# MOT --they have done it again !!!!



## annetony (May 1, 2005)

Well it was MOT time again so Tony took the van into the garage we have dealt with for over 6 years--reasonable prices for work done 

Took it in Tuesday night and it failed on the wiper blades (which we knew about) and some welding near where the springs go into the chassis at the back--both sides--so we left it and picked it up Saturday dinner 

Tony paid him went home and he decided to have a look underneath--one side had the black stuff painted on--the other had something hanging down and when he felt what it was it fell out--tetty they had not welded the passenger side but filled it with this black gunge!!!! 

He went straight back with it and went ballistic--told them he had trusted them for years and now that trust has gone-- the excuse was that the mechanic (the owner) had done one side and left the apprentice to do the other-ha--and pigs will fly--if caught out blame the apprentice, 
The work should have been checked before we picked it up--and it spoiled Mothers Day for me as we had made plans to go out in the van. 

It is now back in the garage and they have been told to do it properly or Tony will report him--and when we get the van back we will not be using them again--and they have not just lost one customer all our friends and family used the same garage 


All I am saying is check the work that the garage has done to make sure it has actually been done 

Now as mad as hell 



:evil: :evil: :evil: 

Anne


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

Who are you going to report it to ?

Loddy


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## gnscloz (Oct 4, 2008)

did the van come back with pass certificate, if so then would without doubt contact the ministry, this is coming from a garage owner, 
mark


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## G2EWS (May 1, 2006)

Ministry would of corse be the correct people to report it to however!!!

When I bought the Winnebago the owner was going to take me to get the MOT done, but suddenly told me it had been sorted. We and he live near Devizes and the MOT was done by a garage the other side of London.

A year later I called the same garage and asked if they could MOT my RV. When I told him it was 7 1/2 tons he said no we can only do up to 5 ton! Obviously a rogue MOT was obtained somehow.

When I called the Ministry about it they were not interested at all. I got really crosss and explained that this was my family in the vehicle for a year and what might have happened!

In the end I had a blazing row and the Woman I was speaking to told me tough, if I wanted to do anything I would have to take a private action! Blxxdy pointless having an MOT if you ask me!

Best regards

Chris


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

At this time we haven't thought of reporting him just yet--as someone else is doing that--he took his car in and was told it would be £450 something to do with the engine management

He couldn't afford to pay so took it home-his boss told him to try the fuse--and that was all it was it has been fine ever since so we will leave it to him and can back him up with our experience if needed 


Anne


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

G2EWS said:


> Blxxdy pointless having an MOT if you ask me!
> 
> Best regards
> 
> Chris


Not pointless I have over the years seen some terrible mechanical defects that were picked up during a MOT test.

The Question is did the OP want to drop someone in it or just get his vehicle repaired ?.

Get it repaired he did the right thing
Drop them in the mire, he shouldn't have taken it back but applied for an appeal form , but then he would have had to pay for another test and someone to do the work

Loddy


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

So sorry to hear about your experience. would you mind pming me with the name of the garage? that's if you are unhappy to name and shame. Don't want my son taking my car there if it develops a fault while he is borrowing it.
Sue


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

Yes, wouldn't mind a PM of the garage identity...I'm near you and would hate to think it's the one I use...

Paul


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## G2EWS (May 1, 2006)

loddy said:


> G2EWS said:
> 
> 
> > Blxxdy pointless having an MOT if you ask me!
> ...


Hi Loddy,

It was a throw away comment. What I mean is that it is pointless having an MOT if there is no way to corroborate that the job has been done properly. After all if the Ministry don't care why should the garage!

Like the OP, I and am sure most on here would believe that if an MOT was not carried out correctly then the Ministry would stamp down hard on the perpetrator. Well, my experience, as explained, is they don't care! So what chance have we the public got?

Best regards

Chris


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## mikeyv (May 23, 2007)

I guess the worst thing is that you have now lost a garage you thought you could trust, after all, there are a lot of poor ones out there, and it takes time to build up a good relationship, much less to destroy it.


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## gnscloz (Oct 4, 2008)

G2EWS said:


> loddy said:
> 
> 
> > G2EWS said:
> ...


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

Chris
Yes I now what you mean, it's the barrel of apples syndrome one bent Garage will bring down the rest

Loddy


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## HarleyBiker (Apr 16, 2009)

I am not wholly convinced at the validity of the MOT process either. 

During my van's lifetime it has had 8 MOTS having covered just 36,000 miles. 

By contrast my son drives almost 50,000 miles per year in his works van and so by the time it is 3 years old it will have done 150,000 with no MOTs at all!

Before someone points out that is is likely to have been regularly serviced, can we be sure in the current recession?

John.


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## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

Nothing is sure in this life  

Loddy


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

John I think you raise a relevant point.

