Getting an M.O.T. and repairs

**Rheghead** · 22-Nov-06, 13:56

Is it advisable to get an MOT and tell the garage to fix anything so it will pass? It seems a conflict of interest for the owner? I wonder if I said from the outset that I will take it to another garage for repairs that less will be needed to get a pass? What is the best thing to say to the garage people?

**footie chick** · 22-Nov-06, 14:07

I used to work in a garage and people generally said just do what it fails on but we still used to phone them with a price for the work. I personally always ask them for a price for fixing if its not too dear I usually go ahead.

Worth bearing in mind if your car fails its MOT and you take it to another garage they charge you for a retest if it stays in for repairs you generally get a free re-test.

**Cattach** · 22-Nov-06, 14:17

Originally Posted by footie chick

I used to work in a garage and people generally said just do what it fails on but we still used to phone them with a price for the work. I personally always ask them for a price for fixing if its not too dear I usually go ahead.

Worth bearing in mind if your car fails its MOT and you take it to another garage they charge you for a retest if it stays in for repairs you generally get a free re-test.

I use a single man business who checks the car for me, tells me waht is required and then gets the MOT done at a garage he has an arrangement with. He only charges for work done and for the MOT and not for the pre-check. See,s a perfect way to work as he gets any work in future that I require and I get a free pre-check for the MOT.

**percy toboggan** · 22-Nov-06, 20:29

Never give a garage a blank cheque. Always ask them to consult.
I don't know what car you drive or how old it is but there comes a time when it's not worth spending too much money on 'em.

l/m

**The_man_from_del_monte** · 22-Nov-06, 21:19

Doing all my own maintenance I always ensure my car is roadworthy and, thus, will always pass one of these highway robbery "tests". Never rely on someone else to tell you your engine is about to drop off or your wheels are out of alignment, drivers should know every part of their vehicle inside and out. IMO car maintenance should make up 90% of the driving test. Get yourself a Haynes manual for your particular vehicle Reghead and read up on the MOT check points.

**Spirit** · 22-Nov-06, 21:30

Originally Posted by The_man_from_del_monte

Never rely on someone else to tell you your engine is about to drop off or your wheels are out of alignment, drivers should know every part of their vehicle inside and out.

I would love to be able to know every part of my vehicle and be able to fix it, however not everyone has a head to understand this sort of thing and not everyone is fit enough to get up and down and underneath a vehicle.
Last MOT I had done at the Garage in Reay. They were really good, it failed first time on something minor. They let me take the car home, one of the guys picked the car up the following day, done the repair, passed the MOT and returned the car to me at the end of the day. cost me less than £40 plus price of MOT. Didn't think that was to bad.

**Whitewater** · 22-Nov-06, 22:05

I have found that if you know a good garage, and ask for the MOT to be done, they should inform you of any faults found and the repair cost before they attempt to repair it. It does however help a lot if you know somebody who knows a bit about cars to give it a look over before you put it in for inspection. Most cars now don't need much done up until they are 5 or 6yrs old, after that you may require new brake pipes and/or discs.

God Luck with it.

**Fran** · 23-Nov-06, 01:03

I find the garage in Castletown very good. My last mot with my old car failed on one tyre so they replaced it and passed it. I dont think they charge for a retest there within a certain time.

**percy toboggan** · 23-Nov-06, 17:15

Originally Posted by The_man_from_del_monte

Doing all my own maintenance I always ensure my car is roadworthy and, thus, will always pass one of these highway robbery "tests". Never rely on someone else to tell you your engine is about to drop off or your wheels are out of alignment, drivers should know every part of their vehicle inside and out. IMO car maintenance should make up 90% of the driving test. Get yourself a Haynes manual for your particular vehicle Reghead and read up on the MOT check points.

So ninety percent of the test should be based on maintenance.??? I never heard of anyone being killed because they couldn't work out how to align their own front wheels ! Handling the vehicle safely is far more important han knowing how to repair it. Of course some routine maintenance tasks could be included but you're putting way too much emphasis on detailed mechanical knowledge.

Not everyone wants to get their hands dirty. Consulting a Hayne's Manual will be totally alien to many, & most people I might suggest are not interested anyway. You think everyone who drives a fwd should know the characteristics of a constant velocity joint? You can drive a car brilliantly and know absolutely nothing about the way it works. You can know everything there is to know and still be a bobbins driver. I know a bit, and often get my hands dirty, I also drive pretty well I think. In many cases maintenance and repair tasks are best left to professionals. The scope for doing a bad job yourself is limitless. Modern cars are becoming fairly complicated anyway and much more than routine maintenance - oil & fluid levels, and perhaps things like replacing brake pads if you want to get technical is beyond the capabillties of the layman.

**Spirit** · 23-Nov-06, 17:19

Originally Posted by percy toboggan

So ninety percent of the test should be based on maintenance.??? I never heard of anyone being killed because they couldn't work out how to align their own front wheels ! Handling the vehicle safely is far more important han knowing how to repair it. Of course some routine maintenance tasks could be included but you're putting way too much emphasis on detailed mechanical knowledge.

Not everyone wants to get their hands dirty. Consulting a Hayne's Manual will be totally alien to many, & most people I might suggest are not interested anyway. You think everyone who drives a fwd should know the characteristics of a constant velocity joint? You can drive a car brilliantly and know absolutely nothing about the way it works. You can know everything there is to know and still be a bobbins driver. I know a bit, and often get my hands dirty, I also drive pretty well I think. In many cases maintenance and repair tasks are best left to professionals. The scope for doing a bad job yourself is limitless. Modern cars are becoming fairly complicated anyway and much more than routine maintenance - oil & fluid levels, and perhaps things like replacing brake pads if you want to get technical is beyond the capabillties of the layman.

agree with you totally.

