General: MOT Advisory because it was raining!

[capt jack]

My S90 passed its MOT today with two advisory notes. The first is one I’d expected - the OSF tyre is bit worn on the inner shoulder, but still comfortably legal. So far so good, considering the car is nearly 24 years old.

The second has really got me puzzled: “Vehicle tested under wet conditions”!

Can someone please explain how on earth the fact that it was raining today has any bearing on the structural and mechanical integrity and safety of a car?

Our S70 was tested on a blisteringly hot day in July, but the Pass certificate didn’t include a weather report.

I take the MOT seriously, and regard a good record as being an indicator of how well a car has been looked after through its life. It’s disappointing to get an advisory like this.

Has anyone else ever seen this before?

Jack

[Dippydog]

Only thing I can think of is that the tester was covering himself in case there are/were any leaks he couldn't spot due to the underside being wet.I'm sure one of our M.o.T. tester chappies will be along soon to enlighten us.

[andy_d]

Advisory notes are given at the discretion of the tester, and as this is a "note" that does not relate To the car or its condition, you could check with DVSA as to What it means if anything , the only one who Could say Why it is there is that MOT tester.
tbh sounds like you got a "jobsworth" on a Bad day who wanted to Totally cover his rear end for Anything / everything that could drip from the car.

I have had Many MOT's over the years, in wet/dry and Never seen Any ref to the weather/the car being wet.

[cheshired5]

I've had advisories for coverings obscuring the engine or something like that. Basically the standard engine cover and undertray and most of my MOTs completely ignore them.

I think some testers wants to give the impression that they know the most obscure rules in the manual.

[capt jack]

I'm not sure it's because the tester could or couldn't see any fluid leaks. Surely they can't change the Pass/Fail criteria for something as stringent as the MOT just because of the weather.

Does than mean that if you've got a car with a bad brake fluid leak and a smokey exhaust it'll be best to get it tested on a wet and windy day? The rainwater will hide the fluid leak, and the wind will blow away the smoke!

So just for fun I've written to the DVSA to ask them how I go about the "monitor and repair (if necessary)" of a wet car, and why this should amount to an MOT advisory.

I'll be intrigued to see the response.

Jack

[Spike56]

It was once explained that the tester could not see oil leakage on shock absorbers or from the gearbox/engine.

[Derek UK]

Any advisory I have seen has been prefaced by a section number and page number from the MOT manual. I don't think that they can make up things for themselves to make an advisory. There just might be a Miscellaneous section that allows a tester to make a personal note but it would have to be something that isn't otherwise listed?
S90 wear to inside of tread, check toe-in.

[capt jack]

I'm not sure about the tester being unable to see fluid leaks.

A few years back my daughter bought a Mini Cooper from a BMW main dealer. They put it through the test before the sale went through and it failed because there was fluid leak from a shock absorber. Suitably fixed and re-tested my daughter bought what has turned out to be a really good car. Indeed, she still has it.

If it had been raining the time, or the garage had jet-washed the car a few minutes before the test and the shock absorber therefore wet with water, following the logic that the tester couldn't be sure what the leak actually was, he'd have been fine to pass the car - which would then have been seriously unroadworthy and dangerous to drive. Selling a car in that condition would have been a very serious matter for the dealer.

If you can't rely on the MOT to be fairly and consistently applied, then what is the point of even bothering with an annual safety test?

That surely makes a nonsense of the test. It'd be a free ride for anyone with a dodgy car simply to put the car through a car wash immediately before testing. Or better still, use a jet wash. Give everything underneath a good soaking and bingo, engine oil, brake fluid, gearbox oil and coolant leaks can't be seen and your bucket of bolts will sail through the MOT!

At the other extreme I once got any advisory on a windscreen wiper blade that didn't fully clear the screen, even though both blades were brand new. What had happened was that on arriving for the test I'd parked the car under some trees in the garage car park. A leaf had fallen off a tree and onto my windscreen. When the tester operated the wipers the leaf got caught under one of the blades and smeared the screen.

Interesting one. I'll be keen to see what the DVSA have to say.

Jack

[MDS40]

I feel for you.
I posted here 2 years ago about my advisory.
Vehicle underside wet at time of test. Of course it was, we had a foot of snow the day before. Crazy.

[Kev0607]

Now that does take the biscuit!

Another odd advisory that pops up regularly is "Under trays fitted obscuring some underside components". Yes, there's trays underneath the car to protect it from the elements. If there were no under trays, they'd probably give an advisory for not having any fitted! You can't win.

Its a shame that your vehicle got an advisory for something so tedious. Its not mechanical or structurally related, so I wouldn't be too concerned.