MOT time always a nightmare

pauLAW

pauLAW

pauLAW

Associate
Joined
17 Jan 2011
Posts
946
Location
Manchester
For me every time my car is due its MOT is a stress! I have to make sure I have to have plenty of money in my bank and then hope for the best. (I drive a 1.2 53plate Corsa)


This time it failed on its front shock absorber and the handbrake! so I was paid the £130 and drove away with another years MOT behind me, only problem is I have just drove to work and the car feels like the handbrake is still on when I get down to about 5mph, steering feels slightly stiff at slow speeds and then when I do park up up the car I can smell a slight burning coming from the wheels...

Whats annoying about all this is I work 9-5 and I cant get i back in until the weekend! Plus when I drove the car in for its MOT everything felt ok with the car, then I pay a total of £180 to pass the MOT and have a potentially serious problem with the car.....its so frustrating!

Anyway that's my car moan over with, does anyone know much about handbrakes? im concerned that my break pads are going to wear away with my 10 mile drive home! :(
 
Check the car over yourself before taking it in (the MOT test list is on the web), and then take it to the council MOT station.

Chain Garages are known for inventing problems at MOT time.



Park up on a slope, it the handbrake is sticking then the car won't roll back.
 
Do you actually do any preventative maintenance or do you just wait for the MOT to happen and then get upset because it didn't pass?

Sounds like they need adjusting properly if the handbrake is engaging with the lever down.
 
bitslice said:
Check the car over yourself before taking it in (the MOT test list is on the web), and then take it to the council MOT station.

Chain Garages are known for inventing problems at MOT time.
Click to expand...

Yeah like Cowboy fit, you can be certain it will be brakes and exhaust.

Halfrauds, love the bulbs, emissions and tyres.

Amazes me people still use them to be honest.
 
Janesy B said:
Do you actually do any preventative maintenance or do you just wait for the MOT to happen and then get upset because it didn't pass?

Sounds like they need adjusting properly if the handbrake is engaging with the lever down.
Click to expand...

What should I do exactly? I am not a mechanic and have never taken a great interest in cars to start messing with things I know little about, I look after the car as best I can yes.

And yeah I do get upset when I drive in without any known issues, pay £180 and come away with a whole new problem.....I would expect most people would be annoyed by this.


The handbrake light does not come on but it does feel like the brake is applied, I have stopped on slight hills and its not moved. Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the garage on Saturday? if its a quick easy fix then I will attempt to sort it out but I dont want to make the problem worse
 
Take it back sooner than later.

Last thing you want is poor handbrake adjustment munching through a set of brake pads and warping a disc from being stuck on.
 
pauLAW said:
For me every time my car is due its MOT is a stress! I have to make sure I have to have plenty of money in my bank and then hope for the best. (I drive a 1.2 53plate Corsa)


This time it failed on its front shock absorber and the handbrake! so I was paid the £130 and drove away with another years MOT behind me, only problem is I have just drove to work and the car feels like the handbrake is still on when I get down to about 5mph, steering feels slightly stiff at slow speeds and then when I do park up up the car I can smell a slight burning coming from the wheels...

Whats annoying about all this is I work 9-5 and I cant get i back in until the weekend! Plus when I drove the car in for its MOT everything felt ok with the car, then I pay a total of £180 to pass the MOT and have a potentially serious problem with the car.....its so frustrating!

Anyway that's my car moan over with, does anyone know much about handbrakes? im concerned that my break pads are going to wear away with my 10 mile drive home! :(
Click to expand...

Get it serviced and problems can be kept on top of...a leaking damper can't be ignored but it sounds like the cowboys have just wound the handbrake adjuster up and your brakes are binding and they've buggered the strut top bearing while chaning the strut...
 
Corsa's are common for having poor handbrakes, the mechanism seizes up and doesn't work properly. The garage will have freed it all off for you and when they've put it back together they have just adjusted it up a little too tight. It's not a huge issue, just take it back to them and they will wind a few clicks of tension off and it'll be fine.
It's something they should have picked up on after a test drive, but easy enough to do.
 
jon.bda said:
Get it serviced and problems can be kept on top of...a leaking damper can't be ignored but it sounds like the cowboys have just wound the handbrake adjuster up and your brakes are binding and they've buggered the strut top bearing while chaning the strut...
Click to expand...

Its got a full service history.

realscot said:
just take it back to them and they will wind a few clicks of tension off and it'll be fine.
It's something they should have picked up on after a test drive, but easy enough to do.
Click to expand...

Im not sure they did a test drive.... I have it booked in for tomorrow morning so hopefully its a quick adjustment but Im worried that its caused more damage, I have already spent a lot of money :(
 
pauLAW said:
What should I do exactly?
Click to expand...

it is best practice to send your vehicle for annual/routine maintenance in advance of your MOT test. I always try to arrange mine two months or so before so that any issues that arise can be fixed and anything expensive you know about in good time to arrange finances for it.

if you have paid up for a repair and something is not right, take it back at the earliest opportunity as you are well within your rights to have a problem like that rectified.

Mrs rjk works by this logic and sends her clio in for test with zero maintenance then cries deeply when they present her with a failure notice and a large expensive list of advisories. This is an annual occurrence. :rolleyes:

the old saying of prevention being better than a cure applies in this case but it sometimes takes a life destroying bill to get the message to hit home

OP, if you had to pay a couple of hundred quid to get your car through test then you got off lightly.

I would take this as a lesson learned and start preparing for test in advance next time. you don't have to be a car enthusiast to ensure that your vehicle is well maintained.

it sounds like you are fine spending the money on the upkeep, that is not the issue. you just need to plan to do it earlier to avoid the stress at MOT

not only will it save you money and stress in the long run but it will also add resale value to your vehicle when you come to sell as buyers look for a well maintained example.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom