It'll be very interesting to see this, and I wonder if manufacturers will make efforts to avoid failures?
I've complained before about my daughter's SEAT Ibiza miserably failing MOT at 4yrs/34K miles and I told SEAT UK that they should be embarrased. It seemed they couldn't care less but perhaps the data being published will change things.
Maybe franchised dealers will do pre-MOTs again to minimise the failure rate - garages are supposed to MOT the car as presented to them.
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The general public do not understand statistics. Publishing this data is ok but I can just see all the bottom end media twisting it all round.
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Will it publish the reason why a vehicle failed its MOT?
Failure may be due to stupidity on the part of the owner (eg driving for several weeks with a red warning light on the dash, or not having it serviced for several years)
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I agree, some people are too lazy to service or to understand the need for servicing. I think data from MOT failures would be great though as a means of identifying the likely longevity of certain parts, and therefore the informed lot of us can look out more closely for those issues. Hopefully it will improve the build quality of cars too as they're too often considered throw away after 8 years items these days.
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Failure may be due to stupidity on the part of the owner
This would broadly even out amongst different car models, wouldn't it (unless particular models are owned by particularly stupid people, of course)?
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I've posted links to this document before;
www.swov.nl/rapport/Factsheets/UK/FS_MOT.pdf
but, I do so again, because I think that many people might find its view on the importance or not of the MOT quite surprising and interesting.
In my experience, most MOT failures aren't particularly vehicle specific - tyres, wipers, washers (even washer fluid level!), lights, horn, cracks in the windscreen, emergency petrol caps fitted, etc, all telling far more about the owner than about the vehicle itself.
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MOT testers are now encouraged to clock up "technical" failures, followed by an immediate pass, for such items as blown bulbs, worn wiper blades, etc. In the past they just fixed it as they went along and then awarded a straight pass.
So it is hardly surprising that lots of cars fail after their first 3 years.
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MOT testers are now encouraged to clock up "technical" failures followed by an immediate pass for such items as blown bulbs worn wiper blades etc. In the past they just fixed it as they went along and then awarded a straight pass.
Had that a few years ago, my car had an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror so 'failed' its mot for having an object obstructing the windscreen. Remedied by removing the air freshener. So got a fail and pass certificate.
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Had that a few years ago my car had an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror >>so 'failed' its mot for having an object obstructing the windscreen. Remedied by removing the air freshener. So got a fail and pass certificate.
I have seen my MoT tester snatch these and CDs and and off the mirrors of cars while I am watching others cars being tested. I approve.
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It would surely point to trends for certain vehicle types though.
For example, looking at certain forums shows that 60% or more Vectra 'C' owners have had suspension springs snap - many of which were discovered at MOT time. Speaking to local mechanics enforces the view that Vauxhall springs are fragile to say the least.
(I'm not picking on Vauxhall here, I like Vectras - just a car I'm familiar with thats all!)
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For example looking at certain forums shows that 60% or more Vectra 'C' owners have had suspension springs snap - many of which were discovered at MOT time.
Oh come on. Are you seriously saying that over 60% of all vectra c's have snapped suspension springs? or is that 60% of vectra people who join forums to moan about thier car have reported that?
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It'll be very interesting to see this and I wonder if manufacturers will make efforts to avoid failures? I've complained before about my daughter's SEAT Ibiza miserably failing MOT at 4yrs/34K miles and
My DiL had a new mini - failed 1st MoT at local indie despite having been "serviced" by BMW/Mini since new under the TLC scheme. In that time it appears the servicing was oil and filters. The brakes were never pulled apart and serviced - MoT failure was seized pistons - my Indie would never allow a car to go 3 years without some close attention to sticking pads/pistons.
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my car failed its mot on a indicator bulb, an mot failure certificate was issued but 3 minutes later i was issued with a pass having had the bulb re newed, the car being over 10 years old will now probably be seen as unroad worthy or even dangerous to statistitions in white coats
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This might seem like a dumb question, but how can you take your car for MOT without checking that the lights work, tyres are legal and properly inflated and the wiper blades are in decent condition, let alone that the washer fluid is topped up?
These are all simple weekly checks, even for people who aren't mechanically minded.
I could also rant about people who think that skimping on tyres, wiper blades, brakes and servicing is some how economical motoring but I won't...
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Surely it is more about the specific suspension or steering components that the MOT testers certainely used to watch out for
Because
"This model is known for it sir"
suspension bits on the 205 GTI being an item if I recall.
Perhaps also corrision on suspension parts & brake pipes.
Not really related
But I got throught the Govermenent run MOT over here, with literally NO handbrake/rear brakes on a wee VW Polo. a good no of years ago mind & I did NOT know the tester.
