MOT 2 garages 2 different fails

Kitkatkimmikins

Hi. I had a MOT fail due to "buckled wheel", so I went to wheel shop for repair, they said it was nowhere near buckled enough to have failed, so I went to a different garage for an 2nd opinion MOT... They passed the wheel but failed on something completely different and even more expensive to fix (suspension). Who can I trust? 

DE_612183

you can complain to DVSA.

Nobbie1967

Maybe both, maybe neither. A lot of the assessments in an MOT are subjective and will vary from tester to tester. I doubt there is an exact spec for what a buckled wheel is, so it relies on judgement. Same with suspension, whether play in suspension is enough to fail is subjective as it would be almost impossible to come up with a spec for the test that did require the car to be taken apart. Things like tyre tread depth are much easier to determine.

born_again

How long between MOT?

maybe long enough for suspension to get worse?

facade

The tester can fail a wheel which is badly distorted or distorted so that the tyre is likely to come off. (section 5.2.2 of the inspection manual)

It is down to his opinion what badly distorted means.

He wouldn't fail a slight buckle, but one likely to be felt through the steering or damage a wheel bearing he would.

Also some peoples definition of buckled isn't just "runs out of true" but includes a flattened/kinked rim due to hitting a pothole with low profile tyres. He might fail an alloy with this as it could shatter at the next bump it hits.

Wear in suspension joints is also subjective. So you have 2 different testers here with slightly different opinions.

It would have been easier to have put the spare wheel on and got a free retest at the first garage. (Unless the spare is a spacesaver or a can of gloop and a pump.....)

Mildly_Miffed

What's the suspension fail?

But the wheel is definitely in the tester's judgement - and they disagree.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/5-axles-wheels-tyres-and-suspension#section-5-2-2

5.2.2(c) A wheel:
(i) badly distorted ... (Major)
(ii) distorted or worn to the extent the wheel or tyre is likely to become detached (Dangerous)

Bigphil1474

OP, get the wheel fixed, go back to the first tester. Cheapest option.

Kitkatkimmikins

born_again said:

How long between MOT?

maybe long enough for suspension to get worse?

Only about a week, and only done a mile or two in that time, trying to get it sorted 

Kitkatkimmikins

facade said:

The tester can fail a wheel which is badly distorted or distorted so that the tyre is likely to come off. (section 5.2.2 of the inspection manual)

It is down to his opinion what badly distorted means.

He wouldn't fail a slight buckle, but one likely to be felt through the steering or damage a wheel bearing he would.

Also some peoples definition of buckled isn't just "runs out of true" but includes a flattened/kinked rim due to hitting a pothole with low profile tyres. He might fail an alloy with this as it could shatter at the next bump it hits.

Wear in suspension joints is also subjective. So you have 2 different testers here with slightly different opinions.

It would have been easier to have put the spare wheel on and got a free retest at the first garage. (Unless the spare is a spacesaver or a can of gloop and a pump.....)

Unfortunately, yes the spare is a space saver.

Kitkatkimmikins

Bigphil1474 said:

OP, get the wheel fixed, go back to the first tester. Cheapest option.

The wheel place said it is so slightly that any repair wouldn't make a difference. Replacing just one wheel also not an option as the previous owner seems to have upgraded the original 15" steels to non-standard 16" alloys, which are difficult/expensive to find just one.

sevenhills

i am surprised that this disc wasn't flagged up on the MOT. There is some feeling on the brake pedal,, but braking seems perfectly OK. 
So maybe it just looks bad, but OK?