Mean no offence but the tyre, lights and exhaust should have been spotted before the service/mot.

Imho she hasn't been taken for a ride, car would have failed either way.

Yes the items identified could have been mentioned before the mot but they still need addressing.

A 'service' includes scheduled items such as oil, filters, possibly brake fluid or other less frequent items. None of the things you list are 'service' items but are precisely those things the MoT is intended to pick up. If they were part of a 'service' why would you need an MoT ?

You could argue that (say) the suspension components don't need doing until next year (i.e.you may have been taken for a ride). But doing the MoT first would not make much difference IMHO, unless you told them If it fails MoT, don't bother with the service.

MOT should be done first, but if you take it to a store which sells bikes don't expect them to have much sense when it comes to car matters.

If the car is now fixed and running take it as a lesson in the university of life that when running a car nearing the end of its life a good local mechanic can be a godsend.

Halfords mechanics (using the term loosely) will be trained to not highlight or correct those faults, because they can make more money by allowing the car to fail the MOT, then correcting them, then putting the car through a second MOT.

It's the same with all the chains - KwikFit, National etc - they exist to make money. They will only do the items specified in their 'servce' package (oil & filter change, washer fluid top-up, etc) and will ignore (indeed, not even LOOK for) anything else.

A trusted independent mechanic would be much more likely to find and fix those faults so that the car passes the MOT as part of an overall service, and will just charge their hourly rate. Ask on local Facebook groups for the details of a trusted indie mechanic, and if you find a good one, stick with them.

My daughter took her 14 year old Fiat Panda for £300 service & MOT at a Halfords workshop. They did the service first, then MOT. It failed on imbalanced brakes, front and rear suspension components, a tyre, faulty lights and and exhaust leak. Should those major safety faults not have been identified in the SERVICE and been reported to my daughter ? Should the MOT have been done BEFORE the service ? I think she's been taken for a ride. What action should she take with Halfords ? Thanks chaps.

Get it to a good independent garage that also does MOT's. Many fast fit chains somehow always manage to fail cars on their bread and butter items such as tyres, exhaust, brakes and shock absorbers.