to not want to spend £££ on my car just 3 weeks after MOT/service??

[LizLemonsGlasses]

...and that already cost me £500+ to get various issues sorted before it would pass the MOT. Car is a 7 yo Astra, 45 000 on the clock. I like my car but today I'm SICK of it!! I'm fed up paying hundreds of pounds for random things that need fixed - in the space of one month!

Garage says the latest issue (wheel bearing and tyre) has probably happened since the MOT/Service and they wouldn't check that sort of thing anyway.

Have I got grounds for arguing the price down a bit? Or do I just need to suck it up and pay?

I'm so tempted to give up the car and save money but I know I'd miss my independence without it (although DH also has a car) OR trade it in and get one which is a fixed price every month with service/warranty and all sorts thrown in so I'm not hit with these whacking great charges once a year .

WWYD??

An MOT will only pick up on faults that are a danger. What did they say was wrong with wheel bearing and tyre? - tyres are examined on an MOT

They would exactly check that sort of thing, tyres and wheel bearings are checked during an MOT. The fault may have happened after though as the MOT is only saying that your car is safe on that day.

If you go to www.gov.uk you can get to the MOT checklist. Bearings are part of the under vehicle section

There's a gash in the tyre and I don't know what's up with the wheel bearing but the car was clunking a bit with speedo going twitchy and traction light flashing - which is why I took it in.

The fault may well have happened after, and I suppose there's no way to know - it's just so frustrating so soon after also paying for a suspension coil and a major bit of exhaust to also be replaced

I'm picking it up later and they can't do anything til next week anyway - I wonder if I should get another garage to check it out too?

Had my mot and service beginning of jan where they fixed several major issues and yesterday had my wheel bearing fixed. Older cars are a pain :-(

Why can't they fix it till next week? My garage fixed it the same day I brought it to their attention

I don't understand why they'd say it wouldn't have been checked at the MOT, but still, it could have happened after.

Garages can't always fix things the same day, but if you're having doubts about their competence it could be worth having another garage look at it. Finding a garage that you trust is really important, especially as your car gets older!

They said they're pretty busy at the moment - I don't mind too much as I think I want a second opinion anyway. FIL (not an expert but thinks he is ) is currently taking a spin to see if he can figure out what's wrong.

As others have said tyres and wheel bearings are checked on an MOT. Wouldn't it be in the garages best interest to tell you at the time of the MOT if they noticed the problems? More money for them!

I bought a car just after it had an MOT and when I took it to my local garage there was a problem that would have cost £200 to repair. They told me it would have been picked up on an MOT and shouldn't have passed in that condition so I rang the garage who did the MOT and threatened to report them to VOSA if they didn't pay for the repair. They sent a cheque the same day.

Most garages won't risk their MOT license

If you are in the n/e i can give you the address of the garage i use. Lovely chap (though likes his expletives) lol. Can't fault him. Just had my exhaust fully renewed for 150. Cost me 230 4 years ago robbing sods.

Thanks for the offer DontOpen - but I'm in the NE of Scotland!

Assuming the tyre and wheel bearing are the same corner it does sound as though it's been twatted. Have you hit a large pothole or clipped a kerb or something?

Unless you've clipped a kerb or pothole since then, for it to be a problem so soon I would have expected to have been advised of this after the MOT. Ours tells us of things which need doing but are passable this MOT so you don't get to the next one and suddenly it fails so needs doing there and then.