Dealer MOT

[Morri7]

My dealer has just phoned and reminded me that my Mini is due its second MOT in a months time. Am I best to get the dealer to do the MOT or should I get the wee garage round the corner to do it. My concern is that it is to the dealer's benefit to find some thing wrong and then charge the earth to get it fixed. Am I being unfair and paranoid?

Hope this is posted in the right place

[Tad]

Had my first MoT done at the dealer. All they found was bald tyres which was a schoolboy error on my behalf. Cant think what else they would try and fob you off with.

[Morri7]

Last year they found that the power steering pipes were leaking and it failed. Fortunately this was 3 days before the warranty was up so that got fixed.

[pardonator]

Most dealers sub contrac to a dedicated MOT station anyway. Where I live, (yeovil) there is every major dealership except for a Mercedes garage and they all use the same M.O.T station

[Morri7]

Quote: Originally Posted by pardonator (original)

Most dealers sub contrac to a dedicated MOT station anyway. Where I live, (yeovil) there is every major dealership except for a Mercedes garage and they all use the same M.O.T station

I did not know that. That gives me a little more confidence. They said it would cost £50 is this what everywhere charges?

[KillerByte]

Quote: Originally Posted by Morri7 (original)

I did not know that. That gives me a little more confidence. They said it would cost £50 is this what everywhere charges?

That sounds about right from a dealer. I had my MINI MOTed at a local garage instead and they only charged £35.

[Paul]

MOT test fees : Directgov - Motoring Hope that helps. But most places seem to discount this. Our last MOT was £45 for the S.

[LYD]

well i took mine to barry and wilks where they just failed it on a faulty hlight which i just took car back next day and it worked in the test lucky for me, a week later i took it to bMW for a service where they gave me a list of things up with my car which consisted of:-

n/s rear tyre bald, 8 bolts missing from intercooler cover, spot light inop, both front window wiper blades split, rear washer faulty, brake fluid change 898 days overdue and the coolant fluid is weak.

I said thats funny because it passed an mot last week!!

its gonna cost me 4-500 quid to get them things sorted. and i get discount on parts!!

apparently they on nearly £90 labour. rediculous.

[Root Ginger]

I took my car for an MOT at a main dealer only once. God knows where they sent it but it was a strict as hell. The guy took out the extra tax disc holder I have that holds my work pass and was going to fail it for a sticker behind the wing mirror.

He said that only official goverment documents were allowed to be displayed in the window and that anything else would obstruct my view.

The garage managed to argue that the sticker behind the mirror was in fact already obscured by the mirror anyway and he let it through.

I was then left to get some new sticky pads for my tax disc holder.

I now take my car to an MOT center that takes a common sense approach to the MOT.

[South Shore Lad]

Quote: Originally Posted by Root Ginger (original)

I took my car for an MOT at a main dealer only once. God knows where they sent it but it was a strict as hell. The guy took out the extra tax disc holder I have that holds my work pass and was going to fail it for a sticker behind the wing mirror.

He said that only official goverment documents were allowed to be displayed in the window and that anything else would obstruct my view.

The garage managed to argue that the sticker behind the mirror was in fact already obscured by the mirror anyway and he let it through.

I was then left to get some new sticky pads for my tax disc holder.

I now take my car to an MOT center that takes a common sense approach to the MOT.

Wow, that is strict. I can understand where the tester is coming from, but surely some pragmatism is called for here. After all you can get a failure for a windscreen crack if it';s in the line of vision. A sticker mounted top dead centre, or in the corner should be allowed through I'd have thought.

A pal had a failure due to a 'star' shaped crack on his front number plate caused by flung up gravel or similar. You couldn't tell from a distance, but the tester failed it anyway.

Until a few years ago the best place in Blackpool/St Annes to get a test was at the council bus depot. The guys here had no axe to grind as that was the only service they offered to the general public. so there was no money to be made in inventing failures to flog shockers, exhausts, tyres etc. If you failed you really knew your car had problems!

SSL

[Paul c]

I work in a dealer and we charge the £50.35 for a test.
We also mail our customers as a matter of course to remind them for MOT its surprising the amount of people who do forget until they need to tax their car!
Also the MOT tester is actually working for the Ministry of transport when carrying out the test and are not usually in the habit of failing a car to get any extra work!

Regarding the issue with stickers in the front screen, a fail can be issued if the sticker is within a certain area of the front screen deemed to be an obstruction/impair the veiw from drivers seat!
Generally we remove the offending item and inform the customer so as not to inconveinience them with a fail certificate!

[Root Ginger]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul c (original)

I work in a dealer and we charge the £50.35 for a test.
We also mail our customers as a matter of course to remind them for MOT its surprising the amount of people who do forget until they need to tax their car!
Also the MOT tester is actually working for the Ministry of transport when carrying out the test and are not usually in the habit of failing a car to get any extra work!

Regarding the issue with stickers in the front screen, a fail can be issued if the sticker is within a certain area of the front screen deemed to be an obstruction/impair the veiw from drivers seat!
Generally we remove the offending item and inform the customer so as not to inconveinience them with a fail certificate!

But I'm sure that even you would feel removing a tax disc holder holding a car park pass is a bit excessive in 7 MOT's only once has it been removed.

[Kaj]

dont got to knights in newcastle they failed mine on a bulb not being bright enough!!

[Step_7]

Over here we have dedicated Government run MOT centres. If you fail you fail, they aren't in it for the money that the repairs might generate. Only costs £30 as well - never understood the "Mainland " system - seems so open to abuse and unnecessary repairs being carried out. You're still at the mercy of the odd "fussy" tester but in general they are reasonable about most things.

[Morri7]

Thought I should post and say what I have eventually done.
Had the car MOT'd at a local garage (not dealer) and it passed! £40 was the damage. They did say that my exhaust rear box is starting to show signs of corrosion so I had better start saving my pennies for a new, shiny and loud one!