Mechanic warns 'advisories are important' and urges drivers to fix minor faults after MOT
A motoring expert has urged drivers to always look at their vehicle's advisories following an MOT test before they turn into more serious faults.
A popular mechanic has taken to TikTok to warn drivers of the importance of checking if their vehicle has any advisories after an MOT test.
Craig Cox is a mechanic at Walsall Wood Tyre & Service and regularly posts videos to the company's TikTok page giving tips to help drivers reduce their motoring bills and avoid serious issues.
In a recent video, Craig responds to a viewer who asked if MOT advisories are important, stating that they should always be taken seriously.
He advised: "Of course they're important. The MOT [advisory] scheme has changed a lot, you now have dangerous faults, major faults, minor faults and advisories. But just because they are laid out this way doesn't mean that advisories are any less important than major or minor faults.
"These are items that a tester has spotted that are of concern. They may not be dangerous enough for the car to fail, but they have caught the tester's attention, and they have recorded it on the MOT to let you know about it."
In the video, Craig explained that MOT testers use four different categories for defects, based on the severity of the issue.
Whilst dangerous, major and minor faults will be enough for the vehicle to fail, advisories are less serious issues that the tester is raising awareness of.
As a result, it is important for motorists to try and resolve the issue before it can develop into a more serious fault that could cause the vehicle to fail its next MOT.
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Later in the video, Craig encouraged drivers to always check any advisories their car has received and talk to a mechanic about how they can be resolved.
He added: "What you choose to do with advisories is entirely up to you. There are many cars we test that seem to have the same advisories repeatedly for years, but they don't get any worse. There are other cars that can come back and it's now failing on an advisory last year because the customer didn't read them.
"It's certainly at least worth having a read-through and, if you're in any doubt, pop down to your local garage, have a chat with a local MOT tester and ask them what they would be most concerned about to do first if you don't plan to resolve them all at once."
Typically, the most common MOT advisories highlight components that will need to be replaced soon, such as tyres and brake pads.
In addition, problems such as rust and bodywork damage could be raised to the driver before they develop into more serious faults.
However, it is also possible to receive an advisory for having a dirty vehicle, an issue which could make inspecting some elements of the vehicle much more difficult.