MOT help and advice needed please....

Apologies for the long post but I'm absolutly stumped on the best way forward as I took the mk1 cabby for mot last week. It failed on:

01) fog lamp tell tale not working

02) fog lamp not in working order

(both were fine when I got it home!)

03) both headlamps too high

04) nearside cv gaiter split

05) offside rear wheel bearing excessive play

06) both front tyre tread depth below requiremens of 1.6mm

07) parking brake lever has no reserve travel


quoted me ?270 plus VAT.
I said no thanks…..

Got a local mechanic to look at it and sort the CV gaiter, tightened up the bearing and he was meant to have sorted the brakes too.

Replaced the tyres and had it tracked.

took it for a retest this morning-it failed again on:

01) nearside headlight aim too high

02) offside headlight aim too high and too far to the right

03) parking brake lever has no reserve travel

04) parking brake effeciency below requirements *DANGEROUS*

advisory items

05) service brake

06) nearside rear parking brake

07) offside rear front brakes only just met the front brake imbalance requirements.

now this all seemed strange as the mechanic was supposed to have rectified the original faults. The girlfriend took the car back to him and he said that he had not worked on the brakes at all!!!

after making some enquiries into the reputation of the original testing station we decided to put it in for a retest elsewhere. so exactly 6 hours after the issue of the retest refusal it was tested again. The plot thickens…

this time it failed on:

01) windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid
(faulty switch)

02) offside front position lamp not working

03) nearside side repeater not in good working order

04) offside headlamp aim toolow

05) nearside rear (also insecure at rearmost pipe union) brakehose twisted

06) offside rear (also insecure at both pipe unions) brake hose twisted

07) nearside front (at gromet) brake hose bulging under pressure

08) offside front (at gromet) brake hose bulging under pressure

09) offside (and locking nut) track rod end has had excessive heat applied

10) offside (track rod) steering rack has had excessive heat applied

11) parking brake effieiency below requirements *DANGEROUS*

there are then a list of another 11 advisory notes

12) nearside front brake pads thin

13) nearside rear wheel bearing has slight play

14) rear service brake only just met the required service brake effiecincy

15) n/s aim on lower limit

16) ships in windscreen may grow

17) slight play in steering rack

18) nail in osr tyre

19) slight leak on rear exhaust joint

20) heavy oil leak on engine

21) both rear footbrake efforts v.low

22) both rear handbrake efforts v.  low

the tester suggested scrapping the car! he said he would not want his children driving it and then went on to explain that lots of work that has been carried out was dangerous especially the rear hoses and the tracking adjustments (which had caused small weld like lumps)

the car is a 1.8 auto. it has 81000 miles on the clock and spent many years in the U.S so is generally in tidy condition. we've had no day to day issues with the running of the car.

the second mot station is going to price up the work tomorrow although i suspect this will be very high.
i have an assortment of tools, although have only really carried out work on my mini (auto > manual engine transplant and suspension overhaul/upgrades)


it would be fair to say that i am pretty fed up with mechanics.
now do i
1: pay someone to carry out the work required
2: give up on the car and get rid
3: roll up my sleves and do the work myself. i have time this week but what do need do i need to buy and how much is it going to cost?

Without looking at the car, I couldn't say what parts you need - the MoT check is a limited check, not a complete mechanical inspection. For example, they're not allowed to remove the wheels to inspect the brakes, so its not possible to inspect shoes, drums, or discs.

Sounds like you put it in for an MoT completely blind, and have never serviced it - is it a new car to you or something? Either way, there's a fair bunch of work to do on it so that rules (1) out as not cost effective. Depending on your skills and time, and the actual parts required once looked at properly, will determine if (3) is worthwhile or you're better off doing (2). Plenty of people dispose of lemons on eBay. Prospective buyers can get the MoT history off the internet now, though, so they'll know why the car is an MoT failure etc.

hi paul, thanks for your reply.

yes its a relativly new car to me and this is its first mot i've put it in for. it had full service and cam belt just after i bought it, in which the rear brake lines and hoses were all replaced. it has since had regular oil and filter changes, and new front disks and pads.

what i'm really confused about is how two different testers can have such a vastly different standpoint on its condition, and what the best way forward is.

stuwhitfield said

hi paul, thanks for your reply.

yes its a relativly new car to me and this is its first mot i've put it in for. it had full service and cam belt just after i bought it, in which the rear brake lines and hoses were all replaced. it has since had regular oil and filter changes, and new front disks and pads.

what i'm really confused about is how two different testers can have such a vastly different standpoint on its condition, and what the best way forward is.

I could suggest a way forward which I think is best, but a lot of others would disagree……so I'll keep quiet from now on!

well i asked on here to get expert/experienced opinions from enthusiasts who will have no doubt expereinced some if not all of these failures before. as i have said i have no intention of trying to keep a dangerous car on the road but i would like to keep it if viable.

im a mot tester and that list is amazing    god ive never seen one so long,shame your not closer ill test it and fix it for you  :wink:
are you going to kwik fit type places?
Bert

I've looked through the list again and there's worrying anomolies. For example, that the brake hoses are bulging and twisted, yet have been replaced! And that the front pads are thin, yet been changed not long before.

i didnt want the crown of longest mot failure in history…but thanks anyway
the first tester was a south east based chain that is on the way to work so convenient, the second an independent place who were reccomended as thorough.
regarding the anomolies yes it is worrying not to mention very frustrating as i paid for work to be carried out in good faith, and am now under the impression that not only was the workmanship poor, it seems dangerous…