Our MH has 15k on the clock and has had two MOT`s. It is six years old in October.
My SLK is five years old with 20 k miles on the clock
The van I use for work is nearly two years old and has done 36k miles. Half of what I have done in previous vans.
Lady p`s clio has 30 k mioles in just two years.

Maybe MOTs should be done on a mileage as well as an age of the vehicle.

Various nations in the EU have different systems to follow.

Dave p


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## Mick757 (Nov 16, 2009)

For a long time ive thought the MOT is regarded with little importance by officialdom. I mean, you dont even get a reminder! And if caught without one, the fine is often derisory. Also, and it may not be the case today, but the cert. even used to state on it...'this is not a certificate of road-worthyness'! No wonder folk are disheartened over the whole affair.


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

Well we have finaly got the van back, the garage put right what they botched up and they did some welding on the front which would have needed doing for next MOT as a goodwill gesture--this Tony insisted on--at least this time we are sure it has been done

Tony will now check and double check any work that is done on the van in future, especially after what his sister told him

She had been paying £250 every year to have her car serviced spark plugs changed etc--then as it was expensive and her sons friend is a mechanic ahe let him do it this year--guess what--the spark plugs had never been changed, they were the same ones that were in when she bought the car from new

She has been on the phone to the garage going balistic at them, we are just waiting the outcome of that


Not fair on the garages that actually do the work properly--as you say one bad apple!!!!!





Anne


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## ytank (Jan 9, 2008)

hi i am not sticking up for the garage as i am a m.o.t tester myself he should not of trusted his work mate to finish of the work on the other side of van yes you have the right to slag him off coz the work was not done right but how many times have been to the garage and got a good job done ? but did you post it on here i don't think so all i am saying 1 bad job goes around so fast it's unreal so i feel a bit sorry for him but he should of check it before he give you a vt20 and when u get it back i think i would be getting it check elsewhere good look


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## Invicta (Feb 9, 2006)

My R/V goes to the local VOSA testing station for its MOT. Surely nothing can be found amiss at one of these?

For those unaware, it is possible to check the current status of a vehicle's MOT on the VOSA web site by entering the vehicle's registration number and the MOT certificate number or the Document Reference Number on the vehicle Registration Certificate (V5C).

My R/V has been serviced and has just passed its yearly MOT. It has been done by Mercury R/V at Teynham near Sittinbourne. (www.mercuryarv.com).

I recently read on a web site that vehicles over 3.500 kg must be tested yearly from new. I certainly wasn't aware of this so rang Simon at Mercury who told me that technically this is correct. My, is there anything Simon doesn't know?!?! He always has the answer to my many questions.

If only we had found Simon way back in 1990 when we purchased our first American R/V. He told me that he has three American R/Vs in the workshop at present being prepared for MOT checks. They had been passed by previous MOT testing stations but were stopped and checked and found to be illegal at roadside vehicle checks. Simon told me that at times the VOSA testing stations at Canterbury and Hastings ring him to seek his advice about American R/Vs they have in. It appears that they have both had to go on a learning curve to test them.


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

[quote="Invicta
I recently read on a web site that vehicles over 3.500 kg must be tested yearly from new. I certainly wasn't aware of this so rang Simon at Mercury who told me that technically this is correct. My, is there anything Simon doesn't know?!?! He always has the answer to my many questions.

[/quote]

What does he mean "technically correct" - it either is or it isn't. The link below makes interesting reading but as I understand it a Motor Caravan that is not classified as a 'Living Van' requires the first MOT 3 years from 1st registration. There is obviously confusion between some parts of the DFT and VOSA concerning the classification of motorhomes.
It is interseting that sometime it is said that motorhomes with garages could be classed as a Living Van. The link below says that is bunkum and the size of the aperature or doorway has no bearing as all motorhomes have storage areas that could carry goods.
http://www.ukmotorhomes.net/motorhome-mot.shtml


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## ytank (Jan 9, 2008)

what I got told was if it can carry a car it's is a goods vehicle and it will need a test after 1 year old but we are getting off the topic a bit now lol

or if it got the load space


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

ytank said:


> hi i am not sticking up for the garage as i am a m.o.t tester myself he should not of trusted his work mate to finish of the work on the other side of van yes you have the right to slag him off coz the work was not done right but how many times have been to the garage and got a good job done ? but did you post it on here i don't think so all i am saying 1 bad job goes around so fast it's unreal so i feel a bit sorry for him but he should of check it before he give you a vt20 and when u get it back i think i would be getting it check elsewhere good look


http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopict-27013-.html

I did say on here that it was a fair garage-- I never slagged them off with what happened to our car last year after they had done MOT work on it --and I have not said which Garage it is

