MOT failed, needs exhaust repair, MOT also expired

seatbeltnoob

Hi


My car mot has failed and unfortunately I didn't get it tested soon enough, reasons being I had a baby and my life turned upside down that I forgot a lot of things.


The flex pipe on the exhast is completely split. I can't find a decent garage to do the work locally, I want to to take it to an exhaust specialist over 20 miles away.



I have googled this issue, I am aware I can drive to a MOT garage for a retest as long as it is prebooked. But can I drive the car to another garage to do the repair works?

angrycrow

From gov site.

"Taking your vehicle away for repairs
You can take your vehicle away if your MOT certificate is still valid.

If your MOT has run out you can take your vehicle to:

have the failed defects fixed
a pre-arranged MOT test appointment
In both cases, your vehicle still needs to meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times or you can be fined."

https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/retests

They also say

"Driving a vehicle that’s failed
You can take your vehicle away if:

your current MOT certificate is still valid
no ‘dangerous’ problems were listed in the MOT
Otherwise, you’ll need to get it repaired before you can drive.

If you can take your vehicle away, it must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times."

https://www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test

If it only failed on a exhaust flexi and the exhaust is still secure it should not be listed as dangerous.

martinthebandit

Find a local garage that will do both the repair and an MOT test, book it in for both and take it to them, a split in a flexible exhaust pipe is not a major or particularly difficult repair, I have no idea why you feel you need an exhaust specialist to fix it.

AdrianC

So, MOT apart, you've been happily driving it around with the flexi split? The flexi that sits around the back of the front subframe, behind your feet...?


Apart from the risk of exhaust gas ingress, the hot exhaust gases can do damage to a lot of other bits around the leak - rubber and plastic which simply isn't designed to have hot gases exiting straight at them...


I'm with Martin - just take it to the local garage that you're using for your MOT. It's hardly a "specialist" job.

seatbeltnoob

Well it's too late now I already have the mot done and need to rectify this fault to get it retested. I'll bear that in mind fir next year.

With mot avoid taking car to a regular garage for mot because they are more inclined to do repairs on the car to get work done. My last experience with a proper garage that does mot is that they wanted to change a lot of stuff that was perfectly fine. I just took a loss on the mot test and took it to the current mot place that reported on less than half of the issues as the previous mot test. I got my results and complained to the dvsa about the test results.

I heard that standard of welding differs greatly between mechanics. I feel that a garage that only does exhausts will do a far greater job putting in an airtight weld than some regular garage who is a jack of all trades. The Google reviews on the exhaust specialist is consistentky 5/5 with a 4.6 average with over 300 reviews.

The general mechanic that I got a quote from quoted the same price as Mr exhaust but that place has a 3.2 average and are completely incompetent. Loads of people complaining that they took their car in and they kept the car for 4 months and still couldn't find the fault

AdrianC

They won't be welding the flexi. They'll just lob a new one on.

And, frankly, it seems as if Mr MOT's idea of what's "fine" is probably a bit closer to the mark than yours, if you're happy driving around with a split flexi.

System

seatbeltnoob wrote: »

I heard that standard of welding differs greatly between mechanics. I feel that a garage that only does exhausts will do a far greater job putting in an airtight weld than some regular garage who is a jack of all trades.

My god you have some massive misconceptions when it comes to garages. Let me guess, all your views are based on what you read on Facebook, often by people who have taken a poorly maintained shed to a garage to have a quite notable but correct MOT fail then taken it to someone who has suggested somewhere who gives easy MOT passes and surprise surprise doesn't find as many faults. Given you've been driving around with an exhaust which you'd have to be completely deaf to not notice that it didn't sound right you're the last person to be judging whether what a MOT examiner failed your vehicle on was right or not.

Exhaust places don't usually have qualified mechanics other than the odd one or two to do more complicated jobs, they certainly don't have anywhere near a majority of staff who are time served apprentice trained ones. Qualified mechanics do a welding course as part of their qualification unlike an exhaust fitter who will be very unlikely to have done any and just picked it up as they were going along. Welding varies because it is a perishable skill so someone who spends a lot of time welding cars is likely to be doing it better than someone who hardly ever does.

If anyone is a jack of all trades it is the exhaust fitters. And if the exhaust place is suggesting welding a completely split flexi pipe then they're the last place you want to be going to. Flexi means FLEXIBLE and if you weld it you'll be removing some or all of that flexibility. End result is it just ends up splitting again, if not where the weld is, somewhere else.

sevenhills

angrycrow wrote: »

In both cases, your vehicle still needs to meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times or you can be fined.

With a split exhaust its likely to be illegal, but so long as the OP does not get stopped by the police, he should be ok.

loskie

Tarambore with this and your winter tyre threads you really have proven yourself as a number ONE A HOLE and a bully to boot.

angrycrow

It seems some people have felt the need to be very judgemental regarding the op's split flexi. There are degrees of splitting, a partially split flexi can be a fail, symptoms would be increased exhaust noise but as it's gradual it can be missed. Once thet fail completely you cannot miss it as you will sound like a boy racer driving with a full bore racing exhaust.

Given this is the only suggested fail item it does not point to gross neglect as suggested by some.

Whilst a damaged flexi can be replaced with a bolt in section on most cars no garage will do so as its easier to just replace the centre section of the exhaust. Even kwik fit could manage it.

Op just take it to your local exhaust place for replacement of the failed section. If you tell us what the car is someone will be able to suggest a reasonable price.

If you have a handy friend with tools and a jack it's normally a 30 minute job. I have changed loads for friends over the years.

seatbeltnoob

Tarambor wrote: »

If anyone is a jack of all trades it is the exhaust fitters. And if the exhaust place is suggesting welding a completely split flexi pipe then they're the last place you want to be going to. Flexi means FLEXIBLE and if you weld it you'll be removing some or all of that flexibility. End result is it just ends up splitting again, if not where the weld is, somewhere else.

What the heck are you on about? why suggested welding together a flexi pipe? I suggest you get off forums and go get a life. People like you have nothing better to do than make up your own arguments and debate yourself to death.

Welding in a flexi, could perhaps mean cutting off that section exhaust (the flexi section) and placing in a replacement flexi into that location?

I don't know what it is with this forum. You ask questions on one issue and then they run wild and presume x,y,z and come up with their own arguments.

I'll take my own hunch with this. The exhaust flexi is not a dangerous defect, it's a major defect that needs rectification to pass.

I have a print out of the sussex police
https://sussex.police.uk/ask-the-police/mot/can-i-drive-my-car-without-an-mot-and-road-tax/

So I'll be driving the car to a garage and from the garage driving back to the mot place to get it retested and passed.