MOT and VOSA

[antiqueman]

In Poland, and some other countries, one can only get a test done at a government station, which do not do repairs. Solves problem.

I use a UK MOT tester which only does tests, no repairs. In 5 years have only had to take it away(100yds) for one of the rear number-plate bulbs to be replaced, re-tested and away, all within half an hour.

Geoff

last time a bulb was gone they just sorted it free of charge so it passed.

 

[antiqueman]

Father-in-law uses ................ Mot Thornton - Slaters Service Centre

Slaters Service Centre.
Unit 4.
Fox Court.
Holly Road.
Red Marsh Industrial Estate.
Thornton Cleveleys
FY5 4HH
01253 853994

He used to use the Ambulance Service Station for MOT but they stopped doing them and it was them who put him onto Slaters.

He`s very happy with them and their servicing / repairs costs are also very reasonable.

they put me a clutch in 4 years ago, I think they dropped the gearbox clutch was a mess after speedo did not work they lost a piece, I had to make one the cruise control never worked after. I had to mend the arm that was bent where it connects to clutch cable there was an article I put on hereabout it, they said if we try to straighten it and it breaks you pay again for new clutch, they stopped answering emails etc, would only diss this garage to anyone. but hey ho we all have opinions

 

[Wooie1958]

Ok, messsge understood

 

[peter palance]

but

Sounds like they should never have done it previously.

but have, what a load of cobblers, what are they trying to do,been there done it,try next year, same code, different practis,were is the gun, places it between
,, its,, legs, were is the cr-p, best of luck pj

 

[wildebus]

last time a bulb was gone they just sorted it free of charge so it passed.

If they saw the bulb was gone during the test and either passed it as they would replace it after, or replaced it and then passed it, they are doing the test wrong and risk being fined and losing their license.
Once the test starts NO adjustments can be made.
I had the number plates gone on my old VW T4 and didn't spot the fault when I did my pre-check. Tester saw straightaway when he started the test and so is an MOT fail. Soon as he finished the test with the fail, he replaced the bulbs, checked they came on and just issued a pass. May be a bit bureaucratic, but sometimes rules are there to be followed.

(Much better than the old days when you could get an MOT on any old shed. I remember needing a car for a short time a few decades ago, so bought an MOT failure for £50 and took it to a renowned local garage and gave them £20 for the MOT test and 'any repairs'. So new ticket on the car 1 hour later)

 

[Channa]

Re the awarding of rose tinted MOTS whether that be to the public internally within garages is difficult to do today and the clue is within the original post a visit by VOSA

VOSA will turn up at MOT testing stations unannoubced and audit the garage, Are the people testing the testers and not not qualified mechanics, brake rollers, exhaust analysers correctly calibrated with the necessary paperwork.

They often present vehicles for test, fails when it should pass or vice versa unnecessary advisories can result and does in the tester losing his licence and /or te testing station.

Since computerisation a lot of analysis is done to identify trends to enable a consistent service, the problem occurs when a defect is in the opinion of the tester rather than a straight black and white fail,

I seem to remember there are building regulations in respect of inspection pits on new builds we had a pit at the old garage and weren't allowed one at the new one and had to use post ramps.

Channa

 

[wildebus]

Re the awarding of rose tinted MOTS whether that be to the public internally within garages is difficult to do today and the clue is within the original post a visit by VOSA

VOSA will turn up at MOT testing stations unannoubced and audit the garage, Are the people testing the testers and not not qualified mechanics, brake rollers, exhaust analysers correctly calibrated with the necessary paperwork.

They often present vehicles for test, fails when it should pass or vice versa unnecessary advisories can result and does in the tester losing his licence and /or te testing station.

Since computerisation a lot of analysis is done to identify trends to enable a consistent service, the problem occurs when a defect is in the opinion of the tester rather than a straight black and white fail,

I seem to remember there are building regulations in respect of inspection pits on new builds we had a pit at the old garage and weren't allowed one at the new one and had to use post ramps.

Channa

Going back to my comment about the numberplate lights, I did ask the tester why he didn't just swap them to avoid a retest (same end result, less work and time for all concerned).
Apart from not being technically permissible when the testing has started, he said that once the test has started it is timed by the computer system and stopping to do any kind of repairs (even the most simple like a bulb swap or a wiper blade change) would extend the test time enough that it could be flagged as unusual. And if there are too many of those at the same garage that would no doubt prompt a surprise visit.

 

[harrow]

I seem to remember there are building regulations in respect of inspection pits on new builds we had a pit at the old garage and weren't allowed one at the new one and had to use post ramps.

