Are MOTs less strict?

[SunEye]

I have just been handed down my mum's old car. It is a VW Polo registered in 2005. When checking the car over I noticed that the rear brake discs are scored.

From looking at the old MOT certificates the scored rear discs were noted as an advisory in 2009 at 16,511 miles and then in 2010 and 2011, but not in 2012 (21,231 miles).

My Ford Mondeo has previously had an MOT advisory for the rear brake lines, but not in 2012.

Have MOTs become less strict recently?

[Zak]

No, definitely not.

It's down to the mechanic that does the tests, some have less scruples than others and some are just rubbish. I always wait and watch my bike being mot'd, that way I know if it's done right, if there is something wrong with any of my bikes then I want to know.

Having said that I've been using the same garage for years and trust them totally.

[FLATTOP]

An MOT is just like going to the dentist its an opinion you will never get the same results dentist or MOT.

[Nickj]

An MOT is a bit like a random snapshot taken by many people using the same complex camera. They all probably use it differently and the results are all different. It's also only really valid at the time it's performed
It's not an indicator of something being safe or unsafe, just that certain items can be ticked off on the checkbox, if you want to know that your bike is safe then you are best advised to check yourself on a regular basis.

Big arguement I had with a tester on a car MOT .. Got a fail for damaged sills on a car with a central tubular backbone chassis ... hmmmm