Best Practice on MOT Advisory Quotes

[radderfire]

Guys

If you book your car in for an MOT, and during the MOT they find various advisories, e.g. a tyre needs changing, your clutch needs replacing, how does your garage deal with this process?

Do they just tell you when you come to collect your car and ask you to book it in again, or would they contact you first via phone (or maybe even e-mail) to ask if you want them to proceed?

In an ideal world, how would you like this process to be handled?

I'm just interested from a best practice / customer service point of view.

Thanks

 

[Peerzy]

Each garage is different, some phone you back, some ask you wait for the first 20-30mins and then they'll know if anything is going to need doing.

Doubt a car could fail on a clutch though as it's not part of the test I didn't think.

It's more to test that your car meets basic safety requirements.

Personally I always book an MOT knowning I can sit around for half an hour and then speak to the MOT tester about my car.

 

[Lopéz]

No garage should EVER just carry out work without your authority and certainly not on MOT advisories! Advisories are just that, advisories - not failure points.
The clutch is not part of the MOT test.

The only time I ever take my car to a garage is for the MOT and for tyres. If there are advisories my tester rings me and tells me, but he rings me and tells me the result if there aren't any advisories too.

 

[mjd]

If they are in any way connected to the place we bought our mini from, they'll take it upon themselves to accidentally remove the advisory portion of the MOT certificate and not mention the advisories at all. They'll also show no remorse whatsoever when they are found out

In answer to your question though, my mechanic will usually ring with a quote for the work, and I can then get a few more quotes before deciding who to go with.

 

[BigglesPiP]

If they are in any way connected to the place we bought our mini from, they'll take it upon themselves to accidentally remove the advisory portion of the MOT certificate and not mention the advisories at all. They'll also show no remorse whatsoever when they are found out

Advisories are completely non compulsory for the tester, they're also free-form, he can write whatever he wants. It's really bad practice, but some testers sometimes won't bother with them.

 

[Deleted member 66701]

My MOT tester knows I do all my own repairs so he just tests it and passes me the MOT sheet - be it either a pass or a fail inc advisories.

If it's failed, I'll take it back at some point for a retest once I've fixed whatever it failed on. If it's advisories, I'll weigh up whether I want to fix it - my Scorp Cossie had had an advisory for "slight play in the steering rack" for the last four years for example!

He NEVER does any work without me giving the go ahead.

 

[5abr3]

If they are in any way connected to the place we bought our mini from, they'll take it upon themselves to accidentally remove the advisory portion of the MOT certificate and not mention the advisories at all. They'll also show no remorse whatsoever when they are found out

In answer to your question though, my mechanic will usually ring with a quote for the work, and I can then get a few more quotes before deciding who to go with.

You can find out what they logged into the MOT database online, the site has been posted up here quite a few times, but just incase: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_10020539