MOT "fail"

You mean like the ones VOSA run in every county?

Do you know where there is a list?

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Cic.

I've just looked on the VOSA website, but was unable to find any information concerning their testing of private cars. Where should I be looking?

Chris

Nothing in Berkshire, sadly. I've looked on the 'net before without success.

Chris

HGV test centres. They can do cars as well as they carry out SVO tests.

You'll find them under LGV test centres. Your local council should be able to help.

OK. That's not clear from the website.

The nearest one to me is 18 miles away, so still not viable when I have a choice of three MOT garages within walking distance.

Chris

They're never going to be as numerous or as conveniently local [1] as garages. They have to have a lot of space available for several large vehicles at once, also if the one in Poole is representative, they also do HGV driving tests, which require the room for cone squashing and 75 point turning, and CBT tests for bikes. Poole also has a massive ramp for various testing.[2]Your local garage is never going to do this stuff.

[1] Unless you live on an industrial estate. [2] this may or may not still be in use, I've never seen anything on it.

Steve

If you watch the test being carried out you will be able to see details such as which brake was low on power and whether it was the footbrake, the handbrake or both. The garage would also write down the figures if you ask them.

Perhaps there was some dust in one drum which affected the readings, taking the drum off to look let the dust out.

The appeals process is easy to initiate if you have something that is unreasonably failed. But don't do any work first.

I take my car to our local ambulance service garage but (round here at least) I believe that we could use the local bus company garage and I'm sure that someone also told me that fire/police garages can carry out MOTs to private cars and have no incentive to rip people off as they don't do the remedial work, only the MOTs.

[...]

Perhaps there was, but it would only have been 8,000 miles worth, and surely would have been pretty much the same in both drums?

In the real world, who is ever going to do that?

I'm convinced I was scammed out of 25 quid.

Chris

AFAIA most MOT garages do a retest for free. After my car failed on emissons at a local garage, I gave it a thrash, with injector cleaner in the tank. Took it back next day, and after a quick emissions check was given the MOT certificate. No charge. Mike.. .

[...]

No, there's strict criteria for what qualifies for a free retest.

Emissions retest is on the free list; sadly, anything to do with the brakes isn't.

Chris

I'm not sure that's sad, I quite like the idea that they recheck them properly! Although every time I've had an MOT in the last few years it's had a print out of the brake tests.

Sad from the point of view that I should have never required a retest. I didn't watch the test or retest, so I don't know if the check was done properly. If my not unreasonable feeling is that I was being scammed, then the second test wasn't needed in any case.

I've never, ever had any printout of brake tests on any MOT I've had done on any of my own vehicles, or on any I've taken for others. That must be a fair few tests on the basis that the first ones I had done were called "Ten-year tests"!

As you know I get many MoTs done every year. I have never paid for a re-test (in the last twenty years at least). I would not go to a garage that charged for re-tests. I do not go to the cheapest garage or even the nearest, but the one that I found gave a fair test with due consideration to the age of the vehicle, its usage etc. At present they charge me 40 pounds for a test with no retest fees, they charge the public 53 pounds. They allow up to a month for a free re-test, minor adjustments, bulbs and the like are free. Each test takes at least half an hour, sometimes more and anything less would mean that some stuff is not checked.

Some places don't bother with a brake machine print out or it is not implemented on their equipment at all.

If the one you used charged you for the re-test then don't use them again is the only recourse you have, but take the time to check out some of the others, they are not all the same by any means. I would look for the garage that never advertises, does not discount the MoT to the general public and still has plenty of work on, looks clean and tidy, preferably a family run business rather than a franchise type place.

Mrcheerful

Personally, I'd like to know why Chris seems to think that it should be impossible for his car to have failed the test in the first place. The fact he'd done the brakes 8,000 miles ago is irrelevent. The fact it brakes in a straight line is irrelevent. The fact the handbrake works is irrelevent

We all know that a car with a weak rear brake can still stop in a straight line and be held with the handbrake, even if one side of the handbrake is completely inoperative.

And if it failed on imbalance on the footbrake, the fact he was left with two black marks when using the handbrake is completely irrelevent too.

As he did not get the figures or observe the test it is impossible to say whther it was a real or made up fail, but since he is disgruntled it is unlikely he will return there. Either way there are loads of places that will do a free re-test, it is entirely down to the garage whether all or some of the re-tests are free.

A discount on one thing means you pay more some where else.

I have seen quite a few Focuses with faulty back brakes recently, I think it is just an age thing with the cylinders letting go. A similar thing happened with Fiestas when they got to about 5 years old.