I had my MOT done at the weekend which the car passed with no problems, however within 100 miles the catalytic converter section fell off from under the car at quite high speed.
I took the issue up with the garage who advised that because I only asked for an MOT they are not obliged to tell me if something like that is hanging off if its passable at the time, however had i asked for a service aswell they would have recommended i get it fixed.
you can appreciate my annoyance with them as i thought it wasin ok condition, where do i stand?
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Was it an MOT TEST or a service?
Although a badly hanging, bad condition exhaust part should be advised at mot!
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If they admit they knew the part was in poor condition and didn't mention it, never darken their door again.
Don't suppose you have any valid claim on them though.
Still, as the car has a new MoT you could just replace the cat with a length of pipe until the next MoT is due. That will give you perhaps a couple of BHP more and perhaps a fruitier exhaust note (but perhaps not).
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yeah was an MOT TEST not a service, they claim was passable at the time and are not obliged to tell me if it was hanging off unless i was getting it serviced when they would have probably recomended its replaced. I wouldnt normally be as worked up about it but within 48 hours is pretty unbelieveable, has made me wonder if they did the rest of the test properly.
meantime has been temporarily patched with a bit of pipe tucked inside and exhaust cemented in by a more than helpful rac man, not sure how long thats going to last tho
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sorry, but an mot is a snapshot in time - it just records the state of the testable items on the car at the time it is tested as required by the statutory test.
unless they are admitting they knew the part was loose and yet it was not necessary to class it even as an advisory item.
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i had tested a citroen ax a few years ago got it back to work moved the car and the exhaust broke just in front of the cat.
There was nothing wrong with it at testing time and yes it has to be a pass and advise or a failure for an mot.
I think you have been unlucky thats all,happens every day with cars/washing machines/toasters,thats why people sell them
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exact same place mine failed, just in front of the cat - the first pipe leading into it/
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exact same place mine failed just in front of the cat - the first pipe leading into it/
i knew that thats why i gave you the answer ;-)
check engine mountings as these may have caused the breakage,but its usually grand prix set offs. not that im implying thats how you drive ;-o
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Sounds like a weld failed then, possibly by rusting through. May well have appeared passable at the MOT time. Testers are not in the habit of bashing a cat due to their brittle nature and without X-ray you could not tell how soon the weld would fail. Perhaps the exhaust system was not best supported and resulted in the weld being put under excess strain?
Pipe fix and cement will not hold. Get it replaced ASAP.
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MOT garage is correct - exhaust was fine at the time of test i.e I assume it was in place, secure and not blowing. Just one of those things, buy a new exhaust and get on with it.
This post could have easily been:
" MOT tester broke my exhaust by hitting it with hammer to see if it would last the next 100 miles, how do I make him pay for my knackered old rusty exhaust?"
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I took the issue up with the garage who advised that because I only asked for an MOT they are not obliged to tell me if something like that is hanging off if its passable at the time
But was it passable? Sounds to me like they didn't check it to see if it was secure.
Method of Inspection
1. Examine the condition of the whole exhaust system, including the silencers and mountings, for security, deterioration and completeness.
Reason for rejection
b. an exhaust system mounting missing, or In such condition that it does not fully support the exhaust system.
Note: An alternative mounting device is acceptable providing the system is secure and the fixing is not likely to fail prematurely-
www.motuk.co.uk/manual_710.htm
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thanks for that, interesting links. i am going to question the rest of the mot with them
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i am going to question the rest of the mot with them
You'll be very popular. Not!
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L\'escargot.
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AFter you do, find another garage for your next MOT as you will never get another MOT pass there again!
------------------------------
TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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i am going to question the rest of the mot with them
If you think that they should not have passed the car because the exhaust system was not secure, you could complain to VOSA:
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/D...3
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And if it had failed & you thought there was nothing wrong you would have complained as well. An MOT is only valid at time of test, if the exhaust had a slight blow at the cat it would have failed on emissions. you could have hit a speed ramp & shortened its life. Accept that the exhaust is knackered & buy a new one & thank your lucky stars it didn't fail & have to pay for a retest. Remember you may need your local MOT centre more than they need you & they won't welcome you back with open arms if at all. MOT garages are under extreme pressure to comply with all the regulations & the majority take issues very seriously as they would have a lot to loose if they lost there licence
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This is the first time I've known anyone think they've been hard done by because their car has passed an MOT!
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L\'escargot.
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L'escargot, some years ago when I was a tester, the 'Ministry' statistics showed that about 80% of appeals were against newly issued 'Pass' certificates.
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"thanks for that, interesting links. i am going to question the rest of the mot with them"
So you're assuming there is far more wrong with the car now too? If I were them I'd find some new faults and try to get money out of you.
For the cost of an MOT (not huge) get the exhaust fixed which is needed anyway and then get a re-test elsewhere.
I still do not understand your logic. If they'd failed your car due to exhaust you would need it replacing. They didn't but now you need it replacing. What is the difference? Are we missing something?
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my motor flew thru the mot but a week later the back brakes were squeeling like a ginger haired step child at bed time, i took the drums off and the shoes had a fag paper thickness of brake lining left so dont be fooled by a clean ticket
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car went straight through the mot last week
i had to pay for a new wall ;-o
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car went straight through the mot last week i had to pay for a new wall ;-o
was that an attempt at sarcasm?
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You don't mention whether you recovered the old cat, it has significant scrap value, could recoup some of your losses on this.
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I've never yet, in several decades of having vehicles MOT'd, come across a tester who didn't advise of possible/potential future problems, even though they were not serious enough to warrant a test failure.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Paraphrasing now but "This certificate should not be taken as an indication of the vehicle's mechanical condition" or words to that effect.
I think your only claim is on the professionalism of the tester, and even that is not given.
If the car was being serviced then, demending on the type of service you may have had a prayer.
You may "win" your arguement but you'll definitely not get a prize.
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