Hidden brake pipes

My fellow tester had a celica in a week or so ago for a test. It had a new caliper fitted to the back as well as disks and pads all round.

It came back today with the handbrake light on and the customer saying the brake fluid level was low. Quick check under the car showed why




A burst brake pipe. So how come there was no mention of any corroded pipes on the MOT less than two weeks ago?

Because there is a cover,



The burst part of the pipe is, as usual, at the clip in the first picture. As you can see there's no way with the cover on to see the condition of this part of the pipe. The clip is in line with the stud on the left hand side of the picture. So there is 4-5 inches of plastic covering this pipe. Same story towards the rear,



Not burst yet but warrants a fail. Again, cannot be see with the cover as it bends upwards to follow the floor pan.

Had a hard time explaining all this to the customer over the phone! I remember I had a similar issue with a Vectra when the brake pipe above the tank burst on the retest.

I'm sure others have had similar issues with not only hidden brake pipes, but other components hidden during an MOT that were found during a service or in my case, failed completely shortly after the test?