On Friday of last week, I sold my 1996 Astra to a trader.
I sold it without MOT (not a failure, didn't take it in as I knew it was going to need brake pads / discs / shoes / handbrake, emissions, part exhaust etc).
Less than 24 hours later the car was issued with a new MOT.
Should I raise my concerns with VOSA or another organisation or just let it pass?
What reasons do you have to believe the car was not repaired to the required standard ?
Why would you think "a trader" is going to spend money repairing an old car
Advisory Notice issued Nearside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c) Offside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c) Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage slightly distorted (2.4.G.1)
Wouldn't you think that if they had had it up to replace all the brakes as it needed, they would have attended to the pipes while they were there.
Also, judging by the way it smelled for the last month, the emissions were in dire need of attention.
"Ask me another" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
Why not? Presumably they bought it dirt cheap, giving enough margin to chuck what appears to be at most a couple of hundred quid of parts at it well within their likely sale price.
Why bother? None of those is bad enough to fail.
Yes, and?
And get it MOT'd...all in less than 24 hours?
It's not unusual for traders to have a 'special arrangement' with a local MOT testing station.
snipped-for-privacy@smythe.com (The Revd) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
Yeh, why on earth not?
If you took the car in to have that work done, and were given a bill for more than a couple of hours labour, you'd throw a pink fit, right?
Seems unlikely. But if true, it would have to be a very efficient trader with sod all else going on.
I often 'know' that a car needs something fixing, however the MoT man's opinion is the one that is important. Many things might be 'nice' to do to bring the car up to a better standard, but won't necessarily fail an MoT, a for instance is warped disks, they can be bad enough to feel through the steering, but unless they actually show up a variation when braking of over
20 percent (? don't quote that) they won't fail, likewise low pads. Rear brakes can have very low performance and still pass. Minor blows on the exhaust can be ignored or patched with gun-gum. emissions are often a question of knowing the right way to test that particular car, etc. etc.I would not worry about it, the car is no longer your concern.
Have you actually seen an MOT?
Often dealers offer a car with a twelve month MOT , and then once a sale is agreed , its goes in for 'final checking and full service' before being sold. So as long as its economically viable and possible, where's the problem.
If the car sat somewhere for sale for a month , it would no longer be a 12 month MOT would it??
Get a friend to take an interest if it really concerns you, and see if you can sight the MOT , or is it just a promise.?
Why? You can rebuild a car from scratch in 24hrs. None of the items you listed would take more than a few hours with access to a proper ramp and tools.
So none of them were a fail.
Why if they're not a fail?
So thats your "judgment", not actually measuring them with a gas analyser. And even if it need a CAT, £50 from a scrappie and 20 minutes to change.
What do you think traders just sit on the vehicle for a few weeks? Pads and discs are replaced easily - rear shoes probably take 30 mins more. The emmissions might be borderline or it might have had a quick tune-up, and the exhaust might have just had a bandage whacked on it. In any event, a competent mechanic could have all these jobs done before midday even working at a sedentary pace.
Yes. I changed the full set of brakepipes on a Lada Samara at the side of the road using trolley jack and axle stands in 3hrs. Pads and discs,
30 minutes. Rear shoes, 30 minutes. Part exhaust, 30 minutes.At a rapid fit place near me, they'd have done the lot in under a couple of hours and then another 45 minutes for test.
Not physically, no. But, having checked
Conor gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
A quick look online shows cheap new cats for about that price.
'course, there's also the slight issue that the OP seems to have been driving around in a car that they knew full well was not in a roadworthy condition...
"Ask me another" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
"Conditions of Use
Sound advice as always Mr.C - just wouldn't want someone driving around in a car I don't consider safe.
and, your point is................?
"Ask me another" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
You were happy to...
And?
I drove a Capri from East Yorkshire all the way down to Essex, had a reconditioned engine fitted and was home by 10pm the same day.
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