The MOT is a joke

[AndyMac]

OK I normally take my A4 to the specialist I use to get it serviced and MOT'd at the same time. Only done 5k miles this year in the quattro, so decided to just take it to a "while you wait" place nearby as it runs out today.
They failed it for "seriously damaged left/right front brake hoses", claiming the vehicle is dangerous to drive.
I was furious so immediately took it Autotechnik who'd recently replaced the control arms, and should have spotted the serious damage to my brake hoses. They put it up on a ramp and showed me the serious damage. They couldn't believe it had failed for this reason and should have been an advisory at most. There are very tiny cracks on the caliper ends, which I couldn't even see when I first looked. There were at most half a millimeter deep if that. They said pretty much all hoses look like that after a while and that the hose itself is double skinned anyway and the side walls are about 5mm thick.
Dangerous to drive my ****.
So anyway I replaced them tonight £12.50 each and will be getting a retest tommorrow, then once they've passed it a serious amount of verbal abuse.
When you think of the shitboxes you see on the road everyday it just makes me mad!

 

[Rev-head]

These MOT stations prey on the people that are not willing to ask questions and just believe them thinking they are going to have an accident if they leave and dont get it fixed ........they always find fault looks like they struggled with yours to level they went to ...rip off merchants.......i would report them to(Local) Minstry of Transport

 

[AndyMac]

Unfortunately I think they're more interested in stations passing cars that they should be failing.
The wierd thing is that this place doesn't do any work other than MOT's, so I can't understand 1. how they make any money and 2. what's in it for them to fail a car unfairly.
The appeals process is also a classic, you have to pay even more money, not have your car repaired, and presumably keep it off the road as I doubt plod would be sympathetic if they pull you, in the vain hope VOSA will agree with you.
Don't get me wrong, I think the whole MOT process should be majorly overhauled. It should be far more expensive, it should be nationalised, so you don't get mates doing you a favour, and it should take at least half a day of inspection, especially if the car is getting on a bit.
When you see the state of some of the older HGV's on UK roads it's ****** scary.

 

[TDI-line]

Loads of can-artists out there, i always take mine to people i know who won't rip us off.

 

[jojo]

I always take my car to MOT stations who I know or ones who have been recommended to my by friends, whose name is recognised by the operator. This makes me more confident of the test, where they give me an honest and accurate reason why my car would fail, passed everytime so far...

 

[fallmonk]

I have a friend of a friend whos a MOT tester , with the new system in place there is big questions asked IF a tester passes more than the average ! BUT if he/she fails more than the average no questions are asked! so more and more are reluctant to pass as many 1st time, its not right but basicly they are protecting there "ticket"