Car M.O.T.

[houseworkhater]

This is not an aibu but I need a quick response so need to post here.


My car has failed mot.
After speaking to a couple of people they told me not to take it back to the garage where it was tested.

He has kept the paperwork as initially I said I would have the work done there.
My question is this: if I take it elsewhere for the work doing do I then have to take it back to the original garage for retesting and is it free. I have already paid him for the mot- he refused to take a cheque-only cash.

Thanks

[Buzzardbird]

My point was if you fail an mot with a point that meant your car wad unroadworthy then it is seen by the law as such. Won't matter if you have a valid cert or not. Unroadworthy means unroadworthy. Police will still fine you.

[Pantah630]

You are allowed to drive/ride home from a prearranged MOT with a failure in order to fix it yourself, though you would be advised not to if any of the failure items were marked thus DANGEROUS You cannot then drive around with vehicle, unless there is some outstanding MOT left, but vehicle may fall foul of c&u regs as above and must rebook vehicle back in for retest in order to take it back. I run an MOT station, though for classes 1 and 2, the rules regarding retests, apart from free retest items, are the same.

[AKAK81]

Paradise is correct. You can drive a car after a failed mot as long as the previous mot is still in date. You could however fall foul of construction and use regs if your car is in a dangerous condition.

[ParadiseChick]

That's not true buzz

[Pantah630]

Ok reading this off MOT board in shop. Current fee for class 4 mot (cars) is £54.85 anyone paying less is getting a discounted MOT so fair to be wary of failures. There is a list of free retest items, just been updated, one linked upthread is not up to date, anything else can be charged for. Free retest is within 10 working days but garages can use discretion and not charge if longer if they're trying to keep your business. vosa site

[Buzzardbird]

Apologies for spelling mistakes, my phone is being a right little twat today.

[Buzzardbird]

Have just checked info with dh as he does mots.
you cannot drive a car once it has failed as it is deemed unroadworthy.
he would never accept a cheque off an unknown customer for obvious reasons.
some companies that have been mentioned on here get bonuses for those extra things that need doing so obviously better to use a 'word of mouth' local independent mehanic.

[Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme]

We bought a car once from a trader with a full years Mot. My dh was the only one that ever used it, neither I or the dc's ever went in it. I had the lovely family car myself.

At its next Mot it failed due to a rear seat belt nearly being torn in two. It must have been like it when we bought it as we hadn't touched the seatbelts so the trader must have put it through illegally. You'd have had to take a knife to it to cause it to tear like it did and we definitely didn't do it ourselves. Put us right off ever using that trader again.

[maddening]

Not taking a cheque does not mean he is not paying taxes - businesses have to pay for cheque processing so this could be the reason.

[melika]

But the crack has still got to be in the prescribed area A.
As long as you can see out of the rear view mirror and there are no sharp edges on them they are ok.

[Feminine]

sorry, I totally messed up your name melika

[Feminine]

melka no, the crack has always been the same.

We were [shocked] when my brother gave us the car back! :)

We fixed the wing mirror with a part we found on ebay lol!

[melika]

Feminine, I don't think wing mirrors with missing parts get inspected and the crack would have had to be in what they call area A, it may have started as a chip that spread after test?

[SillyTilly123]

Theres a place near me charges £30 for a mot. Had it done there last year and it failed on a few things. He told me £120 to fix it. Anyhow I took it to another place to be fixed and it cost me less than £30 to get it fixed. (needed new bulb on reg plate, new front wipers and front lights realigning)

Btw you can only drive a failed car until your last mot certificate has run out, unless you are taking it to be repaired or resested.

[Feminine]

This has made me wonder about something...
Before we had our car, my Brother was using it. For quite a while.

Its an old car that my Dad was given ( we were abroad then)

anyway it was my Brother's responsibility to have the car MOT ed.

It 'passed' with a massive crack in the windscreen ( by the wipers) and the back of the wing mirror was missing ( leaving wires exposed) he had obviously had a prang.

We were given the MOT cert and nothing was mentioned.

This year we had to get the MOT done, and of course the windscreen flagged up, 170 ish pounds!

How on earth did my Brother get it through? the garage we used said, it should never have passed. do garages do 'favours' I thought that would have been illegal?

[melika]

1. last one!! If you look up Good Garage Scheme on Google and type in your postcode you can find a great garage nearby with fantastic feedback from customers. Next time, choose one that does MOTs.
   

Most garages do not advertise, it's word of mouth that counts.

[melika]

1. The garage owner doesn't have to take a cheque (that might bounce).
   

1. You can get it repaired elsewhere but take it back for a retest within 10 working days.
   

3.MOT stations are strictly regulated by VOSA, bad ones get penalised and shut down.

4.I wouldn't got to cheap MOT stations like Kwikfit, I know someone who took car there and had a string of fails, he took it to a reputable garage and had another MOT done, failed on 2 small things. THINK ABOUT IT!

[TheFallenNinja]

It's remarkable when a car fails its MOT that people suddenly become mechanical geniuses and believe that they are being ripped off.

[ParadiseChick]

Ask him for a quote for the work needed, make up your own mind about him I'd say!

[BoneyBackJefferson]

here is the retest fee information

I have never been charged for a retest.

[houseworkhater]

Thanks for all the replies.

I can see why he might have said no to a cheque now, also he was ok with me telling him I had to come back with the cash ( I must look trustworthy!)

I need a couple of new tyres, a repair to the steering column and a new cover for the brakes.
It is the next working day tomorrow so it does look like I would be covered if I go back there, which I think I will for the ease of things.

It was somebody in the gym who said they wouldn't go back to the garage, when I told them it had failed it's mot they said their friend didn't trust them either although they didn't elaborate, just that they thought he was untrustworthy.

As I don't know him i don't really know what to think. He did ask if I wanted to have the tyres fitted elsewhere and gave me a quote for them.

[specialsubject]

The garage I use (small family business) has a big sign saying 'don't ask for a discount for cash, we pay our VAT'.

I am not insinuating that all tradesmen don't pay their taxes. I am just suggesting that those who absolutely refuse anything except cash may have a reason. Except (I discover) just after Christmas, when I gather that many cheques bounce because people prioritise tinselly crap over paying their bills.

[ShootingStarsss]

I thought you could take your car away to be repaired anywhere you choose & you have a certain amount of days to return to MOT garage (say 7) to get your free re test.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

I thought a retest was free if they did the work within a certain time and the vehicle did not leave the test place