Car has a clean MOT but I found a defect
Buyers often discover active leaks or visible damage immediately after receiving full assurances of a clean bill of health. Inspectors sometimes gloss over these issues for a quick sale, or mechanics dismiss them as problems that will sort themselves out over time. This leaves owners unsure if they should trust the inspection or push for a replacement.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Car has a clean MOT but I found a defect
- 1Raising the issue with the selling garage to demand a repair under the provided warranty.Did this help you?
- 2Running a fingernail over the flaw to check if it catches or forms a grooveDid this help you?
- 3Testing the equipment under moderate use to check for noise or uneven wearDid this help you?
- 4Pushing the repair shop to replace the part at their own expenseDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just ran my finger over it, I barely feel it and it doesn’t catch my fingernail. I noticed it when I got home, called the mechanic and he said it should amount itself out with time. Should o push him to replace?”source ↗
“Had breaks and rotors changed on a Yukon and saw this line when I got home. Mechanic said it’s fine. What do you think? It breaks fine.”source ↗
“It’s actively leaking brake fluid. This is a shame since I bought the car with full assurances that it had a clean bill of health, fully clean MOT, and that it had a full service…”source ↗
“See my thought process is that it would have come up as an advisory during the MOT because it should be a clean bill of health for the full 12 months - so I’m concerned it was glossed over for the sake of a quick sale.”source ↗