1st MOT - FAILED!!!! Grrrrrrrrrr

[BoxerBoy]

3rd birthday at the end of the month, so popped it in to my local MOT Man, within a few minutes walk from home, for what I thought would be a stroll in the park.

 

Even asked for the brake fluid to be changed as a wee treat.

 

Car is mint. All clean and shiny. All the little things that often fail a car had been checked over OK.

 

Got the dreaded phone call far to soon for the work to be complete. Bummer. A front strut leaking oil caused the failure.

 

And once you've "failed" it can't be undone so I'm over a barrel and need a strut, or pair of struts fitted.

 

So I make a call to nearest dealer and get no joy whatsoever w.r.t. a possible warranty claim.

 

"If we don't carry out the inspection and repair, then you can't come running with a failed strut in your hand" was the gist of the conversation.

 

Bastid.

 

Not pleased, but just have to move on.

 

May drop Skoda a line just to blow off some steam.

 

[classic]

You’ve got MOT until the end of the month, why not book it in with a Skoda dealer for them to look at the struts. Then get it mot’d.

[benterrier]

One MOT inspectors leak another ones misting.......  Where on earth did this term misting come from. Sounds like a car stealers term when you take the car back under warranty. 

Get some good quality struts fitted and be done with it, a leaks a leak.

[Cain79]

7 minutes ago, classic said:

You’ve got MOT until the end of the month, why not book it in with a Skoda dealer for them to look at the struts. Then get it mot’d.

Once it's failed its failed, the previous Mot is no longer valid so you can't just drive off somewhere else

 

Had misting on both my front shocks and was just an advisory so must have been in a pretty bad state to fail, bit of a bummer but I doubt you'll get any joy from skoda

[Breezy_Pete]

5 minutes ago, benterrier said:

Where on earth did this term misting come fr

See here, for example: http://www.theuniversalgroup.com/shock-absorber-inspection-misting-versus-leaking/

[benterrier]

Boxer Boy, you don't give the mileage.

[classic]

10 minutes ago, Cain79 said:

Once it's failed its failed, the previous Mot is no longer valid so you can't just drive off somewhere else

 

Sorry, that’s not correct.

You can still drive it if it has a current MOT, unless the tester has deemed it dangerous. Obviously all construction and use stuff like lighting, tyres etc should be legal at all times anyway.

[Ootohere]

If a manufacturing / workmanship, material fail that is not a enviriomental / extrernal issue like hitting speed bump / potholes hard who cares what a Service Desk person says. get the car in within the Manufacturers warranty period, (3 years in the UK.) let the master tech and warranty manager inspect.

 

They might reject it as a Fault of the manufacturers doing, but without seeing it they dont get the chance to try doing that.

 

The terms of the Warranty legally does not tie owners to main Dealer Servicing, body or parts inspection.

The T&C's do tell you about what to do about warranty claims or potential ones, read the T&C's Exclusions and limitations.

http://skoda.co.uk/owners/warranty

 

 

 

Edited 3 October, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[Cain79]

42 minutes ago, classic said:

Sorry, that’s not correct.

You can still drive it if it has a current MOT, unless the tester has deemed it dangerous. Obviously all construction and use stuff like lighting, tyres etc should be legal at all times anyway.

Ah I was under the impression that under the new rules faults are categorised as follows in the image below

So a fail is either Dangerous or Major and had to be repaired immediately I would have thought the shocks should only be classed as minor therefor the mot would be a pass not a fail

 

[Ju1ian1001]

36 minutes ago, classic said:

Sorry, that’s not correct.

You can still drive it if it has a current MOT, unless the tester has deemed it dangerous. Obviously all construction and use stuff like lighting, tyres etc should be legal at all times anyway.

Again not strictly correct, since the MOT changed in may 2018 this loophole has been closed. a current FAILED mot superseeds a FORMER pass, therefore you must only drive the vehicle home or to a place of repair, if a vehicle is marked as dangerous then it must NOT be driven on a public road at any time, only us testers are NOT allowed to prevent you from driving your vehicle away.

 

Also a lot of testers don't know there is a gland built into the shock absorbers of the MK2 and MK3 octavia that allows excess fluid to vent from the shock, alas this make it look as though they leaking when in fact they are not. Roottootemoot try pressure washing the front suspension under and allround the inside of wheelarches and then take if for retest, it may pass. 

[classic]

My understanding was that the mot fail will be recorded on the mot database, but that didn’t mean any existing certificate became invalid. The MOT test and pass certificate have never been legal proof of a vehicles roadworthiness.

 

This is what the gov website says :

 

“Driving a vehicle that’s failed

You can take your vehicle away if:

• your current MOT certificate is still valid
• no ‘dangerous’ problems were listed in the MOT

Otherwise, you’ll need to get it repaired before you can drive.

If you can take your vehicle away, it must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times.”

 

 

Edited 3 October, 2019 by classic

[Ootohere]

@Ju1ian1001

I dont know where the OP's car is and if i did i would not be pressure washing the front suspension.

I dont have a car under 3 years old with a fail.

 

I do have a nearly 3 year old Motability car MOT'd 2 months before due at a Main Dealership (Skoda/ SEAT)  and with a torn wiper blade, but the Dealership did not have one so never fitted a new one.

That what you get with Main Dealers though.  They also give an advisory on tyres, but seeing as legal Kwik Fit will not put on tyres, 

so the car will go to BCA in November with a torn wiper blade and the crap tyres on.

a year ago the Tech noted the tyres and when Kwik fit would not replace i put on my own winter tyres / wheels.

