‘I’ve never seen this before,’ slams motors expert after MOT mechanic adds dozens of advisories – how to avoid
A CAR expert has slammed an MOT mechanic after they added dozens of advisories about his motor.
The YouTube star known online as ‘Chops Garage’ took to his social media page to warn his thousands of followers.
He bought a Mazda MR2 with 45,000 miles on the clock from his usual dealership as another “project car”,
The motors expert brought the car into the garage to get it a “proper look underneath”
He said the plan was to “get the wheels off” send them for a refurb and then strip the underside and give it a good check over as well as doing the oil and filters.
Work then gets underway with one of the first jobs being to remove the rust from the disc brakes.
His mechanic pal Pete sets about getting the car into shape.
The wheels are sorted, the battery checked and charged and the oil levels topped up.
Speaking about the car, ‘Chops Garage’ said: “It must have just been serviced before.
“Obviously, it was very well looked after as per the service history we found.”
Now, once everything was sorted it was time to get it MOT’d to “see what throws up”.
The Mazda failed its MOT.
The social media influencer said: “I think I need to start trying some different MOT stations.
“I’ve never seen this one before ‘near side front hub corroded slightly’; ‘offside front hub corroded slightly’; ‘nearside hub corroded slightly’; ‘offside rear hub corroded slightly’.”
He added: “So the Hub as I’m aware of it, is the solid piece of metal that your bearing sits in.
“I mean that it is just cast iron… isn’t it? I’m thinking of the right thing here.
“What does that matter if it has some surface corrosion on it? It’s never going to rot through, so why do you need to note it?
“I don’t understand what they’re noting.”
Continuing down the list of points, it also listed the shock absorbers as being cracked which he said was “fair enough”.
But he added it said there was “slight external damage to casing” and questioned “what does that mean?”
He said if all four of them had that then they hadn’t been damaged and it was surface corrosion, so why didn’t it just say that.
There were some factors which the motor failed on, which he did agree on, such as the failed power steering pipe which was “excessively corroded and leaking”.
As well, the parking brake efficiency was “below requirements” which he had no issue with but add the latter probably just needed adjusting and new discs put on.
Summing up though, he said: “The actual fails aren’t bad but all that doesn’t read very well does it?
“You’re not going to go through and put new hubs on everything are you?
“You’re not going to lose those because you’re not going to put new hubs on and if painting them is not acceptable and you’re still going to get advised like you are on shock absorbers what can you do about it?
Full MOT checklist
THIS is the one-stop checklist that will make sure you are prepared to pass your next MOT.
Tyres and wheels – Look out for damage to the sidewall of your tyres and make sure they’re sufficiently inflated.
Use the 20p coin test to make sure your tyres have the right tread depth, which should be 1.6mm all the way around across the central three-quarters of the tread pattern.
The outer edge of a 20p coin will be completely obscured if the tread is deep enough.
Also, be careful space-saver spare tyres could catch you out in the test, so replace them with standard tyres of the right type and size that fit properly before the test.
Lights – Check all of the car’s lights are working properly and are the right colour to pass an MOT test.
Have someone walk around the car and make sure they don’t flicker when tapped which could mean they need tightening or replacing.
This includes headlamps, parking lights, reversing lights, indicators, registration plate bulbs and, on more recent vehicles, daytime running lights.
Wipers and windscreen – Replace wipers that smear because they are probably worn out and top up the washer bottle.
Check your headlight washers if you have any.
Make sure there are no chips or cracks longer than 1cm on your windscreen and remove any stickers that could obstruct your view.
Number plates – Registration plates legally have to be in good condition, tightly fastened to the car and easily read from 20 metres away, so checking these is a must if you want to pass your MOT test.
Doors – Fix any broken doors or ones that don’t stay properly closed.
Front doors need to be openable from inside and out for safety reasons.
General condition – Make sure the exterior of your car is up to scratch.
Any sharp edges or pieces of metal sticking out could cause a danger to other road users and will definitely fail the MOT test.
Inside a car – Your dashboard will pop up with flashing warning lights if anything needs to be fixed under the bonnet like power-steering or brake-fluid warnings.
Make sure you have a fully functioning speedometer or you will fail the MOT test
“Starting to get a little frustrated with this to be honest.”
As of April 29, the way drivers receive their MOT test results has changed.
But the DVSA has scrapped paper printouts in most cases and says test certificates from now on will be issued digitally in order to be more “environmentally friendly”.
It comes after a motors expert revealed three key tips to keep the cost of your MOT down.
Sorting out your car if it fails annual safety checks can mean brutal payouts.
But taking a few steps ahead of the yearly MOT, can make all the difference to your bank balance.
Remember, you can be fined up to £1,000 for driving without a valid MOT.
It comes after an experienced mechanic revealed the “stupidest” reason for drivers failing their MOT tests.