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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Aibu to challenge the garage

24 replies

hooochycoo · 05/05/2018 12:50

Our local garage mot ‘ed and serviced our car in mid February for £200. They found nothing wrong.

A week later the car broke down in really inconvenient circumstances, leading to us needing road side assistance. The battery was at the end of it’s life span and we needed a new battery. So that got fixed .

Then a week ago we realised the car was making odd squealing and grinding noises and we took it back to the garage. We now have just paid them another £300 quid because the break pads were worn completely down and the car needed new break discs.

Aibu to think that the battery and break pads/discs should have been looked at during the service?

Does anyone know whether it’s reasonable that they could of seen the battery would fail a week later?

Or is it reasonable that in February they should have seen that the break pads were worn down, and could have been replaced before they wore out completely and started wearing away the discs?

Or was it just wear and tear that wouldn’t have been noticeable in feb?

Anyone mechanically minded in AIBU?

OP posts:

GnotherGnu · 05/05/2018 12:56

No idea about the battery, but they should certainly check the brake pads. My garage has warned me quite often when they're about to wear out.

Original poster

hooochycoo · 05/05/2018 13:05

I have no idea how long they take to wear down .

OP posts:

FrolickingForklift · 05/05/2018 13:10

The pads should have been an advisory with a note of % left if I recall. Battery is just one of those things, working at the time

rumbelina · 05/05/2018 13:12

Yes they should have noticed and put on the ‘advisory’ report of the mot. This is for stuff that doesn’t need to be done to pass the mot but may be in issue over the next few months. If the brakes were that bad they should have noticed in the mot.

Battery not so sure but I think it would be tested. I would find a new garage for next time.

Original poster

hooochycoo · 05/05/2018 13:22

It wasn’t just an MOT, it was a service.

OP posts:

AlpacaLypse · 05/05/2018 13:24

Unless you drive thousands of miles a week I can't see how the brake pads could have got through the MOT without an advisory only three months ago.

Original poster

hooochycoo · 05/05/2018 13:27

We’ve driven maybe 800 miles since the MOT

OP posts:

Barbaro · 05/05/2018 13:38

Battery is just one of those things.

Brakes should have been an advisory. Check your Mot sheet, if they aren't mentioned then point that out to them.

HollowTalk · 05/05/2018 13:42

They should have failed you on the brake pads - it's supposed to be good for longer than 3 months. They should've checked the battery, too.

NoFuckingRoomOnMyBroom · 05/05/2018 13:52

For them to be that worn there should have certainly been an advisory on the MOT. Battery is just one of those things.

elefunk · 05/05/2018 15:10

There are different tiers of services, but I'm pretty sure a visual check of the brakes would have happened on a basic full service. Have you got paperwork for a breakdown of what was done?

Original poster

hooochycoo · 05/05/2018 15:27

Isn’t it also quite dangerous to be driving around without break pads?

OP posts:

Barbaro · 05/05/2018 15:32

It's dangerous and Im pretty sure illegal.

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 05/05/2018 15:35

They should have given you an advisory sheet explaining what items were likely to need looking at/replacing soon. Sounds like the brake pads would have been on there?

OrchidInTheSun · 05/05/2018 15:36

The MOT has to include a report on the state of the brake pads. Have you had a look at what your report from the garage said?

rumbelina · 05/05/2018 17:59

Doesn’t matter if you had a service or not. Brakes are checked as part of the mot and should have been mentioned

ilikefastcars · 05/05/2018 18:01

What car do you drive? Not all brakes are visible without removing the wheels.
Wheels are not removed during an mot.
Different levels or service include different inspections. Can you ask them to clarify what the service covered?

LIZS · 05/05/2018 18:05

The level of wear on brake pads and tyres should have been recorded at the service. If they were likely to need changing within a few months it should be an advisory. However battery is just one of those things, mine went over New Year after not being driven for 10 days or so.

BoneyBackJefferson · 05/05/2018 18:50

just a quick read section 3

reddington · 05/05/2018 20:38

The MOT has to include a report on the state of the brake pads. Have you had a look at what your report from the garage said?

What complete tosh. On some cars the pads aren’t even visible during an MOT.

OP - the MOT wouldn’t necessarily have picked up the worn pads. If the pads aren’t visible with the wheels on and you only had a very basic service then it’s possible the wheels wouldn’t have been removed. From what you paid for a service/MOT it clearly wasn’t a major service so this could explain it.

Original poster

hooochycoo · 05/05/2018 20:59

what is the point of having a service if a couple of months after it you are driving around in an unsafe car? I would have thought that the breaks are a pretty essential thing to check

OP posts:

LotsToThinkOf · 05/05/2018 21:05

Orchid why are you spouting crap? Stop stirring.

OP reddigton is exactly right. A service is anything from oil and filter to brakes being stripped and cleaned and all filters replaced. What have you paid for?

YABU to challenge the garage seeing as you don't know what you've actually paid for, YANBU to give them a ring and ask nicely.

FFS why does everything have to be a confrontation and fight?

BoneyBackJefferson · 05/05/2018 21:06

read the link. it states exactly what an MOT does and what the fails are.

reddington · 05/05/2018 21:22

read the link. it states exactly what an MOT does and what the fails are.

The caveat of course is that things are visible, you can’t fail a car on something you can’t see.

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