MOT

A month ago I took my Minor for its MOT. It was the first time I'd ever MOT'd a classic car, and it didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped.

I have put a car through an MOT before though, so before I prattle on about how my car fared in the MOT station, I have some advice about taking a classic car for an MOT or service at a garage. This also applies at a lesser extent to cars in general. Here are the tips I have learned along the way:

1. When choosing a garage, use this website:
http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/
The Good Garage Scheme does exactly what it says on the tin; it is a list of trustworthy car garages that you can use to find a local garage that (hopefully) won't rip you off and will do a good job. Garages that are part of the scheme have to adhere to a strict code of conduct from the scheme, who will also conduct random investigations to make sure they behave. Customers can also rate them independently on the website. This website is indispensable when looking for an independent garage.

2. Choose a garage that prices by the job, not by the hour. This is not always easy to do or even possible, depending on where you live, but if you can do so, it can potentially save you a lot of money, and also speaks volumes about the garage's reputation. With a garage that prices by the job, they will discuss the price of the repair with you beforehand, and make an agreement with you. It then doesn't matter if the job takes 1 hour, 3 hours, or a day; the price will stay the same. Garages that price by the hour sometimes try and lure you in with low hourly rates, but they can end up deliberately wasting hours of time on a job and charging you for the privilege. This is not to say that all garages that price by the hour are unscrupulous or dishonest, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

3. Make sure the mechanics know that you know your car. Or, at least, if you don't know your car that well, make them think that you do. If they think that you are knowledgeable about your car, they are far less likely to try and take advantage of you, and this can save money. Furthermore, if you suggest that, once problems arise, you are prepared to go home and fix them yourself, you might find the price they offer for the garage to do the repair is rather less than you were expecting. If you do the repair yourself, obviously the garage makes no money from that, so it is therefore in their interests to persuade you to pay them to do the repair; bringing the price of the work down is the obvious thing to do.

4. Make the mechanic's job easier. If there is something wrong with your car, and you take it in to get it fixed, try and gather as much information about the problem as possible, so that when you arrive at the garage, you can tell the mechanic straight away what the problem is, which will save him/her spending valuable time trying to diagnose the problem for themselves. This is something they will definitely appreciate, and it also contributes to the impression that you know the insides of your car. Another point; if your car needs replacement parts (such as mine did) it is very unlikely that the garage will have them in stock, unless it is something generic like tyres or wiper blades. If you've brought in a classic car, the problem is greater, as the mechanics will not have the faintest idea where parts can be purchased from, or even if they are available. So, offer to buy the parts and bring them in yourself, and be as quick as you can about it. They will appreciate you doing the legwork for them, and it will also stop them charging a markup on the price of the parts.

Now that I've passed on my wisdom regarding garages, here's how my car got on with its MOT.

My car only had one major problem that I knew would have to be fixed for it to pass; the exhaust leak. I've posted about it before being fixed, but it just kept coming back, so I decided to turn it over to the professionals. The garage carried out the MOT first so that any and all problems that arose afterwards. Aside from the obvious blow in the exhaust, the mechanic also found a split in the driver's side steering rack boot; this is a round tube of stretchy, accordion-like rubber that slips over the end of the steering rack and stops the oil inside leaking out. A split in one could potentially compromise the operation of the steering, and is therefore a failure in an MOT. At first it looked like the boot would have to be changed, the procedure for which is doable at home, provided you have sufficient time and the right tools, which I, unfortunately, did not have. The garage would have charged £20 for this, plus another £5 for me to buy the replacement boot. Later, when the car was put up on a lift and the mechanic was able to inspect the boot from below, he was able to repair the split using some industrial sealant; only charged me £5. Splendid. 

However, my good luck ran out after that. When the mechanic attempted to repair the leaking exhaust, he discovered that there was now a split in the top of the exhaust pipe, meaning that attempting to repair the leak was futile. Because the exhaust pipe on a Minor is a one-piece system, I now had to replace the whole pipe. Modern cars have their exhaust systems divided into two or three separate pieces. This not only makes they easier to transport, but if a split or damage occurs on the pipe, only that section has to be replaced, not the whole thing.
I could have bought another standard, mild steel exhaust system like the one on the car; only about £40 brand new. However, having seen the lack of quality of my current mild steel exhaust, I was not really keen on replacing like for like. I actually have the receipt for the old exhaust in my service history. It was fitted in 2000. 12 years is a semi-reasonable lifespan for an exhaust, particularly on a car which did not cover a great deal of miles in that time. However, I wanted something better.

I had a look through some Morris Minor parts stores online, and I found that you can also buy a stainless steel exhaust system. This costs just over £100, well over twice the price of the mild steel system, however:
1. It is made out of a thicker gauge of steel than the mild system, so is therefore tougher.
2. Stainless steel does not rust, at all.
3. It has a slightly different shaped bend in the downpipe near the front of the exhaust, which allows it to clear the bulkhead of the car much more easily; no more pesky knocking.
4. The store I bought it from offer a lifetime guarantee on the system, meaning that if it does break during normal use, I will get a replacement for free.

After ordering in the stainless exhaust, I took it to the garage to have it fitted, and my MOT was then issued. I accrued four advisories:
1. Engine oil leak (well, naturally)
2. Tyres slightly worn (but still with plenty of miles on them; don't know why this was listed to be honest)
3. Front suspension bushes slightly perished (news to me)
4. Slight patches of corrosion on the underside of the car (You don't say?)

At some point I shall buy some new suspension bushes and fit them, along with some new steering rack boots on both sides to stop the same problem cropping up again at the next MOT. However, I am pleased with my shiny new exhaust, and even more pleased that my car is now on the road for another year with very little in the way of advisories.