I had a clatter of bit & tools lying in the boot and was covered in grease, cos I was still working on them.
cheers
M
Edited by dieseldogg on 10/12/2009 at 13:57
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>>Bill
>>This might seem like a dumb question, but how can you take your car for MOT without checking
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Many people do not care about their car. It is just treated like white goods.
They do not service the fridge but just use till it breaks and then replace it.
Well. I have been going to my MoT station three times a year for several years.
What the lads tell me and what I have seen may make you think / worry more each time you drive.
e.g. A fairly recent MB medium saloon driven by the owner had several faults on it.
The lads had to increase the tyre pressure from about 10Psi before they could do the roller test. The tyres failed anyway.
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>>Many people do not care about their car. It is just treated like white goods.
They do not service the fridge but just use till it breaks and then replace it.<<
Indeed many people take some sort of perverse pride in never doing anything to their cars,I suppose it must be coupled with ignorance.
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high horse moment...the indicators did work but the orangeness wasnt up to spec , the bulbs had lost there ability to indicate , not my fault as i dont own any car indicator measuring equipment
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Lack of orangeness of bulbs is definitely one the manufacturer could address by using better quality bulbs or by having an orange filter instead of relying on the bulb.
Also the inadequate servicing that someone mentioned on a MINI was one of the reasons my daughter's car failed. SEAT UK blamed the dealership but annoyingly I couldn't get it across to the dumb customer service droids at SEAT UK that if the car's schedule doesn't call for brake servicing, and the car is on a service contract, then it won't be done.
So the car is bound to fail at some point and for a chunk of the year is probably being driven with brakes that would fail the MOT test.
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It has been suggested that some garages fail cars for no real reason - dont charge for small adjustments like headlights, and do an immediate retest for nothing to get their failure rate up, this stops them being looked at.
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It has been suggested that some garages fail cars for no real reason - dont charge for small adjustments like headlights and do an immediate retest for nothing to get their failure rate up this stops them being looked at.
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Highly probable, as all data is now analysed to death by some Civil Servant in a non-job. Driving Test Examiners will pick a route for a candidate based on it's difficulty if their pass or fail rate is falling too far out of step with their centre's average.
It's all about getting your figures right so you can enjoy a quiet life.
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Lot of pub mechanics and amateur politicians on the forum?
I'm an Authorised Examiner. We get site assessment visits from VOSA (not very often, but VTS's do get them). They poke about for a couple of hours and discuss pass/fail rates etc. We get penalty points for things that aren't right. VTS's are graded as Green Amber or Red. Lots of penalty points mean you are red, few mean you are green.
Here is the form VOSA use:
www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/repository/CONT0777...f
If your pass/fail rate is a long way off norm then they ask you about it, to explain why you think it is so. By the law of averages you should be close to the national norm, but they do listen to reasoned argument - e.g. if you are in a prosperous area then maybe cars are on the average younger and better serviced etc., it is not done automatically. Overall the UK mot is a good system and keeps the roads relatively safe from poorly maintained cars.
In other countries vehicle-specific fault data is published and available to the public. I think its a good idea. Some brands/models certainly do suffer from specific faults. I won't mention them because people will get upset (brand loyalty) but about 50% of the time I can say what a car might failt on just by looking at the tailgate. You might be surprised, e.g. not a lot of evidence of BMW quality on Minis.
Lot of owners send a car for MoT as sort of a yearly diagnostic to see what needs fixing, they expect it to fail and then pay for necessary repairs.
We see main dealer serviced cars come for their first MoT and never had anything other than an oil and filter change - alot of the 'checks' that should be done are not done by the dealer. Often even the wheels have never been off, they just peer through the wheel and if there is enough meat on the pads it goes back out again.
Edited by WorkshopTech on 11/12/2009 at 20:20
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...Had that a few years ago my car had an air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror so 'failed' its mot for having an object obstructing the windscreen....
Sat navs?
Edited by ifithelps on 12/12/2009 at 00:07
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good post WT i had a car fail the test this week and as i pay a trade fee my cars usually pass first time as i check them prior to taking them
we had a good laugh that i had missed a broken spring but more importantly im the only trader that checks his cars prior to them ,this i found shocking as they deal with both small traders and main agent dealers ,i really cant see the point in taking a car unchecked but i just put it down to the fact that they will only do the minimum work needed whether as a trade retail sale or even for a customer that dropped it off at the main agent
its now only the proper one man band places that seem to grease brake pipes etc at every service and give cars a full pre mot check prior to driving them to the mot station
a very slack approach in my book but unfortunately even ive started taking this approach because if i grease the pipes up the customer sometimes thinks im trying to hide something and so ive stopped bothering this year to save my customers bigger bills in years to come with my own preventative maintenance and im saving money on grease and paint and underseal if needed.
sad but true
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