MOT Advisories - help

[Charl_ie]

Hi all, I have the following advisories on the MOT that is due by the middle of next month - I know, should have got them sorted when I got the MOT done last year!! I own a car, but unfortunately don't know much about them - need to sort this but that's for another time.
* Front exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases FLANGE AND BOX WELD. 6.1.2(a)
* Central Rear Exhaust mounting defective RUBBER SNAPPED 6.1.2(a)
*Offside Front Direction indicator slightly discoloured BULB PEEL 4.4.3(a)
* Offside Front Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
* Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened x2 1.1.14(a)(ii)
* Rear Brake hose has slight corrosion to ferrule x2 1.1.12(f)(i)

So my question is, from the above advisories, what are the chances of it passing this time round? Or is it going to cost me.

[GiveMeABreak]

The bulb you can do isn't going to cost the earth - replace them in pairs
The exhaust band is easy enough - but depends if you are going to get the exhaust repaired or replaced - then they can do that at the same time.
Discs and brakes will almost certainly be worse after a year, so they will likely need doing.
Sounds like the steering rod needs replacing too

The brake hose may be worse, but anything exposed to wear and tear is going to have another 12 months use, so may go from the advisory to the fail. That being the case, you may not be able to driver it home if it does fail, so I would advise on getting those areas re-checked and fixed before the MOT.

[bobins]

It's entirely possible that the car could pass with exactly the same advisories this time 'round - much depends on how much it's been used, how it's been driven, and who the MOT tester is on the day and how they are feeling. Ive had the same advisories on my cars for years and never done anything about them, and quite often they're not mentioned on some MOTs.
The exhaust could possibly be patched, but if you're planning on keeping the car then replacement of that bit of the exhaust might make sense. A lot depends on precisely what the issue is.
The replacement of the rubber exhaust part should be a '2 minute job' for a competent garage - it'd take longer to put the car on the car lift than it'd take to replace the rubber mount !
The indicator bulbs is also a '2 minute job' for the right garage.
Steering rack issue is much more involved but would be 'bread and butter' work for an average garage, but you'll also be looking at (ideally) having the tracking done after they've replaced the inner rods. There'll also possibly be some upselling from them along the lines of 'whilst we're in there we might as well replace the outer track rod ends as they'll be worn as well'. Up to you whether you'd have the outer ones done, but if you're not planning on keeping the car more than a few years and there are no other advisories on the steering rack track rod ends then you might want to consider declining their offer. If, however, you want to keep it for a good few years it may be wise to let them replace the outers (if they suggest it) as you'll only have to pay for the tracking to be done once.
Brake discs - difficult call without seeing them, but they may have cleaned up with use and be perfectly OK now, or they may have deteriorated over the last year and need replacing. Again, 'bread and butter' work for a garage to replace them. Much depends on what the MOT tester says.
As for the brake hose ferrule - 30 seconds with a wire brush to remove the rust and the problem goes away The advisory is only for 'slight corrosion' on them so as long as they haven't dramatically deteriorated in the last year it shouldn't be a show stopper.

[Michel]

It's entirely possible that the car could pass with exactly the same advisories this time 'round - much depends on how much it's been used, how it's been driven, and who the MOT tester is on the day and how they are feeling. Ive had the same advisories on my cars for years and never done anything about them, and quite often they're not mentioned on some MOTs.

Exactly this. My Xsara Picasso has had the same advisories for exhaust mounts broken and corroded front discs for years now. It's the "not seriously weakened" part that matters. My exhaust mounting at the front is totally disintegrated and the rear one is not great. It bangs against the body at the front sometimes and against the body at the back.
It's secure though. It's not going to fall off, and as long as yours is the same and the leaks don't affect the emissions, it'll be fine.

Indicator bulbs are a piece of cake. You can do them yourself in a few mins.

[PaulC5]

On our Cactus the rear exhaust bracket rusted off but only got an advisory. The dealer offered to weld it up but that was expensive, far more than the repair bracket I bought through ebay which just clamped on to the pipe and took a few minutes to fit. On our previous C3 the front exhaust bracket rusted off and again I fixed it with a clamp on bracket bought through ebay.