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"However, you might be stopped by police and prosecuted if your vehicle is unroadworthy.
If the vehicle fails the test and the certificate has expired, you can only drive it to:
a pre-arranged appointment at a garage to have the repairs done
a pre-arranged MOT test appointment
"
from the mot gov site.
so fails at the council test centre - you phone a garage to have the work done - you drive to the garage to get the work done , you then book your retest and can drive it back to be retested.
The key is it has to be a garage or a test centre - saying im driving it to my house to be fixed doesnt fly.
there is also the situation when the vehicle is deemed dangerous - snapped chassis or holes in the braking system etc where the tester can refuse to let it leave and ensure its trailered out.
harrisp - Member
@legend
It wasn't a clio 197/200 was it? As rear discs and pads alone are £250 so that Explains a bit if the £500 although it's still steep.
Nope, 182. Parts were around £110 (for genuine Renault) in the end, with not much on top for fitting.
I think you can still drive it home, surely? You are legally allowed to do your own work of course.
It's a real shame that there is so much distrust of garages. I'm about to take over the family garage that's been established for 42 years and we are constantly getting people coming in complaining about unnecessary work that other garages have under taken without consulting the customer, dodgy MOT failiers etc.
It just gives us all a bad name, the best bet is to go by referrals find one and stick to them. All garages need to make a profit but some (Franchises particularly) seem to try to maximise it on a customers first visit and don't care if they see them again. I would much rather a loyal long standing customer base that comes back again and again. If you're in or around Bookham,Surrey you are welcome here.
As above though, there are a number of things you can check yourself prior to the test, bulbs, tyres, wipers, pads and discs, dampers are free from fluid, dash warning lights. Present it in the best condition you can and let the expert ensure it's safe. If you really think they are trying to pull a fast one you ahve the right to appeal. We have had a number of occasions when VOSA have bought us a car to test that has failed elsewhere but we have passed.
S&H Motors in Poole for anyone down there. As honest as they come.
House share with an MOT tester 😀
Unsurprisingly mine passed yesterday.......
I did have that problem once, MOT station wouldn't let me drive it away, said it was dangerous. Suspension & brake issues. last day of expiring certificate. some time between 1999 & 2002
ever since I've had my MOT done about 2 weeks before due. And every time it's passed... (different cars, same garage, although not the one that wouldn't let me drive it away. I'm not bloody going there again)
Thanks folks. Will keep you posted.. you're going to have to wait til about half past two
Any news yet? I know it's a bit early, but I have my fingers crossed for you both.
Cafe Nero in Newport doesn't have power points or even wifi!
I can recommend a place in Aldershot, but that probably doesn't help much with your current predicament.
Rule #1 of MOT - make the car look presentable. First impressions are important.
This means a thorough clean, inside and out, and a wax/polish.
Sorry if it's been mentioned allready.
Get to your local main fire station workshop. They will take in standard cars too for mot as it's part of being an mot station. Obviously, they won't do any work and therefore don't take the mick with work needed.
Alternatively, the local council will have an mot station, same story.
The results are in.
Anyone want to guess what happened? Dodgy ECUs are not a potential fail, so that's something at least.
They took out your engine and replaced it with a worn-out one? Did you check the engine number before taking it in?
Front and rear sidelight bulb and and a tyre worn on the inner edge?
Guess what mine failed on 🙁
rusty suspension parts?
"Rule #1 of MOT - make the car look presentable. First impressions are important.
This means a thorough clean, inside and out, and a wax/polish.
"
never had a car fail on anything i didnt know about & ive never waxed/polished a car in my life.
It can get very complicated if it goes out of tax or insurance though
Starting with a SORN car, with no MOT or insurance.
Insurance is dependant on nothing, so get that first.
Drive it to the MOT
Pass, or fail and drive home, fix and repeat as nececary untill it passes.
Tax it.
No more complicated than doing it any other time of the year. The only conditions are the car has to be roadworthy and insured.
BWD 🙂
My money is on it being found to have insufficient power for overtaking.
The car notifies you when a bulb's gone, btw.
The car notifies you when a bulb's gone, btw.
the bulb that lights up to notify you that a bulb has blown, has blown?
[i]the bulb that lights up to notify you that a bulb has blown, has blown? [/i]
there's a buzzer for that.
thisisnotaspoon - MemberPass, or fail and drive home, fix and repeat as nececary untill it passes.
Tax it.
No more complicated than doing it any other time of the year. The only conditions are the car has to be roadworthy and insured.
The reason it's complicated- 1) Lots of insurers will ask for your certificate of insurance or make it a condition of offering cover and 2) Driving without tax is an offence; the special discretion that applies for driving without MOT to a test centre doesn't apply to tax.
Anyway. It passed 😆
Whoop!
Mine next week. Fingers crossed.
Re Happyrider...Bookham used to be my old stomping ground where I dabbled in the motor trade for a while...I'm intrigued as to where you are?
Did my City and Guilds at what used to be F.W Mays up at Effingham traffic lights by the way(a long time ago!!)
Sounds before my time 🙂 we are the garage between dagenham motors and dobbies behind the murco petrol station.
About to be second generation 🙂 (sort of, I'm the son in law)
[i]Rule #1 of MOT [/i]
Is to book it in 4 weeks in advance of the MOT due date.
Ah yes..think that used to be known as Shirley Garage...used to know some of the lads that worked in there,moved on by now I should think.
Anyway,best of luck with it,I got out of motors and into bikes...best thing I ever did!
b r - MemberIs to book it in 4 weeks in advance of the MOT due date.
