new MOt's

[colin-yorkshire]

just read an article about the revised MOT starting from may this year. now while it's been due for while and some of the terminology is different there is a major shift in how vehicles are tested.
while this may not concern those with new cars. it could have a big impact on those who run a older tow vehicle.
many items have been added to the list of notable faults and some categories would render the vehicle unusable for instance a fault found to be critical would now render it in undriveable so one would no longer be able to take it away from the test station for repair. as one can now. it has to be done at the test station [RIP DIY] one other notable difference is that any diesel blowing any kind of smoke [regardless of colour] will fail.
to me this means any vehicle say older than 10 years would almost certainly be a scrapper. considering the cost of replacing DP filters catalyst, fuel injectors and so on.
one wonders if there is a hidden agenda at work here to get older diesels off the road much quicker than would be expected normally.

 

[Craigyoung]

And apparently with most cars now if they have tyre pressure sensors that we have on our's and many more do if a sensor is showing the pressure problem on your Dash with one of your tyres that is also classed as an MOT fail I have been told.

 

[otherclive]

If it’s a critical fault the car shouldn’t be driven anyway. DVSA have done this with trucks for their roadside checks. Regarding emission smoke I guess it’s part of the longer term aim to cut down on particulate emmissions. It’s unfortunate that it doesn’t come in until May as my wife’s 11 year old Car is tested next in February and whilst it’s in A1 condition I’d really like for her to get something newer. But the Nissan is still on original exhaust never had anything go wrong except one headlight bulb, and the model has only been subject to one recall for airbag. So hopefully a spot of smoke when at full chat on test could nudge her towards something newer.

 

[Jaydug]

to me this means any vehicle say older than 10 years would almost certainly be a scrapper. .

According to the document published back in November, there are only small changes to the smoke test. This is an extract from it.
The amended limits to be applied from 20 May 2018 are:

1. First used before July 2008 None turbo 2.5m-1 or plate value if lower
Turbo 3.0m-1 or plate value if lower
2. First used on or after 1 July 2008 All diesels 1.5m-1 or plate value if lower
3. First used on or after 1 January 2014 All diesels 0.7m-1 or plate value if lower

So there are only changes to vehicles registered after Jan 2014.

Two of my four family vehicles are 1998 reg and both of them pass the smoke test easily. One of them quite often gets a 'fast pass'

 

[DrZhivago]

If it’s a critical fault the car shouldn’t be driven anyway.

That has always been the case. There have always been three levels of failure, one of which was to say that the car was so dangerous that it should not be driven at all.

It depends on how you define "critical".

 

[Brasso530]

Just to clarify,once your vehicle has failed the mot test you not officially allowed to drive the vehicle anywhere,no matter what defect,minor or major.Even if your mot doesnt run out for say 1 week,as soon as that tester hit the fail button unfortunatly your car is no longer allowed on the highway.
Having said that nobody takes any notice,until you have an accident during the time until you get your retest done.

 

[JonnyG]

its not all bad news my 78 Yamaha may not need moting ever again..
its about time they did something although some of the changes are pointless ie my old mondeo reversing light never worked but if i had it now that would be a failure. eml is now a failure which concerns me from the point of view some many things can trigger it and sometimes it can be a nightmare to actually find out the problem which could be costly without it actually being a safety or pollution related problem. already took the tpps [tyre pressure system ]system off my wife's car ecu delete for this reason .. is going to be interesting how this all pans out at least they have gone back on new cars being able to go 4 years instead of 3 before they need an mot that was a ridiculous idea given they could easily have covered 100k and be ready for massive bills ..

 

[DrZhivago]

Just to clarify,once your vehicle has failed the mot test you not officially allowed to drive the vehicle anywhere,no matter what defect,minor or major.

That is not my understanding of the current law. Without searching far enough to find a quote of the law itself, a quick search found this website : https://www.theukrules.co.uk/rules/driving/mot/retest.html which says :-

If the current MOT certificate is still valid you can take the vehicle away even after failing the test.

I have a Ministry leaflet somewhere that says the same thing. Of course, it is always the case that it is illegal to drive a car in a dangerous condition, but that applies at any time, not only after failing an MoT. I think it would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. As I said, there is (or at least used to be - my neighbour got one once) a failure form that states that the car is unfit to be driven at all, which differs from the more moderate failure form for a scratch on the windscreen or under-performing handbrake say.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

its not all bad news my 78 Yamaha may not need moting ever again..