**EDDIE** · 23-Nov-06, 18:51

Originally Posted by Rheghead

Is it advisable to get an MOT and tell the garage to fix anything so it will pass? It seems a conflict of interest for the owner? I wonder if I said from the outset that I will take it to another garage for repairs that less will be needed to get a pass? What is the best thing to say to the garage people?

Its best to put the car in for an mot and if it fails get a quote first if u give him the go ahead to fix the repairs before its mot its like giving him a blank cheque and if it needs repairs and u go somewere else to get the repairs done you will have to pay for a re sit of mot were as if you let the garage that mot the car do the repairs you will escape the re sit fee for mot.
The way i look on things is serviceing and mot is were the garage makes there money not doing the servicing and mot but in repairs they pick up afterwork.i wouldnt say nothing to garage because if you say anthing to them and the mechanic thinks your being smart he will just put a list repairs on and its like most things you can pick up faults with anything if you put your mind to it what i would do is wait and see if passes or fails and if fails and its couple of hundred pounds to get it fixed then let them do it

**The_man_from_del_monte** · 23-Nov-06, 19:26

Originally Posted by percy toboggan

So ninety percent of the test should be based on maintenance.??? I never heard of anyone being killed because they couldn't work out how to align their own front wheels ! Handling the vehicle safely is far more important han knowing how to repair it. Of course some routine maintenance tasks could be included but you're putting way too much emphasis on detailed mechanical knowledge.

Not everyone wants to get their hands dirty. Consulting a Hayne's Manual will be totally alien to many, & most people I might suggest are not interested anyway. You think everyone who drives a fwd should know the characteristics of a constant velocity joint? You can drive a car brilliantly and know absolutely nothing about the way it works. You can know everything there is to know and still be a bobbins driver. I know a bit, and often get my hands dirty, I also drive pretty well I think. In many cases maintenance and repair tasks are best left to professionals. The scope for doing a bad job yourself is limitless. Modern cars are becoming fairly complicated anyway and much more than routine maintenance - oil & fluid levels, and perhaps things like replacing brake pads if you want to get technical is beyond the capabillties of the layman.

90% of the theory side, for sure, obviously the driving test itself shouldn't consist of someone reboring a cylinder head but I seriously do think less on the highway code and more on actual vehicle safety / integrity. I don't agree with the modern cars "more complicated" bit, not at all. If something goes wrong with a car these days it's more a case of a fitter (not and old school mechanic) fitting a new part on, no way will they try and repair it'll just be fit a new "unit" and bin the old one. So there's nothing complicated whatsoever in servicing an average modern car. Sure, if it's a ferrari then skilled mechanics are required but your average family car will never see a real mechanic, just fitters.

Modern cars are more reliable due to tighter engineering tolerances so really, if you follow the service schedule, they shouldn't require constant tweaking and repairing anyway. Replace the oil, the plugs and the filters etc. on a regular basis and you should be good to go for many moons. Maybe I was a bit unfair saying everyone should be able to service their own car and maybe 90% on the theory side of the driving test is a bit steep but it really annoys me when I see people driving about with exhausts hanging off with them totally oblivious to the rattling noise emanating from their car. So scrub the 90%, let's make it 25% on basic maintenance and daily / weekly checks

**aileenmac** · 23-Nov-06, 19:31

will a car fail its MOT if the exhaust has a temporary repair done to it?

**Ashes** · 23-Nov-06, 20:50

Always get your MOT done about 2-3 weeks before its due, if it fails you have time to put things right, if it passes you have 52 + the 2-3 weeks added on.
Kind regards Ashes

**henry20** · 23-Nov-06, 20:51

No, or at least my husbands passed a couple of years ago when it had a temporary repair done, but it may be changed now.

**celtchicky** · 02-Dec-06, 21:28

Originally Posted by aileenmac

will a car fail its MOT if the exhaust has a temporary repair done to it?

the exhaust will only fail the mot test. if the tester thinks the repair is not going to last to long or is unsatisfactory most times a advisery will be given.depends really on how good the repair is as a tester myself i have seen some really bad repairs and others which would outlast the rest of the exhaust.

**johno** · 06-Dec-06, 15:22

Originally Posted by Rheghead

Is it advisable to get an MOT and tell the garage to fix anything so it will pass? It seems a conflict of interest for the owner? I wonder if I said from the outset that I will take it to another garage for repairs that less will be needed to get a pass? What is the best thing to say to the garage people?

Reckon it,s best you find a garage that will do a free retest [within 2 weeks, think some still do] get the failure slip then find some to do the work for you. never know car might pass anyway

**Marty McFly** · 06-Dec-06, 16:44

I got caught out recently by a local garage when I had my old car in for a pre-M.O.T. inspection. I was quoted quite a large figure for the work required to pass the test, but which I agreed to, and the car passed.

However, when the bill came in about 2 months later for his work, I was amazed to find the total was considerably more than i had been quoted. In fact it was more than 60% higher!

When I complained, I was told that VAT had to be added! And when I complained about not being given a VAT-inclusive estimate, I was told the car also needed more work than had been anticipated! Fair enough, by why no 'phone call to ask me?

So, the moral of this costly exercise, is get a written estimate for repair work, and ask the garage to 'phone you if this is likely to exceeded.