MOT Query

[Kevin (Mr T)]

Not for me, but a friend, just hoping the combined wisdom may be able to help.

 

He has had his Mercedes serviced at the main dealer (it's a leased car) and they mentioned that the brakes probably had 2k miles until the wear indicator would come one.

 

At the MOT station, they failed the car on the basis the discs and pads were worn, even though the tests for performance and balance were both passed.

 

Can this be right?

[Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO]

I'm surprised the dealer let it out with them so low! My BMW's just been in and they've given me a 'red' advisory suggesting front pads are below 3mm and discs are lipped. On checking myself the pads myself, they are circa 4-5mm.

 

Given the MOT actually is a performance test of the brakes rather than a visual, I'd go with the MOT tester. 

 

Usually with lease vehicles the dealer has to have authorisation for repair etc. I've had two company cars leased via LEX and they've never failed to do any work advised. Is the lease from Merc?

 

It will be interesting to see what they have to say about the MOT failure. I'd have pushed the dealer to replace them during the service as, I'd not want to be going back in 2000 miles for more time of the road etc.

 

 

[si_salisbury]

 I have always been under the impression that the mot will be a pass as long as there is more than 1mm of brake pad left then it would pass but with a advisory. 
unless the brake performance is poor because of it. 

  As @Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO has mentioned I’m surprised that it was not requested to replace the brakes as it is a lease car.

[Mighty Mart]

2k miles left - that could be 2 weeks motoring easily, certainly only a months worth for some drivers, so not surprised the mot failed as its supposed to last a year....

I know technically an mot is only valid for the day or two afterwards, but Id go with the tester on this one...

Certainly more scrupulous than the main dealer who needs stringing up for this imho....its usually any old excuse to charge more money for stuff, so i reckon the car must have some dealer  service cover on it?

Mart

[DanDud]

Mart why on earth does the main dealer need stringing up for this? They have advised the guy that his brakes have 2k miles left........

OOOOO lawsuit!!! They must be rip off merchants!  Surely that's a good thing what they have said?  They could have been nunneys and said they were worn out to get the work but didnt.  They have simply told the guy his brakes are nearly worn out and given him the choice and time to think about when/who he wants to do the work.

 

You could view it from both sides of the coin.  To me it sounds like the MOT tester wanted the work and the dealer was being dead straight.

Was is a £30 or £40 MOT?  Believe it or not a lot of garages who do "cheap" mot's often fail cars to get the work - as the recommended VOSA chargeable rate for an MOT is actually £54.85.

 

If your mate was doing 1000miles a month and its a lease car, why didn't he just ask the dealer to do the brakes while it was there if he was that bothered?  Or get them done before it went in for the MOT if he knew?  Genuine Merc consumables arnt that expensive to be fair to the brand.

 

After all it could be 3 months or even 6 months of driving for him so he may not have bothered to get them done yet and the MOT guy has basically done him over by failing the car because he wanted the 2 hours labour.  Plus they did say 2k miles till the wear indicator, so that to me means there's just over 2k miles left in them, maybe 3!

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Yep, that’s about three months use on my daily at the moment, as most recent work has been fairly close by. And a few years ago it would have been an easy six months at times. Plus I wouldn’t have them done at the main dealer anyway, so they know me well enough by now just to advise and let me get them sorted out.

[Kevin (Mr T)]

Just to clarify, the car is leased WITHOUT a maintenance agreement.

 

The MOT people quoted £500 to sort the brakes, so even if it was 2 months of driving before they needed doing, I'd be looking to hang on to my money.

 

I don't agree that an MOT centre can fail a car because it might not pass an MOT in two weeks time, I don't think they can make that judgement.

 

I also wonder if he had taken the car in himself, rather than his wife taking it, would that have made a difference?

 

 

[Steve (sdh2903)]

from the manual, pads can be measured, disc wear subjective. 

 

1.1.13. Brake linings and pads

Some brake pads have metal wear indicators so that when the pads become excessively worn the metal indicator touches the disc making a squealing sound. Other pads may have a cut, which if worn away indicates that the pad must be replaced.

DefectCategory

(a) Brake lining or pad:

(i) worn down to wear indicator
(ii) worn below 1.5mm
 

(b) Brake lining or pad contaminated with oil, grease etc.

(c) Brake lining or pad missing or incorrectly mounted

 

1.1.14. Brake discs and drums

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before you should reject it. Being worn below the manufacturer’s recommended limits is not a reason in itself.

 

(a) Brake disc or drum:

(i) significantly and obviously worn
(ii) insecure, fractured or otherwise likely to fail
 

(b) Contaminated with oil, grease etc.Major

(c) MissingDangerous

(d) Brake drum back plate insecureMajor

[Mighty Mart]

Yeah, I see both sides tbh now. No maintenance agreement so no reason why the MD wouldn't want the business, and MOT Station obviously did want the business!

Depends on the mileage as that could give a good idea of usage for the tester too?

I use an MOT station locally who don't carry out remedial work - they just test! You need to book in advance to get a test, which tells its own story.

I'm taking down the gallows as we speak!!!!😉

Mart.

[TableLeg]

3 hours ago, Steve (sdh2903) said:

1.1.14. Brake discs and drums

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before you should reject it.

 

(a) Brake disc or drum:

(i) significantly and obviously worn

Blimey that's a vague 'Technical' approach to ascertaining if the discs are worn or not....

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

4 hours ago, Kevin (Mr T) said:

Just to clarify, the car is leased WITHOUT a maintenance agreement.

 

 

Mine too!

[Rhett Turner - Black Country AO]

I think I’d be getting on to DVSA, sounds like a garage unreasonably (and probably illegally) looking for more expensive work, if not then MB look to have miss diagnosed and reported brake pad wear. I know where my money would be

[dhutch]

Sounds wrong to me, no expert, but if the above is right, take a copy and measure the pad wear yourself! 

 

As said, a few mm or 2k might be a week wear, but it might also be 6months, depending on use. The MOT is a check of the condition at the time. 

 

 

Daniel

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

3 hours ago, dhutch said:

it might also be 6months, depending on use

 

And that's the thing, you tend to compare your own usage and assume others are vaguely similar, when in reality, there are averages, sure, but the outliers can be insane; I knew a rep that could easily put fifty/sixty thousand miles on a car in a year, once. Equally, my old Mum for the last few years of her motoring career, used to under 500 miles a year, just doing a run to the shops and a run to church, i.e. Two journeys a week. She had her  Micra for around twelve, fourteen years and only put 5/6000 on it in total!

[Jim RS]

5 minutes ago, Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Secretary said:

 

And that's the thing, you tend to compare your own usage and assume others are vaguely similar, when in reality, there are averages, sure, but the outliers can be insane; I knew a rep that could easily put fifty/sixty thousand miles on a car in a year, once. Equally, my old Mum for the last few years of her motoring career, used to under 500 miles a year, just doing a run to the shops and a run to church, i.e. Two journeys a week. She had her  Micra for around twelve, fourteen years and only put 5/6000 on it in total!

Agreed, in my peek sales driving I could easily do 2000 miles(3000 mile ish record) plus in a week and I had an agreement with the local Ford dealer to make sure my car would be service free for at least 1 month so would change brakes if less than 8000 miles on them, bit extreme but was towing sometimes as well and "time is money". On the reverse my wife only did about 40/50 miles per week so brakes were left until limit reached. So unless the service centre knows the usage they cannot make uneducated guesses.