I think I have been fair

and you are right he should have checked the work but we think it was him that had done it--he said he did it the previous night when the ramp was free, and changed his story when we took it back I can't really see the apprentice working so late--but who knows

Anne


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

*another one!!*

Just to say My Son took his car for an MOT but used a different garage this year--he has always used the same one as us.but with what they had done to ours this year he decided he wasn't using them anymore

His car was failed on welding--the same welding as last year and he had paid the previous garage to do it and gave them £60 (cash) ---and they had done to his car the same as with our van--filled it with gunge :evil: :evil:

My Son is livid as it is the car his partner uses to ferry the children to and from school and nursery. 
And he will be reporting the Garage that did the MOT last year, He was by the way charged £30 for the welding this time and they did a proper job,

I am not knocking all garages as there are some really good ones out there--in fact this one was good in the beginning but we think he has got too busy and can't cope and so has begun to cut corners--we didn't report him but will be backing my son on this one, our Grandchildrens safety are involved this time.

I will let you know what happens

Anne


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Cowboys spring to mind.


Dave p


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## annetony (May 1, 2005)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> Cowboys spring to mind.
> 
> Dave p


Definately!!and I think it needs sorting before someone gets hurt, and its a shame as they have always been a good garage till the original owner retired and the head mechanic took over--the firm that my Dad worked for always used them--still do as far as I know.

they did the MOT on our little car last year, Tony picked it up and went to work in it--when he finished work he started to drive off the car park and heard a scraping sound--thinking something had got trapped under the bumper he got out and the ball joint or something had come out at the back (done for MOT ) so he had to get them to come back and take it away on the back of their transporter--excuse then was it had been a faulty one.

Tony said it was a good thing he wasnt doing 70 on the motorway--reply was- it wouldnt have come out at that speed--really sets your mind at rest doesn't it, we gave them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

Anne


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

The system over here in France is that the MOT station only does MOTs, if the vehicle fails then you are given 2 months to get the repairs done by an Independant garage, you can still use the vehicle during that 2 months and there is no charge when returning to the MOT station for a re-test. There is a list of 133 points that are checked and the certificate states works that are obligatory and the ones that are advisory only.


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## ingram (May 12, 2005)

annetony said:


> [
> 
> <snipped> you are right he should have checked the work but we think it was him that had done it--he said he did it the previous night when the ramp was free, and changed his story when we took it back I can't really see the apprentice working so late--but who knows
> 
> Anne


Apart from anything else, if it failed an MOT because of structural corrosion but the corrosion was not repaired in such a way as to make the structure safe, i.e.'filled with gunge' then it shouldn't have passed the MOT re-test so the MOT tester was at fault as well as whoever did the job whether or not they were the same person......

Harvey


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

I know the garage Annetony are referring to. Had used it a couple of times when I lived in Chorley. Always thought they took vehicles elsewhere for the MOT test.
Stopped using them after they failed to find an almost corroded through shock absorber. It snapped (on my romahome) while I was out for the day. Only blessing is that my plans had changed for the week and I was near home doing about 10 MPH through a junction, and not bombing down the motorway on the cancelled holiday.
Sue


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## Zozzer (Aug 13, 2006)

annetony said:


> Well it was MOT time again so Tony took the van into the garage we have dealt with for over 6 years--reasonable prices for work done
> 
> Took it in Tuesday night and it failed on the wiper blades (which we knew about) and some welding near where the springs go into the chassis at the back--both sides--so we left it and picked it up Saturday dinner
> 
> ...


I had a similar instance where a Vauxhall Main Dealer blamed an apprentice for taking four days to do an MOT, service, and a cambelt change. Excuse after excuse was given for the delay untill finally we were told... "Oh yes yours is the one that's having a new head gasket fitted". Well alarm bells rang, and when we finally picked the car up it had oil over the bumper and the bonnet, plus new cylinder head bolts. The little cockup cost £650.

I telephoned the garage and asked to speak to a director. I asked him for mutually aggreable appointment to discuss why it had taken four days for a simple job. As a quality engineer in diesel engine manufacture at the time, I actually knew what had happened. I compiled my report and presented it to him after he had confirmed what had happened.

The apprentice tasked with changing the cambelt and roller set had made a mess of the timing, and as consequence the pistons hit the valves. They had to strip the engine to see if there was any damage.

I told him the fact that the apprentice made a mistake is not the issue (we all make mistakes). The fact that both the garage manager and the parts manager lied through their teeth to hide the mistake and to deceive me the customer simply not.

I was offered and accepted a compensation package which I partialy accepted. Full valet of the vehicle to remove oil marks, a refund of some of the money paid. I declined the offer of a free service the following year. I told him no thanks I'l be taking my vehicles to back street garages in future, they are more trustworthy.


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