VW beetle MOT (or not MOT)

[zardoz]

My brothers mates wife takes her old beetle bug into a newly built Garage on the refurbished side of the trading estate to get its yearly doctors note. Young lad takes a look at it and shakes his head "wouldn't know where to start. Take it some where else" was all he said. "Sorry i was under the impression this was an MOT garage" she quips before going up the road to the oily rag place she should have taken it to in the first place. She tells the guy there the tale. He tells her it happens regularly

Garage workers these days are trained as 'technicians' not mechanics. for Technicians = Parts replacers, not parts repairers.

 

[Robotstar5]

Young lad takes a look at it and shakes his head "wouldn't know where to start. Take it some where else" was all he said.

What rates must they be charging if they can afford to turn away business?

 

[Splatfest]

Garage workers these days are trained as 'technicians' not mechanics. for Technicians = Parts replacers, not parts repairers.

What some places do is they have maybe a couple of "master techs" who do the diagnosing.The humdrum replacement of parts is then left to semi skilled lads (usually just above the age you start shaving).

 

[NeilH]

What some places do is they have maybe a couple of "master techs" who do the diagnosing.The humdrum replacement of parts is then left to semi skilled lads (usually just above the age you start shaving).

LOL. just LOL. thats all im adding to this little pearl of wisdom.

 

[bigbadbugga]

most modern MOT technicians are flummoxed by chassis based cars as many of the rules are different to monococh construction.

With old classics it pays to shop around for a good MOT station with someone who knows his stuff.

 

[the snooper]

report them to vosa if they dont know what they are doing they shouldnt be doing the job

 

[NeilH]

yes and make sure your MOT tester knows how to spell monocoque.
otherwise he will just be a know it all who talks about stuff he aint got a clue about.

 

[brightspark]

best laugh i saw was a garage put a guys car on the diagnostic computer it said the aircon pump was knacked even better laugh after mech told the punter it was knacked punter said it didnt have air con like the mechanic told me i didnt have a cluch cable its hydraulic when van was under guarantee the adjuster had packed in so i put some temporary spacers in to get it away the mind boggles

 

[the snooper]

i took an fx4 taxi cab for mot the tester told me the floor hadn't been welded properly at which point i jumped down his throat and told him if he can weld wood he's a better welder then i am.
they had a wooden panel for the rear floor

 

[Stereophoney]

When i was back on the spanners we had a new guy start supposedly a qualified mot tester, he fitted an exhaust manifold to a corsa and after a day it returned to the shop, when i had a look he hadn't even bothered with a gasket just filled it with exhaust sealer !!

Taking into account we were main dealers he didn't last too long

 

[naughtyboy]

theres an mot place near us that you have to have to book into ages in advance.
wont fail you unless he as to and for regulars he is more lenient cos he knows work is done bulbs etc and we tae it back to show him.( my family have used him for years in fact even when his dad ran who died 18yrs ago )

used to bring my landy to him when i was stationed in germany with army he is that good.

 

[Prodigalson]

I had been taking my 5 series Beemer to the same garage for a few years to have it's service & MOT. The last time I took it (after it had done 260k), I was told that the cat converter was b**gered. The geezer took pity on me. Stuck the gas sensor in the car next to it. Passed my car, and said trade it in. Am now driving a Saab having got a decent trade in. Needless to say, the bloke is still on my xmas card list.

 

[michael1703]

Stuck the gas sensor in the car next to it. Passed my car, and said trade it in. Am now driving a Saab having got a decent trade in. Needless to say, the bloke is still on my xmas card list.

LEGEND!

 

[bill_gj]

Some years ago, a pal took an Imp in for MOT and it was failed on "front ball joints".
Those of you familiar with Imps will know that the production car had kingpins - not one ball joint in sight.
When asked to point to the ball joints in question, the snotty sh!te refused and ulitmately got his boss to show us the way out.
Motor went elsewhere and was passed.

 

[Sphinx]

I always use my uncles garage (we're not that close so it's the god-send you'd think having a family member with a garage would be....but I digress).
He knows I'm a picky ****** and the work will get done so statements like 'that could be an MOT failure next year...' and then 'it's passed this time' are common.

 

[rhubarb7]

2 sides to the coin here though...

A good friend of mine recently passed a transit motorhome, that was covered underneath in thick underseal..

Anyway few weeks on, he gets collared by Vosa, turns out it had since been sold on and gone to other end of the country, and the new owner found a small bit of rot, so then complained to vosa blah blah blah..

Cost my mate a few quid to defend himself, in order to keep his clean record clean..

So in future methinks if he was faced with a similar vehicle, he'd either test it and post on the advisories heavily undersealed, or chuck the thing out of the door..

 

[boydy1989]

hmm very interesting...

my friend took an older VW caddy pickup for MOT at kwik fit - i couldn't arrange him one with my friendly garage in time.

Fail sheet was 3 pages long. Took it to another garage, same day, failed on a dodgy horn and the rear brake load sensing adjuster had been defeated (the truck is very low - with it enabled the brakes are a bit iffy...) And that was it.

second tester saw the kwik fit sheet, couldn't stop laughing.


my old 106 i bought off a bloke at work for £150. He'd taken it to the garage next to halfords (where i work) who told him it wasn't worth testing, as a rear exhaust hanger had come off and there was nothing to weld it to. Scrap it.

Its since been through 2 MOT's through me, and my exhaust hanger is still very much attached...

Im afraid, in recent times, having got to know a lot more people in the 'trade' i trust very few people/garages. I don't want them to work on my cars, having seen what goes on that they charge for.

At least if i do a pikey repair on something, i know its pikey repair and needs redoing soon...

 

[Emmsy]

yep got caught out as a youngster by dodgy garage, and so done my own work ever since. i currently have a dilema as i replaced a dodgy (slow) thermostat about 10 months ago and its now gone and failed in the same way, main dealer wants the car to test it and replace it if required. im not so sure, i think im likely to get ******ed so will probably just pay for another stat.

 

[brightspark]

there was a garage local to me .was called little bills they did half price tests ive never seen so many cars fail on brake pipes there was piles of them out the back and they wernt rotten £ £££££££££££shoulda been big bills turned out he was failing them to get the work and got reported

 

[the snooper]

2 sides to the coin here though...

A good friend of mine recently passed a transit motorhome, that was covered underneath in thick underseal..

Anyway few weeks on, he gets collared by Vosa, turns out it had since been sold on and gone to other end of the country, and the new owner found a small bit of rot, so then complained to vosa blah blah blah..

Cost my mate a few quid to defend himself, in order to keep his clean record clean..

should have done more then a visual inspection they have the vosa standard tools to poke and prod with and if its rottern those tools will find it transits all go in the same places.
wheel arch to floor, crossmembers front steps, both rear corners sill backs & bottoms, chassis in the rear and front arches.