MOT defect question

[mgarym]

Hi
My 2002 bmw e46 touring failed its MOT last night on a few easily rectified mechanical issues
but a number of floorpan rust problems,mostly around the fuel tank area.
One of the defects read
Ma- floor pan/underside/members;rusteaten/weak; Prep for further inspection

What does this mean i need to do?
I could ask the tester as they are rushed off their feet with work as this is
in Northern Ireland and at government run inspection centres.

thanks Gary

 

[fizzy]

Hi
My 2002 bmw e46 touring failed its MOT last night on a few easily rectified mechanical issues
but a number of floorpan rust problems,mostly around the fuel tank area.
One of the defects read
Ma- floor pan/underside/members;rusteaten/weak; Prep for further inspection

What does this mean i need to do?
I could ask the tester as they are rushed off their feet with work as this is
in Northern Ireland and at government run inspection centres.

thanks Gary

Could or couldn't ?

 

[mgarym]

sorry couldnt
it can take as much as 4 months to get an appointment for a mot

 

[fizzy]

sorry couldnt
it can take as much as 4 months to get an appointment for a mot

That is crazy - why don't more people become MOT testers? Sounds like a licence to print money over there!

 

[mgarym]

Its a problem alright
There was a fault with all the scissors ramps at the test centres that closed them for a while
then they all shut down during covid which didnt help the backlog, but they are trying to recruit more
testing staff.

 

[Wildefalcon]

It's run by the authorities over there, official centres staffed by government agency workers/public servants/contracted outsourced or whatever. The Republic is similar for cars, commercials are closer to the UK system.

 

[Beanwood]

Was it a defect that failed, or just an advisory? If it failed, I'd imagine it means repair it - but don't paint or underseal as they want to inspect to prove it's a satisfactory repair before you cover it up.
@Dcal would probably know better.

 

[premmington]

That is crazy - why don't more people become MOT testers? Sounds like a licence to print money over there!

NI put testing out to government run centres - same UK MOT test but done at government testing centres.

Now they want (planning) to put it out to indie garages - there is a resistance from garage owners.

Latest on MOT waits in NI as appointments still proving difficult, says MLA

It comes as new figures show the number of vehicles failing to attend a booked appointment are the highest on record

www.belfastlive.co.uk

Northern Ireland considers ‘next steps’ for biennial MOT testing - ISN Garage Assist Blog

Northern Ireland’s Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, has announced that the nation’s Government is to explore the ‘next steps’ towards adopting biennial MOT testing. Having reviewed evidence submitted by members of the public in an official Ca

www.garage-assist.com

NI will go to two year testing I think - and it will have an affect on the UK MOT indie testing trade (they have no choice in Northern Ireland). Due to back log - previous backlogs have been due to MAHA testing ramps failing - welds cracking due to over use! (I kid you not!)

Most big garages are family owned in Northern Ireland and are bitter about what happened still in 1960. So won't play - even all these years later!

-------

To be honest: The covid MOT supension in the UK for six months - only really meant - that my tyre bill in the UK went up - we just had more failures on tyres/lighting when we started testing again (the stats are there).

While as a garage owner I hate to say this - two year MOT testing is viable - if people had there cars serviced every year....

 

[mgarym]

Hi Premmington i wasnt aware of the MOT start up history,not hard to see why some indie garages
are not keen in baling out the government run system

Beanwood it was listed with the other failure defects

 

[Joe 90]

sorry couldnt
it can take as much as 4 months to get an appointment for a mot

Your retest will be able to be booked nearly immediately.

 

[Joe 90]

NI put testing out to government run centres - same UK MOT test but done at government testing centres.

Now they want (planning) to put it out to indie garages - there is a resistance from garage owners.

Latest on MOT waits in NI as appointments still proving difficult, says MLA

It comes as new figures show the number of vehicles failing to attend a booked appointment are the highest on record

www.belfastlive.co.uk

Northern Ireland considers ‘next steps’ for biennial MOT testing - ISN Garage Assist Blog

Northern Ireland’s Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon, has announced that the nation’s Government is to explore the ‘next steps’ towards adopting biennial MOT testing. Having reviewed evidence submitted by members of the public in an official Ca

www.garage-assist.com

NI will go to two year testing I think - and it will have an affect on the UK MOT indie testing trade (they have no choice in Northern Ireland). Due to back log - previous backlogs have been due to MAHA testing ramps failing - welds cracking due to over use! (I kid you not!)

Most big garages are family owned in Northern Ireland and are bitter about what happened still in 1960. So won't play - even all these years later!

-------

To be honest: The covid MOT supension in the UK for six months - only really meant - that my tyre bill in the UK went up - we just had more failures on tyres/lighting when we started testing again (the stats are there).

