No Pass No Fee MOT - what's the catch?

AdrianC

arcon5 wrote: »

They will be more lenient, in that a dust cover may go in your favor if whether it lets dirt in or not.

Which will then mean a balljoint or arm next year, rather than just a replacement gaiter this year, quite probably with increased tyre wear in between.

The MOT is not some once-a-year high water mark of vehicle condition. almost impossibly difficult. It's an absolute bare minimum. A fail is an indication of insufficient maintenance.

arcon5

AdrianC wrote: »

Which will then mean a balljoint or arm next year, rather than just a replacement gaiter this year, quite probably with increased tyre wear in between.

The MOT is not some once-a-year high water mark of vehicle condition. almost impossibly difficult. It's an absolute bare minimum. A fail is an indication of insufficient maintenance.

Not really. If people ignore advisories it's not the mot testers fault

muhandis

My partner usually gets his motorcycle serviced, checked for any MOT issues and then gets an MOT done.

Since the bike's been used very little for the past year and I didn't want him to waste money on a pre-MOT check if it could be avoided, I suggested that he take it to the same place to get a no-pass no-fee MOT done, and then the minimum repair work if needed.

He did that, it passed the £25 MOT with an advisory re: the switch that activates the brake light when the rear brake pedal is pressed. My partner said that that would usually be a fail on an MOT, but he has no complaints. Got the switch replaced for a tenner, and the bike's back under wraps. Happy days again. :beer:

[Deleted User]

One MOT tester's perception can be different from another MOT tester. My sister took a car for an MOT a few years ago and although it passed, it had an advisory lift running onto a second sheet. All for silly things like exhaust covers, engine covers, wheel trims, etc. It's like political correctness gone mad.

AdrianC

Deleted_User wrote: »

One MOT tester's perception can be different from another MOT tester. My sister took a car for an MOT a few years ago and although it passed, it had an advisory lift running onto a second sheet. All for silly things like exhaust covers, engine covers, wheel trims, etc. It's like political correctness gone mad.

No, it really isn't. If a tester isn't advising on covers potentially hiding problems, they aren't doing their job properly.

And this is why:
https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/horror-story-more-hidden-corrosion/

[Deleted User]

AdrianC wrote: »

No, it really isn't. If a tester isn't advising on covers potentially hiding problems, they aren't doing their job properly.

And this is why:
https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/horror-story-more-hidden-corrosion/

Out of a 12 year old car (at the time) this only ever came up once.

ilikewatch

I've been taking all our cars to a similar place for years - never had a single issue. They are truly independent and won't even recommend a place to get repairs done (they do have a noticeboard in the viewing area where local garages can stick their business cards, but they won't recommend one).
They also charge £45 for a pass and nothing for a fail (except on cars over 10 years old, where they charge £45 for a pass, but £25 for a fail with the remaining £20 payable if you pass on the re-test).
One thing that surprised me recently was when my wife's car failed on a bulb (I must have missed it when I did my pre-test check!) they replaced it there and then, I queried how much this was going to cost - the reply was that they will replace a bulb for free (at their discretion) if tools aren't required.