MOT due, where to go?

[Mackie]

It’s coming up to MOT time. Do you guys take your cars to Jaguar friendly places or just go anywhere?

[steve_m]

Swing the lantern a bit here.
Took a Subaru for an Mot to 'A Place'.
It passed.
Bloody hell I thought, I'll take the XJR-s there too as it was due at the same time.
It passed!
Awesome.
3 weeks later I put the Jag in for some work and the guy was a bit worried about it so had it re-MOT'd.
Condemned (as in illegal to drive it on the road) as dangerous; inefficient brakes, massive corrosion on the front subframe (think Swiss cheese with extra holes) so it was basically a death trap.
The same standards apply to all MOT stations.
Allegedly.
Decide what standard of MOT that you want.

[franrca]

Completely agree with Steve - standards are different - many years ago I naively took my previous XJS to JD Classics for an MOT and Service...I say naively as I didn't realise how expensive it would be...doh! Anyway, it passed and they said it was a good example etc. Soon after I took the car to another local specialist garage to do some light bodywork and they advised me that my car would't have passed an MOT test with them due to a rusty hole in the engine bay that was out of sight...they may have been exaggerating, but it did make me think about all MOTs maybe not all being the same...I'd only take it to be MOT'd now at somewhere I trust...thankfully I've finally found a place I do.

I do remember years ago a friend taking his Scirocco for an MOT at lunch time during work. He left it parked down the road from the garage in a certain spot and when he came back it was in exactly the same spot with a pass...he always wondered if it had even moved...

[davidr]

Whilst I want to be sure that my car is inspected properly I also want it to be looked at by someone who understands it and doesn't give me advisories out of ignorance. For example, an XJS should have a small amount of movement in the wheel bearings when it's cold. Most MOT stations will be used to more modern cars with cartridge bearings where there won't be any movement until the wheel is about to fall off!
So a mix of rigour and sympathy is my goal.
I would call your local Jaguar specialist and see who they recommend.

[PaulGover]

I've taken my modern Jaguars to the local agent, and it turns out they take them to another garage for MOTs as they don't have a qualified tester. I've stopped taking my old one to the agent, as they no longer have skills in 1990's cars; I use a local MOT man on the industrial estate. They do work on vans, cars, old stuff. It usually passes, but it has failed, and the problem was correctly identified.

Of course, an MOT for a modern Jaguar is pretty useless, as they're not allowed to remove the underbody trays to get at most of it. I sometimes wonder if I should remove them before taking it for MOT.

[poprivet]

My local garage, run by a lovely couple, do my MOTs. He understands the car having done it for many years and also knows that I can be relied on to pick up on any advice and keep the car in good order.

He is fair but firm which is how it should be, I don't want to drive a car that has a potential fault just because the tester may be 'friendly', I respect that if something isn't right it needs sorting.

Along with the daily grind of abused euro-boxes and rotting farm pick-ups I thing he rather looks forward to seeing the Jag.

[ng4xjs]

I think I take the view on this that the MOT inspection is confirmation that I am looking after my car in a good sensible safe manner. It's a good thing to have the reassurance that someone else confirms this to be so. I want my MOT inspector to be fair and to have a proper understanding of how are cars are put together and meant to work.

Nick

[Mackie]

In the end I took it to The Jag Workshop who have been looking after the car since I bought it. Handbrake needed sorting, but it passed today.