My daughter had asked me to prep and MOT her 1997 Renault megane for her.
I'd had to change the front brake discs & pads (£40) and fit a new bottom ball joint (£9), and re-seal the exhaust pipe joints.
Not bad for a 15 year old car with 106'000 miles on the clock.
So having booked the car i for 3pm yesterday at Charlies in Leo, I was hoping she'd pass. Like all cars being DIY maintained, it is sometimes hard to replicate MOT conditions especially suspension joints as they used to use a beam jack, but now use a shaker pad system that more accurately gives a real road load condition for the car.
Upon arrival there was the usual wait as Charlie is always busy especially with his £30 mot deals. Finally my car was chosen for the next test and a chap in a very clean boiler suit turned up. Word soon got round, he was a VOSA mot tester.
I wasn't too worried, but I did think that with "clip board charlie" on the spot, How ever after the test that was now an hour and a half long due to the VOSA chappie double checking, the car was past with just 2 advisories. The VOSA chap commented that he was suprised that the car passed as it looked old enough to fail and be a true test of how fair the mot tester is and how accurate he was.
We went through the advisories which were a slight crack in the exhaust back box outer skin, and surface rust on a crimping ferrel on a brake pipe. Both of which were very borderline even mentionable, but the MOT'r had to comment as a 15 year old car shouldn't have a clean sheet according to "clip board charlie".
I thought I'd share the experience with you all, as it was the first time in 35 years of taking cars, vans, motorcycles and trucks for MOT's that I'd seen the tester being tested and it was quite entertaining to say the least. Especially the comment that a 15 year old car should of been a failure, purely based upon it's age. Personally I came away with the satisfaction that as DIY mechanic, I can keep a 15 year old car in a good enough condition to of only needed £55 of TLC to pass a MOT under close scrutiny. Also I was pleased that my standard of presenting a vehicle for test was good enough too.
I'd had to change the front brake discs & pads (£40) and fit a new bottom ball joint (£9), and re-seal the exhaust pipe joints.
Not bad for a 15 year old car with 106'000 miles on the clock.
So having booked the car i for 3pm yesterday at Charlies in Leo, I was hoping she'd pass. Like all cars being DIY maintained, it is sometimes hard to replicate MOT conditions especially suspension joints as they used to use a beam jack, but now use a shaker pad system that more accurately gives a real road load condition for the car.
Upon arrival there was the usual wait as Charlie is always busy especially with his £30 mot deals. Finally my car was chosen for the next test and a chap in a very clean boiler suit turned up. Word soon got round, he was a VOSA mot tester.
I wasn't too worried, but I did think that with "clip board charlie" on the spot, How ever after the test that was now an hour and a half long due to the VOSA chappie double checking, the car was past with just 2 advisories. The VOSA chap commented that he was suprised that the car passed as it looked old enough to fail and be a true test of how fair the mot tester is and how accurate he was.
We went through the advisories which were a slight crack in the exhaust back box outer skin, and surface rust on a crimping ferrel on a brake pipe. Both of which were very borderline even mentionable, but the MOT'r had to comment as a 15 year old car shouldn't have a clean sheet according to "clip board charlie".
I thought I'd share the experience with you all, as it was the first time in 35 years of taking cars, vans, motorcycles and trucks for MOT's that I'd seen the tester being tested and it was quite entertaining to say the least. Especially the comment that a 15 year old car should of been a failure, purely based upon it's age. Personally I came away with the satisfaction that as DIY mechanic, I can keep a 15 year old car in a good enough condition to of only needed £55 of TLC to pass a MOT under close scrutiny. Also I was pleased that my standard of presenting a vehicle for test was good enough too.