So it's my car's MOT in August and I'm just wondering how much I should expect to pay/how much I should expect to be wrong with it.

It's a 2002 Fiesta Mk5 which I bought from a Ford dealership in October 2006, and it was serviced the day before I picked it up. Its last MOT was August 06.

Since then I've done 2000 miles max (if that) and I take good care of it (regular tyre pressure checks, only use 99 octane super unleaded...).

So are there any common MOT failures I should expect and how much will they cost to fix? And the brake pads MAY need replacing, how much would that be?

Thanks in advance

MOT itself is about £50 IIRC if it passes first time. If it fails on certain small faults you can choose to have it fixed on the premises without having to pay for a retest, however if you take it away and do the work yourself, or if major work if needed (wont be by the sounds of your car) you have to pay for a retest.
Unfortunately I can't tell you how much you can expect to pay for repairs as I do mine myself to avoid paying through the nose to have some scrotty mechanic do a 'hammer it till it works' kinda job when I can do it better and far far cheaper myself.

Yup about £50, I think mine was £56.

Common failures?, how long have to got, MOT time can be VERY expensive

Thanks, I'm getting a family friend who's a mechanic to do mine so even if repairs need doing I can trust him not to rip me off.

The cost of a MOT is set by the DVLA, you can find it on their site, £50.25 rings a bell.

Quote from Bean0 :

The cost of a MOT is set by the DVLA, you can find it on their site, £50.25 rings a bell.

yep: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Mo ... ngAVehicle/Mot/DG_4022514

and nearly, it's £50.35.

My last MOT was painful...

MOT £50.00
New rear exhaust £160.00
3 new tyres £150.00
A bit (LOT!!) of welding on the sills £100.00

Not bad really...after all, the exhaust and tyres should last another few years, and I don't think there's much underneath mine that ISN'T new welded plates!

With a 5 year old car I reckon if you get away with a total bill of under £100 you should be doing OK.

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New rear exhaust £160.0

Was that the entire exhaust system?

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3 new tyres £150.00

Three of mine were new when I bought the car so I shouldn't have to worry there.

Btw, I've put aside £170 for the entire thing. So hopefully that should be OK...

So.... your MOT sounds much like our state auto inspections over here. Though some states do not have yearly inspections. Have any of you thought to inspect your vehicle prior to the MOT and fix what needs fixed before the inspection? My anual inspection is due in September for my car. I know it needs a new windshield (cracked), new radiator support (rusted through) and new brakes. I am working on all this as I have another problem with the emmisions that needs replaced for the car to be drivable (currently my state does not do statewide emmisions testing, but the car doesn't run....)

If I do not pass inspection for whatever reason, I can fix it, take it back to the garage, and they will pass it, no more fees for inspection. Sounds like your government is taking you to the cleaners charging you 50£ (~$100), then charging you again after you fix something. If I fail, I fix it, and it passes, charged once for inspection (which is currently $21.50). The inspections are done at any mechanic or garage that has a license for it.

If you need new tires or exhaust, then you need new tires or exhaust. That isn't the MOT's fault, thus "MOT will be expensive this year" isn't true. You need tires anyways whether you have an inspection or not. Oh, BTW, you shouldn't just replace 3 tires. You should replace in sets of 2 at the least...

If I had to pay twice for inspection if I failed, then I surely would make sure I didn't fail by fixing the stuff BEFORE the inspection.

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Sounds like your government is taking you to the cleaners

Our government takes us to the cleaners for anything car-related because they're profiteering ****ers.

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Oh, BTW, you shouldn't just replace 3 tires

I didn't replace them, they were on the car when I bought it. It's not uncommon over here for people to be running four different brands of tyres, each with different ages. Ideally I would like four the same though.

Also... Is a chip in the windshield a fail? Because a stone flew at me at 60mph the other day. It's not cracked.

Quote from TiJay :

Also... Is a chip in the windshield a fail? Because a stone flew at me at 60mph the other day. It's not cracked.

Not for me over here (if it isn't in your driver's view). My problem with the chip was, "Oh good, it didn't crack...." Next day, "Arrrggghhhh, it cracked! I see it getting bigger!"

Quote from TiJay :

Also... Is a chip in the windshield a fail? Because a stone flew at me at 60mph the other day. It's not cracked.

If you can cover the ENTIRE damaged area with a 5p piece, then it is a pass....
however, if you have fully comp insurance with windscreen cover then you can get it fixed for FREE as long as it's no bigger than a 50p piece...just phone auto windscreens or similar, give them you insurance details, and they will come to your home (or where ever you want) and fix it FREE!! I know this cos I did it last month

I would also suggest that even if it does pass the MOT, get that chip fixed BEFORE it cracks...and believe me, it will!

