Top mounts

I recently bought a 2010 Vauxhall Corsa from an elderly gent who owned it from new. It has a mileage of only 21,000, full service history, and looks and drives like new, with no rattles or bangs. It has always been serviced and tested at Vauxhall main dealers.

My problem is that it was taken to my local garage for an MOT and failed on top suspension mounts, but it had only covered 800 miles since its last MOT. With the wheels hanging free, there does appear to be a lot of play, but once on the ground it feels tight, with no movement. As you are driving the car with the wheels on the ground and not in the air, surely the way to test it is also with the wheels on the ground?

I just don’t see how it could have got so bad since the last MOT. A second opinion from you would be appreciated. Lee Baker

You will appreciate that I have not seen this movement for myself, so I can only generalise about the situation. It should be said that rubber can perish over a year and this may be the reason for the failure this year after only covering 800 miles. In my opinion, however, it is far more likely that the vehicle passed last year without a problem because it was MOT’D by the main dealer, who would be well aware that the Corsa D is designed to allow a small amount of movement when the vehicle is jacked up and the suspension allowed to hang. The modern MOT gives little leeway and gives reasons for failure as being “a coil spring mounting which is loose, cracked or fractured, seriously weakened by damage or corrosion.” However, there should be a note on the Corsa D stating it should only be failed if the free movement with the suspension hanging is more than 10mm.