that's correct under the 30year rolling rule. it will not require a MOT or VED. however it still has to be declared at regular intervals. although taxed at zero rated. like a disabled car is.
on the other point about MOT's is there only myself can see the pattern emerging about car ownership.
we all used to run petrol cars then years ago we were encouraged to convert to the cleaner more efficient diesel cars. and then again to the new eco diesels. now these are the cars there wanting to get rid off.
so whats next go electric. well that's all well and good if you have the money and a power point to use and don't go anywhere far. but what happens in 10 years time [or sooner] when these cars have become popular but the batteries require renewing. at £2000 a shot and all of a sudden the lithium ion batteries become a hot topic for recycling. and they want to phase them out.
it seems to me like we are caught in a trap of someonelses making. and we follow like sheep just to get clobbered later on.
the lastest scam [sorry new MOT] is just the next phase to get the ordinary man in the street off the road. the insurance industry is actively participating in this by writing off perfectly good vehicles for minor damage. on certain class of cars. how do I know this well the Meriva [which I kept in as near perfect condition] was side swiped at low speed [less than 5mph] and suffered minor damage to the front wing and valance.
yet the insurance company wrote it off as a uneconomical repair even though it had just passed the MOT and serviced. the asessor remaked that it was unecomical to repair due to the class of vehicle it was in [diesel] and the market value of such vehicles had been reduced due to current understandings and offered a settlement below that of a similar small engined petrol car. one of which would probably have been repaired in similar circumstances.
so I take this as a sign of doom for your and my 10 year old diesel. that you bought because it was the right thing to do at the time.
we will see what difference the new MOT makes over the next couple of years mines due in june and I'm not optomistic . I reckon there is going to be some big bills ahead providing I can still afford them.

 

[otherclive]

its not all bad news my 78 Yamaha may not need moting ever again..

that's correct under the 30year rolling rule. it will not require a MOT or VED. however it still has to be declared at regular intervals. although taxed at zero rated. like a disabled car is.
on the other point about MOT's is there only myself can see the pattern emerging about car ownership.
we all used to run petrol cars then years ago we were encouraged to convert to the cleaner more efficient diesel cars. and then again to the new eco diesels. now these are the cars there wanting to get rid off.
so whats next go electric. well that's all well and good if you have the money and a power point to use and don't go anywhere far. but what happens in 10 years time [or sooner] when these cars have become popular but the batteries require renewing. at £2000 a shot and all of a sudden the lithium ion batteries become a hot topic for recycling. and they want to phase them out.
it seems to me like we are caught in a trap of someonelses making. and we follow like sheep just to get clobbered later on.
the lastest scam [sorry new MOT] is just the next phase to get the ordinary man in the street off the road. the insurance industry is actively participating in this by writing off perfectly good vehicles for minor damage. on certain class of cars. how do I know this well the Meriva [which I kept in as near perfect condition] was side swiped at low speed [less than 5mph] and suffered minor damage to the front wing and valance.
yet the insurance company wrote it off as a uneconomical repair even though it had just passed the MOT and serviced. the asessor remaked that it was unecomical to repair due to the class of vehicle it was in [diesel] and the market value of such vehicles had been reduced due to current understandings and offered a settlement below that of a similar small engined petrol car. one of which would probably have been repaired in similar circumstances.
so I take this as a sign of doom for your and my 10 year old diesel. that you bought because it was the right thing to do at the time.
we will see what difference the new MOT makes over the next couple of years mines due in june and I'm not optomistic . I reckon there is going to be some big bills ahead providing I can still afford them.

Its not just diesels that will be written off if they are old and require a repair. My daughter had a 03 Saab 9-3 Aero which took a knock on the rear bumper, and the insurer wouldn't fund the repair. So she did have the option of buying it back and having it repaired herself. But to be honest the ding was really hard to see so most people could have lived with it. But as she needs a car for her work and university she took the write off value, which wasn't unreasonable, and used her student loan to buy a three year old Focus. But its been the same situation for years as my wife excellent Saab 9000CSE turbo suffered a similar fate although that car was well and truly written off when another car came around a bend towards her and it was spinning around as it came towards her. And similarly my beloved Volvo 740 estate suffered similarly when rear ended. What a record two Saabs and a Volvo written off and only one stiff neck between us!

 

[Brasso530]

DrZ,Under bthe old paper mot system,you could remove your car and take home to repair within 10 working days,under to new electronic system,as soon as you are issued a fail(or pass) that trumps all other mot documents you have.
As i said earlier,no one takes any notice of that ,but if you get pulled over and you think your mot still has 10 days left,but its just failed the test then mr plod will look at your vehicle records which will show a non road worthy vehicle.

 

[Damian]

Taken from the Gov site:

Failing the MOT

If your vehicle fails the MOT:
you’ll get a ‘refusal of an MOT test certificate’ from the test centre
it will be recorded in the MOT database
You can appeal the result if you think it’s wrong.

Driving a vehicle that’s failed

You can take your vehicle away if your MOT certificate is still valid.
If your MOT has run out you can take your vehicle to:
have the failed defects fixed
a pre-arranged MOT test appointment

In both cases, your vehicle still needs to meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times or you can be fined.

You can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition.

 

[Brasso530]

I assume to meet road worthiness you have to to have a valid mot ?

 

[ProfJohnL]

I assume to meet road worthiness you have to to have a valid mot ?

