Deposit on car but advisory appeared on new Mot

Mildly_Miffed

wigglers said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

wigglers said:

The oil leak was a advisory on the last year mot as well,but could the fact the covers are on be covering something more sinister?

No. All vaguely modern cars have undertrays under the engine bay for drive-by noise regulations and for aerodynamics. The MOT tester isn't allowed to remove it.

It's a 9yo car with 100k+ on the clock.

But it's not as if it's a particularly rare style of vehicle. Just keep looking if something - anything - about one particular one doesn't feel right. The more you look, the more you'll get a feel for reasonable expectations.

Sorry what do you mean? I get they can't take the covers off. 

Mr MOT is not allowed to remove anything. Covers, wheels, wheeltrims.

This can allow some really, really bad things to hide...
https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/horror-story-more-hidden-corrosion/

The advisory about the undertray is simply saying "I can see there's some oil leaking, but I can't see where from."

The MOT fail criteria for an oil leak is immense - a 75mm pool in five minutes of the engine idling.
Many oil leaks can require the engine to be removed to replace a very cheap seal. I used to know somebody with a v12 Aston Martin, where a 50p seal turned into a £5,000 bill.

Is a minor oil leak unexpected on a 9yo, 100k+ mile car? No. It'd be more of a surprise if there wasn't at least one.

Is a rusty rear subframe unexpected on a 9yo, 100k mile+ car? No, especially if it's lived in the north of the UK or near the coast.