Quote from mrodgers :

Oh, BTW, you shouldn't just replace 3 tires. You should replace in sets of 2 at the least

I know that, but unfortunately I could not afford all four the same month as everything else, so NEXT month I'm getting the 4th one replaced with the same model TYRE as the other three

Quote from TiJay :

Was that the entire exhaust system?

Unfortunately it was ONLY the back section... Manifold section was replaced recently coz it split, and that was £95.00

Thank f**k the Cat got replaced just before I got the car!

Dunno where you guys take your cars for MOT's, but round here all the garages do free re-tests and have done for as long as i remember


Oh, and if anyone is wondering about the credibility of Bladerunner's free wind screen repair claim then he is speaking the truth. On your insurers part the thinking is, if we pay to have the chip repaired now, we wont have to shell out the cost of a far more expensive replacement screen (Minus excess of course) further down the line when it cracks totally.

Quote from GFresh :

Dunno where you guys take your cars for MOT's, but round here all the garages do free re-tests and have done for as long as i remember

My local bod does a free retest as long as you take it back within 10 days.

Quote from GFresh :

Oh, and if anyone is wondering about the credibility of Bladerunner's free wind screen repair claim then he is speaking the truth. On your insurers part the thinking is, if we pay to have the chip repaired now, we wont have to shell out the cost of a far more expensive replacement screen (Minus excess of course) further down the line when it cracks totally.

I would get the crack repaired if I had fully comp, but I didn't have £4000 to spend on insurance so I had to settle for £2000 TPFT instead.

How much does it cost to repair a very small chip?

LOL MOT & inspection Stickers. They make us do that to insure what we are driving is safe. Which is ok as I really wouldn't want to have to be at an intersection across from a guy with bald tires, no brakes, a muffler so bad, it actually cuts down the bug population and trying to look thru some windshield cracked so bad it looked like aluminum foil. But what really bothers me is we have to, at least in the US, put the sticker, the sticker that represents us a being oh so totally safe, in the front windshield, partially obstructing our view.

I don't know how it's done on other parts of the planet, but where I live
It sucks. You have to go to the county courthouse to get your license plates. Actually you only get new plates every 5 years unless you have personalized plates. you get a sticker with month and year on it and stick that in the left front part of the window. It's nice and big so cops can read it and it costs about 80$ US. Then you have a yearly inspection sticker to get. it's the one that says you aren't a dead beat driver. It costs 40 dollars and you can get it at any old gas station that's licensed to do state inspections. and again, you stick that in the left front part of the window.
So now you got these two stickers on the left side of your window, big enough for on coming cops to see it.

And you usually have to go thru these rituals at two different times of the year. You rarely have a registration and inspection sticker expire in the same month. And going to the courthouse really sucks.
I think they should have both be taken care of at the same time be able to get at licensed gas stations and garages. But I guess that makes too much sense.

Quote from Bladerunner :

3 new tyres £150.00

:o Cheap What size tyres do you use?!

Quote from Racer Y :

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Wow, in PA, it's $36 (I think) for registration, you put the sticker on your plate, not the windshield. Inspection only runs $24 currently. In Pittsburgh and Philadelphia I believe have to have emissions checked. I don't in the county above Pittsburgh, but eventually I will have to. The registration and inspection use to be at the same time until recently. Now the registration is when you purchased, and the inspection is just whenever the dealer recieved the car if new, or when it was last done if used. Pissed me off to no end when I purchased a brand new off the lot car, but leftover from the year before, and had to pay for inspection 2 months after I bought it.

Quote from the_angry_angel :

:o Cheap What size tyres do you use?!

175/60*14

Quote from Racer Y :

You rarely have a registration and inspection sticker expire in the same month. And going to the courthouse really sucks.

We are lucky, we can do OUR registration (tax) online in the UK now

Quote from TiJay :

but I didn't have £4000 to spend on insurance so I had to settle for £2000 TPFT instead.

OMFG!!! EEEK!.. /me is lucky...£160 fully comp on the Swifty, £180 or so for the Civic \o/ Be patient for a few years and by the time you are 21 the price will rocket downwards..(providing you keep your license clean and don't have any silly accidents!)

A windscreen repair like that should only cost between £60 - £90, cos I was talking to the guy who did mine, and we discussed these 'free windscreen repair' things you see in supermarket car parks..He told me that a woman turned up to have hers done, but didn't have the correct insurance, and she was charged £90...shop around and you may well find it cheaper.