's common sense, it's really not. When you grow up with no car in the family, and this stuff isn't taught in schools, it's actually quite difficult to maintain a car if you have no one to explain how to properly, you know, to a standard that is so obvious to you guys.

The combination of owner's handbook for your car and your driving instructor would give you all the information you needed to know.