While as a garage owner I hate to say this - two year MOT testing is viable - if people had there cars serviced every year....

What a load of nonsense. Garages are not bitter and dont have to play any ball. There is no resistance. They would love the opportunity to take on mot testing. The government don't want it to go to indie garages. And Indie garages aren't refusing to do it. How do you make all this up. Just read the link you posted. It says they are nearly finished building a new centre in Hydebank and then it says mallusk is next. They tested 500,000 cars last year in Northern Ireland which was a record and these 2 new centres will provide another 200,000 tests a year. Then other centres are being expanded.
The mot test in Northern Ireland is neutral and fair, not like a garage shafting or taking advantage of someone who doesnt know. Whether it passes or not doesn't matter to the examiner. The mainland seems to have a lot of cowboys and examiners sacked for fraud.
Their will not be a need for 2 year testing but still could happen as republic of ireland is 2 year testing. The mainland has also discussed 2 year testing.
Some cars are dangerous after a year, 2 year testing would be a joke. When the tires is down to wire in one year and the car owner doesn't understand how a Mercedes or BMW could need tyres because the outside looks good, depending on these people to keep it safe for 2 years is crazy.

 

[Joe 90]

Hi Premmington i wasnt aware of the MOT start up history,not hard to see why some indie garages
are not keen in baling out the government run system

Beanwood it was listed with the other failure defects

View attachment 425883

Your floorpan is rotten in that many places they can't list them all and probably covered in sealers too. Clean off the sealers from the floorpan where rotten and weld up.

 

[Trevorleach]

That is crazy - why don't more people become MOT testers? Sounds like a licence to print money over there!

Because the money is very poor, they cannot get testers in the UK because of the wages.

 

[Turbo]

Because the money is very poor, they cannot get testers in the UK because of the wages.

The wages for a government employed MOT tester in NI are quite good. One youngish guy I know had a busy independent one man garage & closed it to go test cars at a centre. I asked him why - better money, regular hours, good holidays, good pension, nice warm workshop, no running after folk for payment for repairs, etc.
He's one of the better testers to get as he had a good few years as a mechanic before working there & he has more common sense.
Unfortunately a lot of the newer testers are too young, basically just finished their motor mechanics apprenticeship then straight into testing. They have no common sense & follow the computer to the letter, its just black of white with them.

 

[Turbo]

The way NI mot booking works is that you must take the first mot appointment available at any test centre in NI. That could mean an over 200 mile round trip to get your car tested!
If you want a test in a nearer location you need to go on the DVLA website around 8am to get one of the few extra appointments they release every day. Honestly, its like buying a ticket for Glastonbury!

 

[Red'n'Black]

Do you get people taking them to get tested on the mainland? Would add at least a few hundred to the total bill but if it's that or have the car off the road for months?

 

[Turbo]

Do you get people taking them to get tested on the mainland? Would add at least a few hundred to the total bill but if it's that or have the car off the road for months?

Yep, used to be common enough to go over on the ferry & get an mot in Stranraer or Holyhead.

 

[premmington]

The way NI mot booking works is that you must take the first mot appointment available at any test centre in NI. That could mean an over 200 mile round trip to get your car tested!
If you want a test in a nearer location you need to go on the DVLA website around 8am to get one of the few extra appointments they release every day. Honestly, its like buying a ticket for Glastonbury!

So what you are saying is the system does not really work?

Also - do people pre book an MOT a year in advance? Are they allowed...?

 

[8ob]

Your floorpan is rotten in that many places they can't list them all and probably covered in sealers too. Clean off the sealers from the floorpan where rotten and weld up.

Thats about it, clean it up and evaluate, its the only way you are going to find out the true extent of the rust. May be straight forward, may be scrap.

Bob

 

[Turbo]

So what you are saying is the system does not really work?

Also - do people pre book an MOT a year in advance? Are they allowed...?

The system was broken to start with, a 2 month wait for an appt was common. Then the issue with the broken lifts happened, waiting times increased to at least 6 months, eventually they gave everyone a letter allowing them to drive without MOT, as long as you had an appointment booked.
Then covid happened, which screwed things up completely. To get an appt at your local centre you could wait up until a year so they introduced the rule 'take the first appt available no matter the location'! Great thing for the environment, sending vehicles all around the country for testing!

You can't book your appt until you get your reminder & you use a code on it to make the booking. The reminder comes 2 months before the mot expires, which doesn't help much.

If they stick to the yearly tests there's no way they can ever catch up the backlog of effectively being shut down for 2+ years!

Two year testing would be a start, at the minute they are open 6 days a week 8 to 8. I think a test is 20 mins so that means a tester can in theory do 36 vehicles a day. At my local centre there's a max of 6 testers on, so that's 216 vehicles per day max not accounting for breaks.