Me and my mate have just spent the last two weeks, in this wonderful heatwave we've been recently having sorting out his NEW Elite, to get her ready for the Mot.

The list done on his otherwise pretty straight and nice '98 Elite is...
New taillamp
1 headlight (duff adjuster, as always!)
Freed off sticky brake caliper, plus all others now moving nice and freely
Good 2nd hand exhaust
Total replacement of scratched switchgear, various other bits interior trim.

So we've not been lazy, as you see. She failed (oh well) on a few bits, easy remedy. Was outside (yes, OUTSIDE) in hail and slush for 5 hours replacing bits. She failed on...

-Couple of bulbs
-Balljoint n/s
-Play in o/s wishbone bush
-Handbrake
-Very bottom of 1 rear spring cracked

Odd it failed on a balljoint as the wishbone had only been on for two months before we bought the car! The MoT guy showed him the wheel wobble (small knocking at 12and6 with roadwheel fitted) Few days later I came round and he and I found the wheel wobble was NOT the balljoint, but the hub-bearings. This being proven by popping the balljoint out, and clearly the brake disc still knocked/wobbled.

We promptly spent two days outside (again, joy!) fitting new hubs, new o/s wishbone (faulty bush). There is now NO wheel wobble n/s or o/s. Upon returning a week later to the Mot place, the guy promtly failed it AGAIN saying "you've not done that balljoint" when my mate explained that he knew that, we had cured the wobble, though it wasnt the balljoint, but the bearing; he just said "theres still some play"

This is just not the case, and he especially feels that he's been taken for a bit of a ride, I certainly feel that all our hard work has been for nought. He doesnt have the money to go chucking at the car, he got it because I told him Omegas are reliable, don't cost a lot to keep going!

The issue is, of course not cost of a ball joint, a QH one is 12quid, but the principle of the matter- shelling out another 45pounds he shouldn't need to, and the fact Mr. MoT wasnt really doing his job properly by saying the wheel wobble was balljoint, when it was hub.

So where does he stand? If we'd replaced the balljoint, but not hub, the play would still have been there, and it would surely have failed again 'on a balljoint', if he replaced the balljoint with new tomorrow, this wouldnt/wont improve the car one iota, as there ISN'T any play there in the first place. I really do think it's a case of Mr.Mot not waning to be proven wrong, so he's seeing play where there is none. If we'd cleaned up the wishbone/balljoint, made it look like a different one, I am certain he would have passed her on the spot.

Just imagine how you'd feel after a fortnight of working in the freezing cold to be told you're work isn't up to minimum legal standard. I am not happy. Not anywhere near! 

Tell him the facts, then tell himyou are going to excercise your right of appeal.

OOH THANKYOU! ! ! ! ! THANKYOU FELLOW OOFERS!


I have everyone around me telling me "well, what can you do? Pay up and look happy" I'm sorry, but I/he can't. I know its not strictly speaking my problem, its my mates car/mates problem, but I just feel so 'part of' this project, I want to see him right. The posterior of it all is that one of the guys who works at the mot place also breaks Omegas - he sold us a load of the bits! Im going to ring him tomorrow, find out his opinion on it all.

I dont know if the tester thought we were just having a laugh by not bothering to change the balljoint. If someone knocked at your door and asked for 70quid, you'd tell them where to go. This is exactly what Mr Mot is doing, he has no moral (tho probably legal) right to do this.

How about we put the old wobbly hub/bearing back in, and a brand new genuine Vx balljoint - he MUST then surely pass it, yes?  After all the problem MUST be cured, as we've put a new balljoint in, hurray!! 

Is it a one man band, cna you not get a second opinion off the owner or another mechanic there?

You do have the right to appeal.

Is there any play left ?

Thanks for your comments, glad my opinions are not in the minority.

The current situation is...

Have rung the Omega breaker guy I know, who also happens to work at MoT place. I have hammered out a preliminary kind of deal. He is willing to give us an old wishbone, complete with decent ball joint for free, if it helps. As the retest didnt go though the computer, and he is still within his 10 working days of the initial MoT, he is going to do us a retest himself, no charge. If he sees fit that the balljoint is a bit iffy, then he's happy for us to give him our word of honour that it will be changed (and it will, he knows we're not trying to pull any wool over anyone's eyes)

On the other hand, if he can't find any play in said balljoint, well obviously he's happy to pass it there and then.

Im not going to start slaggin anyone off, I do think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding, but the Omega breaker bloke has been nothing but helpful, and can see our point of view, and knows we've been grafting, trying to keep another Omega on the road. 


So.... I think I've done good. I think I've saved my mate 25 for a balljoint/50 for a wishbone, and 45 for a retest. There's not a lot left in the budget, so thats 70quid which can be better spent on oil, filters, nice new coolant and maybe a working rear blind 

Fingers crossed

neilr wrote on 01. Dec 2010 at 16:31:

That is my suggestion.  If you are still within your retest period then go to a VOSA station and get it redone.  If it passes - without additional work - then lodge a complaint regarding initial tester.  You may not be the only one doing so...

TheBoy wrote on 01. Dec 2010 at 18:41:

Lazydocker wrote on 01. Dec 2010 at 18:45:


Bet that hurt........