 

Sh!te under 3 year old brakes as usual, but the Dealership did do the brake fluid change.

I dont pay any of this. Like i never paid just the half of the AdBlue tank they filled.

Edited 3 October, 2019 by Roottootemoot

[BoxerBoy]

1 hour ago, benterrier said:

Boxer Boy, you don't give the mileage.

 

20,634 miles.

 

And the shock is clearly leaking.

I have the old shocks and it leaks on every stroke.  It's way beyond "misting".

 

The dealer man said a warranty claim would be dependent on mileage, how the car has been driven, what sort of roads it has been driven on. ****.

 

I could say "one lady owner", but I've driven almost half the miles 😀

 

 

[Ootohere]

1 lady owner, Mrs Eurocar!

[BoxerBoy]

2 hours ago, classic said:

You’ve got MOT until the end of the month, why not book it in with a Skoda dealer for them to look at the struts. Then get it mot’d.

 

Hindsight is wonderful.

 

It will be going in to a dealer for it's third annual service (pre-paid plan) just days before the end of the contract at the end of the month.

 

I reckoned it would be quicker, easier and cheaper to simply get the MOT out of the way on my doorstep.

 

My current puzzle / dilemma is the fact that the Octavia is being replaced with a Polo that won't arrive till early December, so the supplying VW dealer is looking at what he can do to keep us mobile without me buying the Octavia at the end of the month.

 

Right now I'm happy to pay the GFV and sell the car myself as the market value is greater.

 

In fact, online forecourt figures are at least £2K greater than my GFV.

 

but I digress ...........................................

[mrgf]

... I would say three years for a strut is not unusual and if I was the manufacturer, I too, would be saying "No way". Unless you took the car to me and I inspected/rectified the work, I would NOT indulge someone who came along with the loose part, saying they HAD to fit it and want a refund,etc.

A shock/strut could easily be well and truly French Connection U.K.-ed in that time, even with low miles. You could have done it braking and hitting a speed bump on the way out of the forecourt after buying the car, after all!

 

Nice try, though!

[Biggriff]

Given the state of UK roads complaining to Skoda will be a waste of time.   I have seen lots of failures well under three years.  All are just wear and tear unless its component failure due to manufacture (not usage).  My advice is suck it up.  Sorry! 

[Loopylil]

Strangely my previous octavia had an advisory for 2 years running for a "misting" shocker which on the 3rd year test seemed to have cured it`s self,my current octavia 2013 with 120000 has now had it`s second MOT with the same problem and i`m wondering (hoping!!) if the same thing will happen,does lightning strike twice...watch this space.

[KenONeill]

19 hours ago, classic said:

You’ve got MOT until the end of the month

No he doesn't, not for a first test.

[Stoofa]

1 hour ago, Loopylil said:

Strangely my previous octavia had an advisory for 2 years running for a "misting" shocker which on the 3rd year test seemed to have cured it`s self,my current octavia 2013 with 120000 has now had it`s second MOT with the same problem and i`m wondering (hoping!!) if the same thing will happen,does lightning strike twice...watch this space.

Had the exact same thing on my Mk2.5 - Misting for first two MOT's and then not a single mention of shocks as long as I owned the vehicle.

Edited 4 October, 2019 by Stoofa

[PetrolDave]

Just now, Stoofa said:

Had the exact same thing on my Mk2.5 0 Misting for first two MOT's and then not a single mention of shocks as long as I owned the vehicle.

Same thing happened with my previous car (Audi RS4) had 2 advisories for misting when MOT'd by an Audi dealer, but no mention for next 5 years when MOT'd by an independent....

 

That's why dealers are often known as stealers 

[classic]

2 hours ago, KenONeill said:

No he doesn't, not for a first test.

I’ll rephrase my answer then. 

 

.....You don’t need the MOT test until the date of your cars 3rd birthday.

Which BoxerBoy has posted is the end of the month.

Hence my use of the wording “you’ve got mot until the end of the month”

 

Therefore, you have time to push/tow/transport/drive/dismantle, carry a piece at a time, reassemble/ or get the car by some means to a dealer for them to assess the validity of a warranty repair to the shock absorber - which may or may not be leaking or weeping, which may be normal, might be damage from misuse or might be a manufacturing defect, or could be a special gland which some mot testers don’t know about.

Not only can this be done, but should BoxerBoy elect to drive his vehicle there, it is perfectly legal to do so.

[SurreyJohn]

The can you drive it until last year’s MOT expired (or first one due on day before 3rd birthday) is a bit of a nightmare now.

 

If you go on the Government MOT checker website and now showing as failed, it will also show the same to any police car, or fixed anpr camera which could result in a fine in the post.

 

 

[ChoonDoode]

1 hour ago, SurreyJohn said:

The can you drive it until last year’s MOT expired (or first one due on day before 3rd birthday) is a bit of a nightmare now.

 

If you go on the Government MOT checker website and now showing as failed, it will also show the same to any police car, or fixed anpr camera which could result in a fine in the post.

 

 

 

That's why if you go anywhere, you get it booked in so there's a record you're going where to claim to be going.

Edited 4 October, 2019 by tunedude
grammatical error

[Ootohere]

RE a Fail.

Strangely if you have the VED on Auto Renewal with the DVLA and MOT early and have a fail they still renew the VED.