Decat exhaust, aftermarket HIDs, LED sidelights, reverse lights........ and it failed......

Because of knackered ball joints

Ironic given the focus on new regs recently.

are the ball joints an easy fix?

I know an MOT tester man!, he said, with regards to HID's, if they are aligned, do not dazzle he passes them, no washers fitted then it doesn't matter as they are not part of the test, he also mentioned that the advice is to pass not fail.

Example of this was the freelander we had in for test, very slight play in the steering, he checked everything fully, ball joints, steering rack, bearings and so on, as he could see nothing that was loose, worn or defective he passed the car with an advisory on slight play in the steering, he could not fail it.

He also advised taking your car to an older MOT test person as they are more likely to pass, inexperienced people are more likely to fail if they are unsure.

Ironic given the focus on new regs recently.

are the ball joints an easy fix?

3 bolts per side and a replacement part either side too. Around £100 all in.

He said that the coilovers don't help but its nearly 6 years old and pushing 70k