Sounds like the car is an absolute heap, poorly maintained, uncared for, and starting to fall apart.

In which case, it's no surprise at all that something else has gone wrong with it in the 19 day gap.

I recall with embarrassment some of the faults in cars I drove. I was, like many young people, strapped for cash.

With hindsight it might have been better to consider another car rather than repair bills. Yes immediate cost but perhaps cheaper long term.

As others have said, unlikely to gain anything by an appeal. Sympathy to your son but fortunately no bigger consequences from the state of the car.

As you were beyond the 14 days it was not a re-test but a completely new test with no reference to the previous one.

The different advisories perfectly demonstrates why advisories should always be taken with a large pinch of salt and not considered gospel.

According to the rules, for a retest the full routine should be followed, even if the failure was for a blown bulb.

That's not quite right... retest rules:

In some cases your vehicle can have a partial retest for free or a reduced MOT fee.

You only need a partial retest if you leave the vehicle at the test centre for repair and it’s retested within 10 working days. There’s no fee for this.

You can take your vehicle away if your MOT certificate is still valid.

If your MOT has run out you can take your vehicle to:

• have the failed defects fixed
• a pre-arranged MOT test appointment

In both cases, your vehicle still needs to meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times or you can be fined.

You won’t have to pay again if you take it back to the same test centre before the end of the next working day for a partial retest on one or more of these items:

• access panels
• battery
• bonnet
• bootlid
• brake pedal antislip
• break glass hammer (class 5 vehicles only)
• doors (including hinges, catches and pillars)
• door open warning device (class 5 vehicles only)
• dropsides
• electrical wiring
• emergency exits and signs (class 5 vehicles only)
• entrance door remote control (class 5 vehicles only)
• entrance/exit steps (class 5 vehicles only)
• fuel filler cap
• headlamp cleaning or levelling devices (that doesn’t need a headlamp aim check)
• horn
• lamps (excluding headlamp aim)
• loading door
• main beam ‘tell-tale’
• mirrors
• rear reflectors
• registration plates
• seatbelts (but not anchorages), seatbelt load limiter and seatbelt pre-tensioner
• seats
• sharp edges or projections
• stairs (class 5 vehicles only)
• steering wheel
• tailboard
• tailgate
• trailer electrical sockets
• towbars (excluding body around anchorage points)
• tyre pressure monitoring system
• vehicle identification number (VIN)
• windscreen glass, wipers and washers
• wheels and tyres (excluding motorcycles and motorcycles with sidecar)

You’ll only need a partial retest if you take the vehicle from the test centre for repairs and take it back within 10 working days. You can be charged a partial retest fee for this.

In all other cases, you’ll need to get a full retest and pay the full MOT test fee again.

As said thought, the OPs car was out of the 10 days, so full re-test required (and chargeable). Most garages do a free partial re-test within the 10 day period.

So-the caliper was ok on test one -but a failure 19 days later on test 2. Either it was missed on test one or it depreciated to failure staus over 18 days

This raises a useful point about MOTs. I believe the test should anticipate/predict the roadworthyness of a car for the following 12 months. It is not an exam on a car's condition at the time of the test.

Of course--this will raise many questions on the test process itself--but perhaps a key quick win would be to convert all MOT advisables into a test failure until remedied .

An old heap with unmaintained brakes and corroded calipers sits unused for 19 days (I assume it was not driven illegally) and then the caliper fails to work properly when retested. Why is anyone surprised? It's a miracle all four did not fail.

As for the test predicting failures over the next 12 months, you are presumably winding us up. bald tyres due to wear, punctures, brake pads wearing out - all depends on usage and maintenance. Impossible to predict.. If you seriously mean what you suggest - and I doubt you have thought it through - be prepared to pay £500 for an annual test which involves a barke complete stripdown, detailed testing of bearing and suspension and steering. And failing of any car with rust on or within 0.5 meters of any laod bearing metal.

Goodbye to most cars over 7 years old.

Totally impractical.

Edited by madf on 20/02/2018 at 10:35

To Doubleug

So-the caliper was ok on test one -but a failure 19 days later on test 2. Either it was missed on test one or it depreciated to failure staus over 18 days

No, it’s a matter of opinion of the tester. Not perfect and maybe it should have been have given an advisory but nor sure it was not.

This raises a useful point about MOTs. I believe the test should anticipate/predict the roadworthyness of a car for the following 12 months.

My tyres and brakes have 10,000 miles life left but if I do 20,000 pa so I will not get an MOT?. What if I sell car that I do 5,000 pa in to someone that will do 20,000? You can predict bulb failures as well?

It is not an exam on a car's condition at the time of the test.

Actually that what it is absolutely. If buying a second hand car it is no guarantee for a year later.

Of course--this will raise many questions on the test process itself--but perhaps a key quick win would be to convert all MOT advisables into a test failure until remedied .

These are just opinions, marginal and maybe relative to miles per annum. As I posted before I saw a car with advisories for some time that never failed.

Edited by KJP 123 on 20/02/2018 at 23:49