UK car return to UK..tax MOT expired..what to do

MOT UK v Spain.

In Spain the test station only tests the vehicle. If there is a fault then it cannot be repaired at the ITV station.  No incentive to find faults which do not exist.

UK  The  MOT test centre can repair any fault found.  I suggest that is an incentive (by some not all) to find a fault  that does not exist as that is potential income for the test centre.  

I have  an engineering background albeit from a long ago.  In about 1968 I took my car, which I maintained,  for an MOT it failed,  allegedly due to excessive play on part of the suspension. They demonstrated the ‘fault’.   I was very concerned so took the car to a main agent, they found the play and then showed me the manufactures instructions, printed in bold, that there must be that amount of play otherwise the joint is defective.   Had I got the MOT station to make the unnecessary repair they would have made my car unsafe to drive..

Just on the point of an  ITV being accepted in UK.    I have found that the test in Spain is considerably less demanding  than in the MOT in UK.   Some cars which pass here would undoubtedly fail in UK.

No incentive to find faults which do not exist.

Complete rubbish, you don't know but in the UK which has been in force for years now, with MOT's if a station fails what Vosa consider to be to many cars in any given time then they will check that garage out without letting on, pretty much the same if they never have any failures, same checks.

I meet every day people who "Have been Motor Mechanics"  when trying to explain whats wrong with the car, same as they always tell me "I used to be in the trade" when it comes to buying a second hand car...What they actually mean is they changed a spark plug "Once" and sold one or two cars "A couple of times".

The MOT is in place to protect the know all idiots from themselves because they fitted a headlight bulb in a friends car once.

Sure some bad garages might still be about, I know of none, the MOT licence / test is in fact a licence to print money, everyone that I know within this business, and it's a dam sight more then you would ever know, are okay about it if they don't do the failure work, my mates garage does 15 MOT's a day, at £45.00 each = £675.00 a day X 6 = £4,050,00 a week he has more then enough work to do other then failures.

Back in 1968, 48 years ago, some cars did have movement in certain joints, oh, and they still do, one person would say they are bad, another would say they are okay, being an engineer covers just about everything from mending cookers to washing machines, I know of no "Engineers" in the car business, having your car fixed by that garage would have in no way made your car unsafe to drive, because if the old item had play in it, so would have the new part as per the manufactures instructions for this part.

So if your car failed the MOT due to this "Loose joint" or "Excessive play" you must have either got the Main Dealer to MOT it, at double the cost, or no doubt complained to the garage and they passed it once you proved them wrong....Very doubtful in both cases.

I have two cases pending with main dealers right now, so put your faith in them should you wish.

The DVLA has asked MOT station to try and advise on faults rather then fail them due to a directive from the EU, no doubt the UK is the only one complying with this order as well.

Ok Baz calm down, We know you are an MOT test station owner so just maybe a little biased !

Whereas I was just a guy with a car which was incorrectly failed, and passed when I returned to the MOT station with the info from Vauxhall.  Thus they admitted they were wrong.

However, I am not the only one who suspects some MOT test centres invent failures. 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-mot

QUOTE:   It's not the test fee but repairing 'fails' that can cost a fortune.    But did you know you can get MOTs done by local councils? They generally don't do repairs, so there's no vested interest to fail you in the hope you'll spend. Thousands report a huge difference.....................

...................    Thousands of savvy MoneySavers have used these test centres and the vast majority report their cars either consistently pass the test, or need fewer repairs compared with MOTs done at other garages.

 As what you would call a Fred with a shed, apart from the one case I mentioned,  since MOT's were introduced in UK in 1960, and in 27 years living in Sapin with ITV's,  I have never had a vehicle fail. I have always keep my vehicles for over 10 years, so many tests.  Since I was ripped off by a garage in 1958, I have always done the maintenance on my vehicles and when married on my wife’s cars.    So just maybe I know a little bit about maintaining vehicles.

Sorry Baz,  but insulting me does not alter what I, and aparently thousands of others say. "Me thinks thou protests too much."

 No not biased in the least because I care less what others do, never have been biased, and never will be.

As for your car failing and them being in the wrong and you being right many of your past posts show up the way you are always correct so it's no surprise that you should come up with this type of answer.

What can I say, nothing,  about you repairing your cars to a more then better standard as you obversely know more about the workings of a motor car then everyone else, hence the superb condition of your cars?

Makes me wonder why garages spend many thousands on data reading machines to read codes on these new cars when so many people can fix a modern car without these items.

PROTEST......Yep you got that right as well, I do protest a fair bit, more so when the know it alls have the answers to everything and make up answers to cover themselves up, to many coincidences with you.

PS love the red letters, please do it in blue next time as I prefer blue, did I insult you? Did you think what I said I meant you? Fred in the shed if the cap fits an all.

If I bother to take on something then yep I do make as sure as a I can that I will do it right.  If not I don't go down that track.  Like plastering and arc welding, crap at those.  Have not tried brain surgery !

And I agree modern engines are of course complex and require specialised equipment,  but stripping and rebuilding older cars is not difficult. There are a lot of less than briliant car mechanics getting by pretty well.  Si if I can do it,  I guess you can do it pretty well too  Baz.

John aka Fred !

If I bother to take on something then yep I do make as sure as a I can that I will do it right.

Well, maybe if you try a bit harder getting all your dates and years, and the vast amount of what you have done in the correct and right order that would be a good  start.

PS.

I meant to ask you what Vauxhall Car was it you had that failed the MOT on the suspension problem? 

Well, maybe if you try a bit harder getting all your dates and years, and the vast amount of what you have done in the correct and right order that would be a good  start.

Baz, you and another of my 'friends here' are now asking the same questions. He is doing in PM's though.

As this is way off the thread, and no doubt very boring to others, can't imagine why you are so interested in me,  I have sent you a PM.

This message was last edited by johnzx on 16/02/2016.

Just read through this old thread and i have some advice that readers could take heed from regarding Baz's opinion that an MOT tester always seems to be right......... I have for many years been involved in the car trade and MOT'ing cars in the uk, and i find that if you disagree with the tester who is always right, i dont leave the test centre, and request the tester involved refer to the MOT testers manual regarding the failure points that you object to. A MOT centre HAS to keep a copy of this reference so a tester can check the ACTUAL test procedure regarding testable items within an MOT. I have more than once had a test certificate issued after the technician has revised the testing parameters within the testers handbook. It doesnt matter wether you are "fred in a shed" or even John, a test should be properly performed by the tester, they are NOT always right, even MOT testers are human (contrary to popular opinion). If this fails you as owner always can object to the result of the test and make a objection to the DVSA (formerly VOSA) the test station will happily give you the local office address to make a relevent complaint to.