Pleae re read Damian's last post

 

[zoaman]

And a MOT is only as good as a MOT tester.
Companies can only charge up to the official maximum for an MOT. Many companies promote cheaper tests, which isn't surprising when you consider that often this guarantees they get the repair business too. The maximum test costs are £54.85 for cars or motor caravans and £29.65 for motorbikes.
We had aour RR done last week only to fail for a seat belt doesnt clip in fully.
I Was told We can repair this for £58.95 for the part and then £85 for labour,then it will need to be put on there diagnostic machine to remove the seatbelt warning £85.(dont remember seeing any dash light lit up.but may be wrong.)So i thought this a bit strange.looked down inside only to find a Plastic sweet wrapper.Pulled it out and hey Guess what...yep your right worked perfectly. New full mot for £35.

Funny that the car was 3 years old the day before and had a full dealer service (surely they would have seen a dash light on)and full RR bill of health only 2 days before Having the MOT done.
Was it there before hand or was it there during the MOT.
There was a big fuss about my car before hand having a good look at it .due to fact a young lad wanted to bring it into the garage,yet the owner stopped him a drove it in himself.Maybe he didnt want him scratching it. who knows?

 

[Brasso530]

Please define what you would class as a roadworthy vehicle.
This morning I have mot'd 3 cars,number 1 pass/advise a tyre-which I duly fitted,number 2 fail,front pads below 1.5 mm- again fitted.number 3 fail,bulb out,2 tyres bald,one other advised,also advised rear pads low.customer driven off.
So if car number 3 goes to work on Monday and is pulled over,if he says don't worry officer I have 3wks left on this years mot,EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IM DRIVING A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE- due to the fact it's present condition has failed an mot,what do you think will be the outcome?i find it highly unlikely he will wave him onwards.

 

[otherclive]

And a MOT is only as good as a MOT tester.
Companies can only charge up to the official maximum for an MOT. Many companies promote cheaper tests, which isn't surprising when you consider that often this guarantees they get the repair business too. The maximum test costs are £54.85 for cars or motor caravans and £29.65 for motorbikes.
We had aour RR done last week only to fail for a seat belt doesnt clip in fully.
I Was told We can repair this for £58.95 for the part and then £85 for labour,then it will need to be put on there diagnostic machine to remove the seatbelt warning £85.(dont remember seeing any dash light lit up.but may be wrong.)So i thought this a bit strange.looked down inside only to find a Plastic sweet wrapper.Pulled it out and hey Guess what...yep your right worked perfectly. New full mot for £35.

Funny that the car was 3 years old the day before and had a full dealer service (surely they would have seen a dash light on)and full RR bill of health only 2 days before Having the MOT done.
Was it there before hand or was it there during the MOT.
There was a big fuss about my car before hand having a good look at it .due to fact a young lad wanted to bring it into the garage,yet the owner stopped him a drove it in himself.Maybe he didnt want him
scratching it. who knows?

Would have thought the RR dealer would arrange or carry out MoT. After all don't want any sproat touching it.

 

[zoaman]

And a MOT is only as good as a MOT tester.
Companies can only charge up to the official maximum for an MOT. Many companies promote cheaper tests, which isn't surprising when you consider that often this guarantees they get the repair business too. The maximum test costs are £54.85 for cars or motor caravans and £29.65 for motorbikes.
We had aour RR done last week only to fail for a seat belt doesnt clip in fully.
I Was told We can repair this for £58.95 for the part and then £85 for labour,then it will need to be put on there diagnostic machine to remove the seatbelt warning £85.(dont remember seeing any dash light lit up.but may be wrong.)So i thought this a bit strange.looked down inside only to find a Plastic sweet wrapper.Pulled it out and hey Guess what...yep your right worked perfectly. New full mot for £35.

Funny that the car was 3 years old the day before and had a full dealer service (surely they would have seen a dash light on)and full RR bill of health only 2 days before Having the MOT done.
Was it there before hand or was it there during the MOT.
There was a big fuss about my car before hand having a good look at it .due to fact a young lad wanted to bring it into the garage,yet the owner stopped him a drove it in himself.Maybe he didnt want him
scratching it. who knows?

Would have thought the RR dealer would arrange or carry out MoT. After all don't want any sproat touching it.

Yes but as i thought it was due in feb they couldnt do the MOT at the same time.tester was on hols.other wise i would have.
Only had it all done as somebody wanted to buy it with full MOT and service history.

So Im looking for my new car..What to get is the thing?

 

[otherclive]

That’s going to make someone an awesome tow car.

 

[JonnyG]

unless something has changed and i have not seen any evidence to that fact ,i have for the last decade or so taken one of my bikes to the mot station for a pre booked mot every 2 years .which means they have been rode there without an mot and on 2 occasions rode back home still without an MOT due to failing the test and it has always been legal to do so....

 

[otherclive]

unless something has changed and i have not seen any evidence to that fact ,i have for the last decade or so taken one of my bikes to the mot station for a pre booked mot every 2 years .which means they have been rode there without an mot and on 2 occasions rode back home still without an MOT due to failing the test and it has always been legal to do so....

It’s alwsys been allowed but you still have an obligation in law to ensure a roadworthy vehicle. It’s this requirement that takes precedence in the event of any issue that may arise with the police or insurers.