MOT Question

mjd · 4 Jan 2018 at 20:06

I booked our Fiesta in with the local dealer for today as one of the coil springs snapped over Christmas. It was only the bottom turn of the spring, but with the MOT due on the 10th wanted to get it sorted. I booked the car in to get the spring replaced and also asked them to MOT it.

I explained to two members of staff over the phone and in person that the spring was broken and needed replacing.

The dealer called this evening to say the car is ready and I am due to collect tomorrow. However, I have checked the MOT history this evening and for reasons which escape me, it would appear they MOT'd the car first and failed it on the spring, before replacing the spring and issuing a pass with no advisories at all.

I know I am being picky, but am I able to request removal of the seemingly unnecessary fail recorded in the history.

andy_mk3 · 4 Jan 2018 at 20:08

You wont be able to have the failure removed, not without appealing to the DVSA which will be no less than a ball ache, and even then it will be extremely unlikely to be remove, it was a legitimate failure.

It's usually wise to MOT a car before repairing it, in case they carry out the repairs to find it fails the MOT on further work.

MichaelAwkward · 4 Jan 2018 at 20:13

How old is the car? It's hardly something special, I doubt a spring failure which was then replaced will have any effect on the resale value.

mjd · 4 Jan 2018 at 20:15

Fair point - I hadnt really considered the possibility of other issues. Having said that, it does also suggest an assumption on their part that any additonal repairs would be carried out by them I think.

mjd · 4 Jan 2018 at 20:18

MichaelAwkward said:
How old is the car? It's hardly something special, I doubt a spring failure which was then replaced will have any effect on the resale value.

Its a 2012 car and indeed nothing special. I just couldnt see the logic initially.
Just hope they arent expecting extra for the 'retest'.

andy_mk3 · 4 Jan 2018 at 20:37

mjd said:
Having said that, it does also suggest an assumption on their part that any additonal repairs would be carried out by them I think

Not necessarily. If they fitted the spring, did the MOT, and it needed £1000 worth of repairs, would you really be willing to pay out for the repairs already done for a car that is potentially now not worth repairing?

I work in a garage, and if an MOT is part of the job, it's nearly always done before anything else is done to the car, as we have been caught in the above situation before, where work has been done, car has failed MOT, and further work is required. I can see why you would be a little annoyed having a failure logged that could have been avoidable.

mjd · 4 Jan 2018 at 20:56

I see your point. I was very much seeing things from my own pov. Just a shame to have a fail recorded against it with only 22000 on the clock. I generally do most repairs and maintenance myself, but watched one to many videos of failing spring compressors and didn't fancy the risk on this occasion. I consider this a lesson

paintguy · 4 Jan 2018 at 21:05

andy_mk3 said:
It's usually wise to MOT a car before repairing it, in case they carry out the repairs to find it fails the MOT on further work.

Totally agree with this. We would generally do the same.

Lashout_UK · 4 Jan 2018 at 21:18

Yea, good point ^^

Better than getting it fixed only to find it needs another £350 of work, for example.

blueboy2001 · 5 Jan 2018 at 13:00

I was rather annoyed when I dropped my car off for an MOT and asked them to put a sidelight bulb prior to the MOT, only to receive a failure notice and a pass certificate when I picked it up. I'd noticed it had failed when I gave the car a once over the evening before the MOT, but didn't have a replacement bulb.

I got the impression the garage thought I was being rather petty. I've never had a car fail an MOT before or since.

tom_nieto · 5 Jan 2018 at 14:19

It does sometimes feel like a personal failure when a car you own and maintain to a high standard fails, but I would never be put off buying a car which had failed an MOT and immediately passed on a re-test with documented evidence of the work done. It's the ones which don't have the correct documentation which start ringing alarm bells.