Car broken right after MOT

[James Bourne]

Advice please. 2013 focus that has done10k in the last year on long journeys and short, without missing a beat. Had an MOT and passed yesterday. Only 1 advisory, coolant leak somewhere. Within 24 hrs, on a short journey, car overheated due to no coolant. Head gasket blown and the engine needs replacing! The garage are a good bunch, and say that they didn't touch anything, but surely, this is too much of a coincidence. They have given us a courtesy car but I'm pretty sure they will not volunteer to replace the engine - what can I do?

[echat11]

Hi James Bourne

That sounds very suspicious, all very convenient. I take it was a annually scheduled MOT? Did they offer to check the motor for the 'coolant leak'?

[CharlieP]

Because of the advisory, did you check the coolant level in the expansion tank (where you top up the coolant)? As part of an MOT test, other than to check security of the exhaust, wheel bearings, steering play and suspension bushes, everything is visual so it's unlikely to be the fault of the tester, just coincidental. It's the same with an oil leak, they would advise you that visually there is an oil leak but not necessarily from exactly where (because it's not obvious) and they wouldn't check your oil level. That's up to you. If you carried on driving and the engine had no oil you'd wreck the engine. The same with coolant.

[echat11]

Because of the advisory, did you check the coolant level in the expansion tank (where you top up the coolant)? As part of an MOT test, other than to check security of the exhaust, wheel bearings, steering play and suspension bushes, everything is visual so it's unlikely to be the fault of the tester, just coincidental. It's the same with an oil leak, they would advise you that visually there is an oil leak but not necessarily from exactly where (because it's not obvious) and they wouldn't check your oil level. That's up to you. If you carried on driving and the engine had no oil you'd wreck the engine. The same with coolant.

I think the OP is saying that it's not a 'coincidence', although the garage is saying they didn't do anything.

[CharlieP]

I was just pointing out that the car may well have had little to no coolant in it at the time of the MOT. Fluid levels are not part of an MOT. Antifreeze leaves a white deposit when it's leaked onto hot surfaces and this probably was the reason for the advisory.

[des8]

I must be old school as I check oil and water before the start of first journey of the day