Channa

There has been a lot of worry about petrol fumes, escape during fires, and people falling down the hole.

Much nicer using a hoist, if someone else is paying.

 

[reiverlad]

I have been fortunate that i have been able to use my local mechanic to do my servicing and put the van through it's mot.
It seems he simply takes it to his local garage that does the mot's and he then does whatever work is needed.
No retest fees either

He has been using this garage since he & Adam were boys.
An old fashioned mechanic which is what i need for my old van & it all seems to work fine !

He works from home, has a 4 post lift in his yard and my van just fits so no problems there.

And the best thing is - he is extremely reasonable !! perfection indeed.

Now that i have moved !00 miles away from him - I will still be using him & just have to co-ordinate my mot with a trip down that way !

 

[yeoblade]

I had my Honda scooter fail MOT. (3 yrs old 800 miles on the clock) He said the ny-lock nut on the front brake pivot bolt was loose.

I was waiting and he called me in to the office, smiled at me and said 'It's failed'. Duly wrote out the failure.
After he said come on lets fix it, we walked over and he took the 13mm spanner out of his pocket :scared:! and turned the nut a half turn, and said, there we go 'a free of charge repair'

Tosser.

It was the first time I'd used this garage, didn't know them, not sure why he felt like being such a tw@t. Maybe he needed some failures to get his average pass rate right?

 

[mistericeman]

I had my Honda scooter fail MOT. (3 yrs old 800 miles on the clock) He said the ny-lock nut on the front brake pivot bolt was loose.

I was waiting and he called me in to the office, smiled at me and said 'It's failed'. Duly wrote out the failure.
After he said come on lets fix it, we walked over and he took the 13mm spanner out of his pocket :scared:! and turned the nut a half turn, and said, there we go 'a free of charge repair'

Tosser.

It was the first time I'd used this garage, didn't know them, not sure why he felt like being such a tw@t. Maybe he needed some failures to get his average pass rate right?

"tosser".....

Why because it passed due to him rectifying a fault that was a fail......
Free of charge?

 

[yeoblade]

No, because there was not fault he chose to make/invent one. Not sure how he happened to have only one spanner in his pocket, the one that fitted this nyloc !

How could one possibly tell if a nyloc nut is about a 1/2 a turn loose on a shoulder bolt. I tested this myself afterwards as I couldn't believe what had happened and you can tell no difference if it is actually a half turn loose or not, but you can tell when some tw@t has over tightened a M6 nyloc nut.
I can confirm that he was a tosser. He had a kind of "I'm the Alpha Male" attitude about him.

Though I do see your point :lol-061: I have no problem in a MOT tester finding genuine faults that need rectifying for my safety.

Actually to be fair maybe he was just stupid

 

[antiqueman]

update

well I managed to get shed booked in elsewhere so asked my normal garage to book me in to sort any problems but busy all this week I needed shed for wednesday night at latest so have asked the mot station to do the long list, bloomin blackpool lurgi. anyway I can set of in peace wednesday night.

£475.00 lighter though. so £10.00 a week for last 12 months motoring.

 

[Tezza33]

It wouldn't be the first nut loose on this forum :idea-007:

 

[Polar Bear]

There are no time limits on MOTs. All vehicles are to be tested fully prior to any repairs being done. If the fault is an easy fix then the tester can do the repair at the end of the test VOSA demand that all faults are input so as to have a true view of the state of vehicles on the road. You will get a failure certificate and a pass certificate. Both these certificates will show any advisories.

 

[antiqueman]

further update

reduced to 300 when I went to collect

 

[Mr B]

No, because there was not fault he chose to make/invent one. Not sure how he happened to have only one spanner in his pocket, the one that fitted this nyloc !

How could one possibly tell if a nyloc nut is about a 1/2 a turn loose on a shoulder bolt. I tested this myself afterwards as I couldn't believe what had happened and you can tell no difference if it is actually a half turn loose or not, but you can tell when some tw@t has over tightened a M6 nyloc nut.
I can confirm that he was a tosser. He had a kind of "I'm the Alpha Male" attitude about him.

A view from the other side ....

All garages and MOT test stations are stocked with highly experienced staff who are qualified experts in their field. Its nice to hear from some unqualified mechanic as to how they think they know best !!!!

1. Tester clearly knew what was wrong and selected correct tool to tighten the offending article at no charge to you! Doesn't need to invent faults but however idiot punters seem to imagine we do !

2. You checked your bike over and didn't notice it, clearly you need a qualified expert to check things for you on a regular as you failed to notice the loose nut !!!

