What’s guaranteed to make you cry? The death of a loved one is pretty certain, as is maybe extreme public humiliation.  Sometimes just slamming your finger in the car door can bring tears to your eyes. Although the reception and waiting area of our garage can often be a little hectic, it’s not usually a place where much weeping and wailing takes place. On the odd occasion (and I have to say, it’s always a member of the fairer sex), the upset of an unexpected MOT failure can provoke distress in the vehicle’s owner and very rarely, this turns to sobbing! In situations such as this, it’s very difficult to know how best to react (speaking as a 40 year old male) when faced with a weeping woman (that isn’t my wife!). One the one hand, I do feel sympathy for the poor car owner at the inconvenience and potential expense of having an unexpected repair bill, but on the other hand, I tend to think more along the lines of “it’s only a car – it’s not like anybody’s been injured!”  Sometimes, I’ve been known to mutter words of comfort, whilst waiting for the owner to calm down. Then, I can take a look at the best options to get them back on the road safely, whilst minimizing their expense.  So, what drives a customer to burst into tears when handed the red VT30 ‘Notification of refusal to issue an MOT test certificate’?

Sometimes, even the slightest thing can open the waterworks, but generally it’s when something is likely to be particularly expensive. Car owners are often a funny bunch. Some just assume that their car is faultless in every respect, even though they’ve never bothered to have it serviced or even opened the bonnet to check the oil from one year to the next. They often act surprised when our tester shows them the tyres that are worn down to the canvas, or the big rusty hole in the exhaust. Often, I suspect they knew all along as the car inevitably handled like a ball bearing on an ice rink and was as noisy as a racing car.

The other kind of ’surprised’ customers are those that have been led to believe (usually by a so-called ‘expert’ such a family friend or uncle that ‘used to be a mechanic’), that their car will ’sail through the MOT. This opinion is not based on any previous inspection, or any actual knowledge of the MOT test, merely that someone they trust says it ought to pass. When it fails, they naturally assume that we’re making it up. It only ever takes a quick look up on the ramp to show them what’s wrong, and the next thing, they’re on their mobile phones in reception calling ‘uncle Bob’ and letting him know exactly how good his opinion was!

So, when something fails that potentially very expensive, often the shock can be enough to cause distress and tears. This is when I try my best to help them out. As an example, lets imagine that an elderly (1995) Ford Galaxy has failed on the ABS brake warning light not extinguishing. We’ll plug in our trusty Omitec diagnostic device and it shows that the ABS Pump/Module is faulty. Bearing in mind that a 14 year old Galaxy is only worth £1000, the price from Ford for a new ABS unit is an eye-watering (literally) £850 + VAT, the poor owner gets a quote of almost the entire value of the car to get it through the MOT. No wonder they’re upset! Here’s where the wonder of the internet comes in.  A quick search on eBay finds a used ABS unit, already removed from a similar-aged Galaxy and on offer with a BUY IT NOW price of £50 plus another £10 for postage and packing. That means that we can get their Galaxy back on the road for less that £200 instead of £1000, so the owner’s tears will soon turn to those of joy and thanks (well, you get the message).

eBay often comes to the rescue for wheels (a buckled alloy can fail the MOT) and at £140 for one 17″ Laguna wheel, £35 for a used one is a bargain. Yesterday, a Ford Focus exhaust manifold/downpipe was £167 + VAT from Ford, but in 5 minutes, I’d found a brand-new ‘pattern’ part for £78. Suspension arm for a Toyota Previa? £200 from Toyota or £54 for a Japanese copy from one of the leading eBay import shops. All of these things are actually easier to buy than phoning our normal supplier. Just click ‘Buy It Now’ and pay with our company PayPal account. More often than not, the parts will arrive in the next morning’s post and the car will be back on the road by the end of the day.

Sometimes though, even eBay can’t help as the car has failed on something so terrible that spending a fortune is inevitable. Ever fancied buying a 1996 Ford Fiesta? Well, if you do, have a good ‘prod’ underneath with a screwdriver first as these are just about the rustiest cars known to man at the moment. That gleaming Fiesta that you bought last year with a ‘fresh MOT’ from a dodgy-looking trader that insisted on meeting you in a car park at night when you handed-over the cash and only had a mobile number, might not have been all it should. Come the time for its first ‘proper’ MOT, don’t be surprised if the tester ends up sweeping most of your car off his ramp after the test. Some of these are just so bad that it takes a whole day of welding patches onto the underside just to get rid of all the holes and make it vaguely roadworthy again.

One word of advice to any potential lady customers that have a car likely to fail the MOT miserably and require great expenditure. I suggest booking it for a test in the morning, during the week. That way, I won’t be in reception to deal with it and June, our friendly receptionist can offer her tissues and sympathy instead – she’s much more experienced at these things!

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