Hi - I bought a car (private sale) yesterday and i think the brand new MOT might not be worth the paper its wtitten on.

When i went to view the car (described as being showroom condition and faultless) it had run out of MOT - The seller had thought there was at least 4 month MOT on the car previous to realising it had run out, but at this point i was on my way to view the car.

With the situation being as it was (No tax and no MOT) i was unable to test drive the car. I had a look around the car and ran it upto temperature. The owner assured me that it rode, stopped, steered and changed gear exactly as it should - So, i informed the seller, that based on that information being correct and the car having a new MOT with minimal advisories. I would buy the car.

The following day (yesterday) i was informed that the car had passed its MOT with flying colours and no advisories.... So i honored my end of the deal and payed for and picked up the car.

My drive home wasn't as smooth as i thought it might be (literally) as the suspension made some very alarming crashing and banging noises and the steering seemed a bit 'off' - Jaguars definitly dont ride and handle like that!!! With the car having a fresh MOT i figured it cant be to serious... perhaps some minor suspension part thats not checked on the MOT that is causing such exaggerated noises?? However.... having driven the car home yesterday and left it. Today i went out and gave the car a bit of a clean - And even just doing this i discover a few things that (i would imagine) would fail and MOT or at least be advisories.... the two most significant being perished and cracking tyre side walls (on two tyres) and a rust hole on the cars inner sill/floor pan - that i can stick two fingers through!!!

So.... I have no faith in the MOT and now feel that the front suspension could have some serious defects.

My plan is this:

Give the car two my local garage whom i have no affiliation with, other than i rely on them to do all my MOT's as they have a really good reputation (i frequently travel with two young children) - Have them perform an MOT and then contact the garage who did the original MOT, to rectify all the work.

If they decline to take responsibility then i will contact VOSA?

I have some question though about advisories....

lets say the car fails on several items (and the garage will fix them) but has a list of advisories as long as my arm and potentially very costly at the time of next MOT.... where do i stand. After all, i would not have bought the car if they were listed on the current MOT.

This car has been purchased primarily for my wife, who has at least 3 return trips to Sheffield (with the kids) to do, before Christmas and as i write this, i wouldn't trust the car to be driven 10 miles, never mind from Brighton to Sheffield and back.

Thanks in advance

 

Hmm sorry to hear.

Imo and from past experience I'd say you're right on the money.

Get it tested asap and anything it fails on, report back to the original testing station to advise, stating that you want it fixed at their cost OR you WILL be contacting VOSA immediately.

IF they are any sortg of legitimate business this is likely to put the fear of god into them and get the desired result......here's hoping for your sake.

Goos luck and hope to hear

 

Stink. I'm sorry this purchase isn't working out as planned. I obviously have no knowledge about your advisory question in your country, but your idea about how to proceed sounds reasonable. In my neck of the woods, there is very little recourse for purchasing a used car from a private seller. They are considered 'as is', and if you buy a pile of cr*p, you end up with a pile of cr*p… Buying from a dealer is perhaps a bit different. Best of luck!!

Scott

 

I bought a car several years ago for the boys, a small Renault Clio in a private sale with a very fresh MOT on it, no advisories.

It turns out there were issues after all, I did exactly as described by contacting the original testing station and they were only too happy to fix the faults at their cost, rather than me going to VOSA.

 

Thanks for the feedback chaps..... I have taken the car to my local garage today and asked them to an MOT - Nothing more than they would normally do, and go from there.

I put the same post as i did here, on a consumer forum - and you wouldn't believe the response i received. You would think most people think a Jaguar is nothing more than a driveway ornament.

Dodgy MOT?? - MoneySavingExpert.com Forums

 

As an outsider colonial looking in, I find the annual MOT test system in the UK a little unusual to start with, but I'm amazed that a person would put faith in it when buying a car.

There's no substitute for a personal inspection and road test.

 

I know it will be small consolation, Richard, but I don't think you made such a bad choice of cars. You were as informed as anyone can be, and the car came with a few surprises. Every old car I've purchased has come with the same. And I don't agree with the assessments of the XJ40 on the other thread. The early ones were perhaps weak, and probably most of these cars have been neglected and have since been scrapped. But I've owned two and still have one, finding them both to be absolute tanks. In fact, I still keep one eye open for a good clean later-model '40 to replace my x308… Hopefully, you have to get a couple things refurbished, clean up one rust hole (in the most common area!) and you have a great low-mileage car that will serve you well for years to come.

Let us know how the inspection goes!

Cheers,
Scott

 

Ok, so i had the car re-inspected and the second MOT inspector informed me of the following....

There was excessive play (up and down) with the front shocks, but in his opinion could have justifiably slipped through the net.

The Hole in the sill, was likely caused by the mot inspector prodding a poking around... The area is not structural and there has been a repair done (from the inside). However - The MOT inspector really should have mentioned this as an advisory, for so other reason, than the hole/cavity he had created would fill with water/salt/mud and cause corrosion that otherwise would have been avoided.

However, there was some damage to the very inside of the rear nearside tyre and the inside tyrewall, that the MOT tester felt was completely inexcusable for being missed and was an MOT fail!! MOT tester said it was so bad that it needed changing immediately - However the almost brand new spare had a bloody great big puncture hole in one of the tread blocks.

Everything this else on the car was good and the MOT tester commented that it was probably the 'most together' XJ40 they had tested

I have decided to take the suspension issue 'on the chin' and have the car booked in, to have the front shock absorber 'top bushes' replaced - a fairly common issue as i'm sure you're all aware.

I am going to have the hole welded and the previous repair tidied up to a more aesthetic standard.

As for the rear tyre - I phoned the chap who did the previous MOT and he was appologetic and offered to source a new tyre. The problem here though (and i fully apreciate this is not the MOT testers concern) Is that my car has matching Pirelli P4000 225/65/15" tyres and you cant buy them anymore.

So, i took the punctured spare to my local tyre centre and they (luckily) informed me that the tyre could easily be repaired due to the location of the puncture - I'll use the new tyre as my spare.