[steamship]

Originally Posted by Djinny

If it really annoys you you could still address the examiner directly without involving the MOT station. That ought to be commensurate.

Official complaints have the potential to harm the material existence of that examiner and you don't want that, do you? Just for not having a proper look at a car which looked well maintained?

Strangely enough Vera, I never actually thought of speaking to the tester directly. Probably because it's a government body tied up with red tape, and might be seen as a 'no-no'. I've already decided against the formal 'complaint' procedure, for the reasons you mention.

Originally Posted by MikkiJayne

Well maintained is probably the key ^. In my experience if a car is presented well (clean and tidy) and has obviously been looked after then the examiner is less inclined to pick it apart and the test goes quite quickly. On the other hand, if you turn up in a rotten filthy farm truck then they will go through it minute detail.

Ironically, the car wasn't clean and tidy, but that's all down to health issues. Clean, but not Audi A8 clean!

As as aside, my brother (a bricklayer) has an old Toyota Avensis and an old Toyota Hiace van. Both have over 250,000 miles and wouldn't look out of place in a scrapyard, but somehow they have never failed a MOT. Can't fathom how that works out.