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Bought new car that passed MOT 3 days ago however..

I purchased a Mini Cooper S 2010 from a buy and sell type dealer. I checked the government website to make sure the MOT is what he said it was, and the only issue that was noted was an exhaust pipe leak. However the MOT previously in 2022 had some advisories such as:

- Central Front Power steering pipe/hose has slight seepage
- engine oil leak
- Offside Front Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement rear bush
- Coil spring corroded both rear and offside front
- Front Brake hose slightly deteriorated both sides
- Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material offside rear and both front.

The car guy said that all of this had been fixed hence passing the MOT. However I brought my car to a car wash today and the guy driving it in said my steering was much heavier than normal and said my power steering is possibly faulty. I know Cooper’s have heavier steering anyway but now I’m worried.

My car also overheats quite quickly which makes the fan turn on once I’m stationary again. (The temperature gauge doesn’t go past half which is reassuring but surely the fan shouldn’t be turning on all the time?)

Is there any way this MOT could’ve been faked and put on the gov website? As surely these advisories would’ve come up again… I’d just be so angry if I’m going to have to put like £2k worth of repairs into this car…

Reply 1

JohnB1

Hi there.

Please don't worry too much. Advisories are exactly that - they are areas to keep an eye on and don't require immediate attention. I have seen advisories raised one year and then not the next, when MOT'd by the same garage. Advisories may appear on an MOT for several years, as long as they don't progress to a level that they need addressing (e.g corrosion on brake discs).

You could always pay for another MOT with a different garage if you want some reassurance. Clearly if it does fail it will invalidate your current MOT.

Reply 2

Old Skool Freak

Hi,

Original post by jmljnva123

Hi,

An MOT only dictates the MINIUM standards a vehicle needs to comply to in order to be roadworthy in the UK. As the poster above said, Advisories are just things to make you aware of; but aren't actual failures in their current state... although they will eventually cause a failure if they're ignored for too long.

The car guy said that all of this had been fixed hence passing the MOT. However I brought my car to a car wash today and the guy driving it in said my steering was much heavier than normal and said my power steering is possibly faulty. I know Cooper’s have heavier steering anyway but now I’m worried.

Obviously you'll need to take it to a garage (I would recommend and independent specialist... any independent BMW garage will do, if you can't find a mini specialist), but it sounds like the power steering could be related to the Central front power steering hose seepage. Generally speaking, as long as you're aware of the fault (and can manage the heavier steering) power steering isn't normally too big an issue; though obviously get it looked at. and be careful / mindful on motorways.

My car also overheats quite quickly which makes the fan turn on once I’m stationary again. (The temperature gauge doesn’t go past half which is reassuring but surely the fan shouldn’t be turning on all the time?)

The temperature gauge should normally sit around the centre when you're driving; this is perfectly normal. In fact, you should avoid revving the engine when the temperature is cold, as this damages the engine and can wear it out prematurely (it should sit around the middle once the engine has been on for about 5-10 minutes).

When the car is moving (driven), cold air hits the engine bay helping regulate the engine temperature (that's what the vents on the front bonnet are for). When it's stationary, the cooler air isn't working as well /efficient so the engine gets hotter then (it's all to do with complicated rules of convection heat transfer... but I won't bore you with a physics lecture lol). The fan works on a thermostat basis so comes on when it's above a certain temperature, this is why the fans tend to come on when cars are stationary (you may have even notice fan come on when the car is parked if it's been used on a warm day).

On the dashboard, is there a yellow engine light on? If so, that's an indication of a more serious / significant fault. Also check when the car was last serviced.

Is there any way this MOT could’ve been faked and put on the gov website? As surely these advisories would’ve come up again… I’d just be so angry if I’m going to have to put like £2k worth of repairs into this car…

If it's listed on the website, then the MOT is 100% valid and you can legally drive your car. Having said that, it's possible they didn't do all those repairs on the advisory from last year. With most of the advisories, they're potential areas where it may fail the next year... but if the car hasn't been driven much (or driven very gently), then it's possible that those advisories were still acceptable to pass the MOT the next year.

If you feel you were mis-sold the car (and you feel it's unsafe / unroadworthy), you're within your rights to go back to the dealer and ask that they address them (check the warranty and what is / isn't covered though). This is one of the benefits of buying a car from a dealer... you can get better deals if you go private, but you don't have this right.

If the car was legit, I would get quotes and arrange to have all the work done before the next MOT is due... budget for each job, so you're not left with a hefty bill this time next year.. as long as there's nothing catastrophically bad, you can take a bit of time with this. If the car was blatantly unsafe to drive, I'm sure the guy driving your car would have said so... or just get it checked at a few (say 3-4) well known garages.

@StriderHort Any thoughts on this or the users scenario?

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 3

StriderHort

Original post by Old Skool Freak

@StriderHort Any thoughts on this or the users scenario?

Sorry just saw this, not much springs to mind that you didn't mention really.

As said, advisories don't affect whether the car passes the MOT or not, but if they have been addressed recently I'd want to see the invoices and parts receipts for those repairs, even if done at home - but a pro car seller trying to claim advisories 'must have' been fixed or it wouldn't pass would raise my suspicions a bit, assuming that isn't a misunderstanding.

You can certainly get different results from different garages & testers to an extent and some are more sympathetic than others. I have one garage I go to when I want everything stamped and done by the book, I have another I go to when I need a bit of flexibility. You can get 100% fake MOT's but it's nowhere as common as it was and far easier to trace back. My current car went for service not long after I bought it and my by the book mechanic mentioned a bit of subframe rust and a slight oil leak, when it went for MOT 10 months later they caught the subframe but not the oil at all *shrug* I've also seen MOTs totally miss that on one occasion I had a jammed/unusable seatbelt and another that my horn didn't work.. they evidently didn't bother checking everything required.

Personally I'd be wary of any modern BMW mini, they ruined and over engineered them IMO. OP have you checked all the liquid levels? like your power steering, coolant, oil, brakes? If it makes you feel any better all of those advisories put together shouldn't come to anywhere near 2k, not even 1 for new brake lines, hoses, coils and a pair of suspensions arms.