MOT due anything to be aware of

[ChA6dders]

Guys my MOT is due in Jan but I'm getting it done early, next week in fact so if there's an issue I can get it sorted. The only advisory from last year was one of the front tyres had a different speed rating, it will be interesting to see if this is picked up this time around as the same tyre is still on.

Anyway is there anything that I need to be aware of anything that's a common fault or issue that gets picked up I'm on 117k miles now. The 2008 MOT it's 1st one had 3 advisory's but I don't know if they've been done or not they inc both NS & OS anti roll bar bushes & rear pads which I know were done. It's being done where it was serviced a couple of months ago independent VW/Audi specialist so they kinda know the car anyway.

One more thing do they test the parking brake in the same way as they test conventional handbrakes?
Cheers

[sparker]

Hi ChA6dders,

I have an allroad, so qauttro and air suspension. When I take it in to my mot station the owner has a panic attack. Put it in jacking mode! Quattro! The test ends up with checking the lights a look around under the car for play. Then he asks me if the brakes are working OK and thats it.

[Guest 2]

Non allroad quattros don't have a jacking mode.

That's hardly a thorough mot if he asks YOUR opinion on the safety of the car?

[neilos100]

I had my cars first MOT done on friday last week. I asked him how long it would take and he replied 'Oh, about 45 minutes....maybe less because its an Audi!'
Always nice to hear that ......they still have such a good reputation and we must remember even though on here we hear mostly about problems, the vast majority of owners dont have any issues at all.
It goes without saying it sailed through the MOT and even buying the Road Tax wasnt too painful at £120 for a year!

Neil

[gupsterg]

Non allroad quattros don't have a jacking mode.

They have a jacking mode if it is a quattro with air suspension like Rosscow has one... I think sparker was just explaining how his experience of MOT went...

ChA6dders has a 2.0 TDi Avant 2005...

The 2008 MOT it's 1st one had 3 advisory's but I don't know if they've been done or not they inc both NS & OS anti roll bar bushes

Audi advised when it went for a health check straight after purchase... I had these done few months later... £160 in VAT...

I booked it with a MOT, MOT's are free if in one service year you have something done at Audi, had a courtesy Q7 3.0 TDi for the day ...

Plus they sorted a slow puncture which I didn't know about FOC... So IMO great value... if I'd gone elsewhere £40 for MOT, probably £20ish for puncture plus cost/fitting of C-Links...

[Eshrules]

I want to know which bent MOT tester/station is issuing certs to cars without testing their brakes.

[sparker]

Non allroad quattros don't have a jacking mode.

I was just making the point that some MOT centres don't know how to test all the different types of vehicles out there and worry, with good reason, that they may break something. "Electronic hand brake, I will just check if I can test that"
Maybe there needs to be, like service garages, specialist MOT centres for different makes.


That's hardly a thorough mot if he asks YOUR opinion on the safety of the car?

I agree, not ideal to be asking the customer. Or does the capital letters of YOUR, mean you don't think much of my opinions. It's probably correct on both ways of reading it!

[Guest 2]

The MOT tester .. Not your mechanical skill!

We have the most strict MOT here in Northern Ireland of all of the UK - everything has to be 100% to pass, not anymore not any less.

In the past I've put a car through 4 times after they kept failing it on minute details.

[sparker]

Eshrules,

Quattro four wheel drive can't be put on 2 wheel drive rolling road which is what test stations are required to have. They can do a 'manual' drive and brake test with a gadget on the floor of the car but his opinion was that if I was driving the car I would have a better understanding of the way the brakes perform than this gadget. Other cars I have taken in there are tested fully as they are two wheel drive.

How do other centres test 4WD quattros? Is it just mine that does this?

[Guest 2]

Our MOTs dont get done by normal garages - we have to take the car to a MOT test station run by DVA .. They all have 4wd testing capabilities.

http://www.dvtani.gov.uk/vehicletesting/home.asp