Hah, clearly you've never owned a spiteful vehicle. Anyone who has will know that this is folly, you need to sneak up on an MOT, let it think that this is all just routine servicing, then while it's asleep, shove it through the test before it notices and has a chance to suddenly develop a jagged rusty hole, or have a wheel fall off, or all the bulbs catch fire.
That's the one, still called Shirley Garage, Boo, his brother Phil, Ray etc are still around if you know them?
Our car goes to justmots.eu (a great concept, surely most areas have an equivalent)
Over 10 years, I think I've had one fail for an unmatched headlight lamp (they will change them if to hand) and worn pads (they were) which obv I took home to fix that afternoon.
The year before kwikfit had failed me and attempted to sell me £800 of front wishbones which I got fixed elsewhere for £200)
My camper takes a class 4 IV mot but needs a Class VII mot bay so that goes to BT Fleet (who have salaried staff and presumably are not on commission as I have to bend their arm to get work done on my company vehicle, I must have owned it for 5 years and that has always passed aswell. Seems thorough as it always comes back with advisories such as worn brake pedal rubber, hub seal leak, rusty tank straps, irregular brake effort (I.e slightly warped disc)
Rule #1 of MOT - make the car look presentable. First impressions are important.This means a thorough clean, inside and out, and a wax/polish.
It's not important at all, the amount of times I've seen shiny on top, shit underneath is more often than you can probably imagine. Yes I am a MOT tester by trade, it's a crying shame there is so much ignorance of what is and what can be done. At the end of the day the test is there for yours and others safety, some people if left to their own devices would be travelling round in death traps just to save a few quid with the attitude "it'll be right". Just one last thought if your vehicle fails on tyre tread depth, be pleased we picked it up, as the police would be giving you a fine and three points per tyre, and in some cases if involved in an accident insurers won't pay out due to the vehicle being in a non-roadworthy state.
Small world..say hello to Phil and Boo for me,Phil was at Mays with me and I see his other brother,Steve,around down here in Sussex(he MOT's my cars!)..told you it is a small world!
Cheers
Robin
Benji,
Quick question if you don't mind.
I have a car going for MOT on Wednesday next week 2 weeks before current mot due to expire. One of the tyres is very close to the legal limit on the inside edge however the rest of the tyre is fine.
Will this be an instant failure?
I could put a winter wheel on the 1 suspect corner for the purpose of the test but this wheel is very slightly smaller than the summer tyre on the other side.
We have a new tyre ordered and it will be fitted a week today but this is after the scheduled MOT.
I could put 2 summer wheels at the front and 2 winter wheels at the back if that is Ok?
Happy to answer MOT questions. Inside edge is fine, as long as there is no cords/plys showing, and the central 3/4 has the correct depth of tread, that would be an advisory. So based on how you have described your tyre, at worst it will be an advisory.
Tyre sizes have to be the same both sides of an axle, hence an M3 which has wider rear tyres than fronts is not an mot failure, so yes you could put winter tyres on one axle and summer on the other.
If you are fitting a new tyre its probably worth getting an alignment check as a worn inner edge is a possible sign of misalignment an it'd be a shame to trash a new one.
Ok perfect, thanks for the clarification. Will go for it with the 1 questionable tyre as I am not to bothered about an advisory when I have the replacement in hand.
I'm fairly sure thats wrong, 1 is a logical impossibility.The reason it's complicated- 1) Lots of insurers will ask for your certificate of insurance or make it a condition of offering cover and 2) Driving without tax is an offence; the special discretion that applies for driving without MOT to a test centre doesn't apply to tax.
And 2 from the dvla site
The vehicle may only be used on public roads to go to and from a pre-arranged test, – for example, an MoT – and as long as the vehicle is insured.)
Alignment has been done already when I noticed it a year ago and got new tyres on the front. This one is on the rear and we thought we would only get another year out of it at the time so it is pretty well done.
Had hoped by moving it to the rear that the Un even wear would have stopped but it did not.
What worrys me is how quite alot of classics are going to deteriorate quickly for the sake of a 55quid test.....
Ebay prices for tax free , mot free land rovers have gone through the roof , im sure other classics are the same. Stupid idea.
Also , in 10 years of driving ive never been asked at insurance time for an mot cert. never.
Fwiw , i can insure my project car on the drive that is missing bits im rebuilding - no mot on that , no issues insuring it.
thisisnotaspoon - MemberI'm fairly sure thats wrong, 1 is a logical impossibility.
What's impossible about it? It's the exact position I found myself in- most insurers wouldn't insure without an MOT. Solved it by just saying **** it and driving to the test uninsured.
Thanks for the correction on the tax- that didn't used to be the case, or at least, when I asked the DVLA about it they said it wasn't. Though perhaps they were wrong.
What's impossible about it? It's the exact position I found myself in- most insurers wouldn't insure without an MOT. Solved it by just saying **** it and driving to the test uninsured.
You said insurers would ask for a certificate of insurance, not MOT.
I've never been asked for a MOT and at no point has anyone everasked me to prove my MOT status when taking out insurance on SORN'd cars to take them for their MOT (I do it twice annually),FWIW. I think they have clauses in there saying they'll invalidate your insurance if your car is not roadworthy, but that's legallydifferent from not having an MOT.
So long as its insured you can drive to the MOT stationto get the MOT, then to the tax office to get the tax for it on the way home...
I take mine to a local garage who are usually very fair and know I'll usually replace rather than repair and do my best to get it ship shape before taking it for the test (they hate being used as the annual service test). They seem keen on replacing light bulbs I know are perfectly OK when it goes into the test place, which can be frustrating.
coffeeking - MemberI've never been asked for a MOT and at no point has anyone everasked me to prove my MOT status when taking out insurance
I often have- are you using the same insurers each time?
These days insurance companies don't need to ask you about MOT or RFL status, they can check the vehicle online themselves.