MOT due !

[kickstart 1]

My car is due to go in Friday for its MOT , while its there what should i get them to check/change/service ? Are there things that need doing every 12 months ? Its a diesel engine. Any advice guys?

[J4MES]

When was it last serviced? If it's due why not get them done together? They'll check all the aspects of a car which make it roadworthy.

[Howard]

Get them to change whatever causes it to fail the MOT

When was it last serviced? (Oil change etc). Generally speaking if the body/engine, suspension etc is sound, and all the lights work (!) then the only other thing is emissions


Edit: jay four mes you're too quick for me

[kickstart 1]

I thought it might need ..filters? cam belt? oil change ?

[Howard]

It'll get those when it's serviced (Except cambelt.... What car is it, how old and how many miles has it done?) so if it hasn't been serviced for a while, book it in at the same time as it's MOT

[kickstart 1]

Ok next question . 'How much is a service' ? I know it will vary but an approx please .

[fat jez]

What's the car? I was quoted about £200 for a major service on a petrol Ford Focus.

Cheers,
Stephen

[J4MES]

you'll pay for parts + labour + VAT. Only one of those is a constant (that's right - labour.. it'll always cost more than you thought )

parts for a minor service vary between car makes/models and the garage/dealer conducting the service.. ~£30-60ish
Labour varies garage to garage, anywhere between £20-£50 per hour
The time it takes will vary too - three to 5 hours?
VAT = 17.5% clearly

So..

It varies; could be as little as £80, could be four times that amount

What car is it (french diesel iirc) and where are you?

[J4MES]

(My last service cost four figures, but it needed a full service, timing belt, 4 tyres, 4 disks, 8 pads and 2 subframe mounts. Ouchy.)

[J4MES]

Edit: jay four mes you're too quick for me

that's what her indoors keeps saying... i'm just a really quick kinda guy

[Mossy]

just get changed what needs doing eg if it fails on brakes then get a quote, an MOT tests the roadworthyness and safety of your car they tend to point out things that need changing and may need changing soon. Sometimes retests (MOT) are free :=-)


Edit : WOo 500 posts

[kickstart 1]

Yeah guys i know all about the MOT stuff , but was told iirc that you should have things like filters changed every 12 months on a diesel ?

[J4MES]

OK, so any/every (ok, most) car(s) is/are due a service at the 12 month or specified mileage point. The following needs changing (in order) Oil, Oil filter, Air Filter, (don't bother with the glow plugs unless it's not starting proper good like), coolant, brake fluid (pads/disks if worn), gearbox oil, p/steering fluid, cambelt, tyres, etc.

As a rule, get an 'oil service' which is cheap and gets the minimum done

good luck

[kickstart 1]

Thanks J4MES !!! thats exactly what i was after !!

[mcmiller]

grr i just had my mot done yesterday and im rathered annoyed to say the least, i brought it from the car mechanic who works on my dads car and his friend said hes a decent fella who wont rip you off, off.
The car failed on 6 things one of the front headlights was to low the other was to high, rear tyre was cut to excess and front suspension arm rubbish was deteriorated, but what im really annoyed about was the rear brake pipe was excessively corroded and covered in grease to hide it, steve the car mechanic was the last person to have it mot'd, he got it done before i brought it, so i reckon he slapped aload of grease over to hide it and get it through

[SilentDeath]

Obviously I havent seen it, but the failed stuff isnt major... with brake pipes being the worst part to fix which is mostly labour cost. I will possibly be doing mine sometime soon, Ive been quoted £10 each for the pipes (not sure if I will need more than one) made up exactly the same as the old ones - only problem is they need the old ones as a template, and with the inlet manifold bolted in there, not much space to play with..

You should check the tyres yourself before you go for an mot