Have I been "done"?

Gemm83

Car went into Ford dealership for MOT and service today. Spoke to the lady on the counter yesterday when I dropped off and advised her that I would need to arrange childcare so I can pick car up, so was there any way she could tell me where I was in the running order so I could arrange something. She told me to call mid morning to check.
Called at 12.13pm to check and she told me MOT was done and that they were just finishing off the service. So I could prepare myself I asked if any work needed doing and she said it had passed with no advisories and that once service completed and paperwork done someone would call me to collect. 
Had a phonecall from a chap at 1.45pm who said MOT was passed with no advisories and that they carried out the service (after MOT as per my previous conversation). He said that brake pads would need changing before next service but no need to get them done today, but that they had found a broken retainer blub clip in my headlight which they HAD to repair at a cost of £41 Inc Vat otherwise they would have to fail the MOT. Paid. Collected. Done. 

The thing that is bothering me is that the car had passed the MOT prior to the service. It states on the service sheet under lamps/electrics "MOT fail. N/S Dip beam defective, fixings missing". How can it be a fail when the car has already passed? Surely this would havd been picked up on the MOT and failed at the time. Can they retrospectively fail a vehicle if something was picked up on service?
Ultimately its all paid and its £40 at the end of the day, but it just smacks a bit of "We ain't gonna make any money out of her today (pay for MOT and service through monthly plan), so let's find something, but we won't take the !!!!!! with the brakes, so let's just do the bulb"
Any thoughts would be appreciated 😊

AdrianC

It's flagged on the MOT computer as "PRS" - Pass, rectify at station.

It would have failed, but it's a small job so they do it before it leaves the premises, which saves everybody time and effort.

sweetsand

Are they saying they found the item that would have failed the MOT but done it there and then during the MOT, noted the fail and then passed it and invoiced you with the service? If I have misunderstood you, sorry.
I am always cynical re garages good to question and years ago I was told my car had passed when I went back in from big macs to collect the car but then the "but" came in I thought WTh/whattheheck, it was headlamps alignment was slightly out and they had fixed it then came the words "FoC" - that was rare and my OH said they could have been out as the OH had changed the bulbs a few months before to pwoerful ones the days before LED lights etc.

x

Gemm83

AdrianC said:

It's flagged on the MOT computer as "PRS" - Pass, rectify at station.

It would have failed, but it's a small job so they do it before it leaves the premises, which saves everybody time and effort.

Thanks for the post. I understand that it would have failed, but it was passed prior to finding the issue with the service. If it was defective wouldn't it have been picked up at the MOT stage? 

AdrianC

Gemm83 said:

AdrianC said:

It's flagged on the MOT computer as "PRS" - Pass, rectify at station.

It would have failed, but it's a small job so they do it before it leaves the premises, which saves everybody time and effort.

Thanks for the post. I understand that it would have failed, but it was passed prior to finding the issue with the service. If it was defective wouldn't it have been picked up at the MOT stage? 

That's my point.

When they MOTd it, they realised the headlight wasn't pointing the right way, because the bulb was insecure. That would have been a fail - but, because the job was a small one, they PRS'd it.

Basically, it's the more formal equivalent of "I've passed it - but you'd better get that fixed before I see it again..."

theoretica

Sounds like it is just a communication issue.  The first person should probably have mentioned it, but slipped up.

Gemm83

Gemm83 said:

AdrianC said:AdrianC said:

Gemm83 said:

AdrianC said:

It's flagged on the MOT computer as "PRS" - Pass, rectify at station.

It would have failed, but it's a small job so they do it before it leaves the premises, which saves everybody time and effort.

Thanks for the post. I understand that it would have failed, but it was passed prior to finding the issue with the service. If it was defective wouldn't it have been picked up at the MOT stage? 

That's my point.

When they MOTd it, they realised the headlight wasn't pointing the right way, because the bulb was insecure. That would have been a fail - but, because the job was a small one, they PRS'd it.

Basically, it's the more formal equivalent of "I've passed it - but you'd better get that fixed before I see it again..."

It's flagged on the MOT computer as "PRS" - Pass, rectify at station.

It would have failed, but it's a small job so they do it before it leaves the premises, which saves everybody time and effort.

Thanks for the post. I understand that it would have failed, but it was passed prior to finding the issue with the service. If it was defective wouldn't it have been picked up at the MOT stage? 

Ahh. Understood. Thank you 😊

[Deleted User]

Once when I collected my car from a service I was told that it would soon need a suspension arm to get through the next MOT. He looked pretty sheepish when I told him it had passed the MOT a week ago. The moral of the tale is if you don't want to get ripped off, get your MOT done at the local council VTS and not the garage.

AdrianC

jack_pott said:

Once when I collected my car from a service I was told that it would soon need a suspension arm to get through the next MOT.

In other words, "it's still good now, but probably not for a lot longer."

He was trying to do you a favour, not con you.

MinuteNoodles

jack_pott said:

Once when I collected my car from a service I was told that it would soon need a suspension arm to get through the next MOT. He looked pretty sheepish when I told him it had passed the MOT a week ago.

It's perfectly possible that was the case, that it met what the MOT examiner deemed to be the minimum standards to pass but it is likely that there was deterioration of the rubber boots on the ball joints or the rubber bushes or a slight bit of play in a bush or ball joint/bearing that would deteriorate over the next year enough to fail the next MOT.

[Deleted User]

AdrianC said:

jack_pott said:

Once when I collected my car from a service I was told that it would soon need a suspension arm to get through the next MOT.

In other words, "it's still good now, but probably not for a lot longer."

He was trying to do you a favour, not con you.

Well, it passed the next time, and the next, and the next, I never had another MOT failure after I switched from the garage to the council VTS.
And it seems that most of the others who took my advice had much the same experience:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/119/save-on-mot-bills/p1