Now here's summat to ponder. I bought a cosmetically immaculate V6 this month with a 3 month old 100% clear MOT and 1500 miles added since, so I didn't bother to peer underneath. Being a cautious so and so - I dropped it into my local MOT garage who've looked after my Tourer for the past 5 years. They immediately declared it unsafe and too dangerous to drive as they had found:
- a two inch split in the front tyre inner wall, marked up but ignored
- brake fluid seeping from both central pipes
- both rear brake pipes badly corroded
- leaking front shock absorber
- split in front drop link boot
- broken rear spring
- rear caliper springs both missing
- horn not working
- And what should have been two advisories of near limit tyres.
All of these faults with possible exception of the rear spring and missing caliper springs would have been readily spotted by any member reading this forum, let alone a qualified MOT tester.
Now I've been driving for nearly 60 years - never had an accident - but I don't know whether I could handle a front tyre blow-out at 70mph - and don't wish to put it to the test.
Friday I got on to the Essex MOT garage and have sent them photographic evidence - and I have a boot-full of corroded brake pipes.
So how did this car ever get an unqualified pass? Did it ever see the ramp?
You may have heard last week that a driver was jailed after a tyre blow out caused her to kill a passer-by; and she then committed suicide. That could have been me - or the previous owner.
Your thoughts awaited.
Dave