3. He is the qualified expert, you are not. Clearly offends you that someone caught you out.

4. Maybe he was an Alpha male, the qualified expert always is to the unqualified layman.

Ps .... You are the sort of customer that gives motor industry a bad name, please feel free to find somewhere else to take you vehicle

 

[wildebus]

A view from the other side ....

All garages and MOT test stations are stocked with highly experienced staff who are qualified experts in their field. Its nice to hear from some unqualified mechanic as to how they think they know best !!!!

1. Tester clearly knew what was wrong and selected correct tool to tighten the offending article at no charge to you! Doesn't need to invent faults but however idiot punters seem to imagine we do !

2. You checked your bike over and didn't notice it, clearly you need a qualified expert to check things for you on a regular as you failed to notice the loose nut !!!

3. He is the qualified expert, you are not. Clearly offends you that someone caught you out.

4. Maybe he was an Alpha male, the qualified expert always is to the unqualified layman.

Ps .... You are the sort of customer that gives motor industry a bad name, please feel free to find somewhere else to take you vehicle

"All garages and MOT test stations are stocked with highly experienced staff who are qualified experts in their field".
I have had a very different view told to me by the owner of a long-established garage and one whos work I have seen and opinion I trust.
After one of our cars failed its MOT at the local Council depot with faults that were virtually impossible to be correct. i.e.
Offside Front brake disc in such a condition that it is seriously weakened inside (3.5.1i)
Nearside Front brake disc in such a condition that it is seriously weakened inside (3.5.1i)
This was on discs that were under a year old and had less than 1,000 miles on them.

I discussed this with the owner of local garage that has serviced it a few times. His comment was the MOT testers in the Council tend to be those mechanics who can't get an job at a garage. This garage then MOTed the car after NO changes were made since the 'Fail'. It Passed, the noted Advisories were not noted any more and the Fails became Advisories i.e.
Nearside Front brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)
Offside Front brake disc modified but not seriously weakened (3.5.1n)
(where I live there is usually a surface rust laying on the discs of most little-used cars due to the damp so that is a regular advisory)

The new MOT cost me no more than the regular MOT charge and the garage made no adjustments to anything. So I am inclined to have less then blind faith in the ability of MOT testers.

 

[Deleted member 69467]

A view from the other side ....

All garages and MOT test stations are stocked with highly experienced staff who are qualified experts in their field. Its nice to hear from some unqualified mechanic as to how they think they know best !!!!

1. Tester clearly knew what was wrong and selected correct tool to tighten the offending article at no charge to you! Doesn't need to invent faults but however idiot punters seem to imagine we do !

2. You checked your bike over and didn't notice it, clearly you need a qualified expert to check things for you on a regular as you failed to notice the loose nut !!!

3. He is the qualified expert, you are not. Clearly offends you that someone caught you out.

4. Maybe he was an Alpha male, the qualified expert always is to the unqualified layman.

Ps .... You are the sort of customer that gives motor industry a bad name, please feel free to find somewhere else to take you vehicle

In reply to your point, I can, as a trained Honda motorcycle mechanic tell you that the front brake lever pivot bolt is always a shouldered type on Honda, it’s not threaded all the way,this is to prevent over tightening as this might cause the lever to be squashed between the mount jaws, making it dangerous, it could make the brake stick on when applied. The torque setting is minimal, as the nyloc nut ( should be replaced every time it’s undone) is designed to not vibrate off.
I would much rather see a pivot bolt nut on the front brake a tad loose, but with a nyloc, than done up a half a turn past the recommended torque setting, the nut falling off will not cause problems, but an over tightened pivot bolt nut would be stressing its own threads.
So do you think in this instance the mot tester should have torqued that nut or just give it half a turn, possibly over tightening it and stressing the most important part on any motorcycle?

 

[Deleted member 69467]

Private hgv class 4 heavy mot

Klaus the Kargo house passed his test today, not a single advisory on a 24 year old truck, so I will give myself a pat on the back for my pre mot inspection, Klaus got a full tank of diesel, with 330ml of two stroke oil added to soothe his pump lol......and lots of pats of the steering wheel on the way home
I did ask a question on here on Mot of my type of vehicle, but never got an answer.
So I will add what I now know.
My 7.5t truck does not need a vosa commercial type mot, it just needs to go to a test station with a pit, and is tested as a class 4 heavy.
I can highly recommend Ian Reader services, abbey ind est nr Romsey, if any other private hgv wilders need a test, he’s your man,he has a passion for building motorhomes himself, he built an ex snap on tools bull nose Merc 8/11 is on his webpage, very tidy build......in his yard are a couple of projects.
He let us in the staff tea room and gave us a cup of tea and a paper to read.....top bloke.