MOT Question

[2L84SLEEP]

Hi folks

Girlfriend and I are currently looking at getting a new car to replace the rather battered old one we have at the moment. Now the battered old cars MOT is up on the 10th of March and we have it booked in for the 6th of March at the moment to get tested. We know it will fail, believe me, it will, but we are just wondering where we will stand if it does? Do we need to get the stuff fixed there and then and retested, or will we still be allowed to legally drive it up until the 10th?

Only reason that I ask is that we are pretty close to getting a new car and think that maybe the stuff wrong with the existing car would cost more to fix than it is worth.

Apologies if this sounds confusing but any help would be appreciated

 

[ACPCUP]

I think that if it fails the MOT then it is deemed un-roadworthy so i don't think you will be able to drive it away!

 

[aztechnology]

ACPCUP has my understanding of it. If your motor fails the test, then it no longer has a Valid MOT. You can drive it to somewhere that will repair it (I think) and then back to an MOT test station.

 

[Melon]

You used to be able to drive your car on its existing MOT but now its all comuterised when it fails they know it has failed and so you cannot drive it after it fails.

 

[Slime101]

Even if it fails on the new system they cant stop you driving it, it just no longer has a valid MOT - i did this with a vehicle on the new system and when it failed i said fine ok, took the keys and drive away...simple as that!

 

[Black_Widow]

Legally you can only drive the car to and from the testing center - you have as long as you need to rectify the faults on the car.

 

[Black_Widow]

You could Wing it and say it failed and you were going to get a Part from "Partco" etc, but its not advised.

I would ask to borrow a relatives car where possible and alter the insurance to relect the change.

 

[2L84SLEEP]

Thanks guys, thought it would probably be something along the lines of what you have said. So if the MOT comes back with something they cant fix, say a rotten Oil sump, which I know it has, I would be able to drive the car to a garage to fix it, or home and then to a garage when I have it booked in, but no where else legally?

Thanks

 

[Firestar_3x]

You could Wing it and say it failed and you were going to get a Part from "Partco" etc, but its not advised.

I would ask to borrow a relatives car where possible and alter the insurance to relect the change.

Won't cut it cause your only allowed to go to and from the TESTING STATION, so if you need bits for the car you need to find other means of getting to Parts co....

 

[rs125]

Thanks guys, thought it would probably be something along the lines of what you have said. So if the MOT comes back with something they cant fix, say a rotten Oil sump, which I know it has, I would be able to drive the car to a garage to fix it, or home and then to a garage when I have it booked in, but no where else legally?

Thanks

Rotten sump!..

Thats not a failure mate..if its leaking oil (badly) they could refuse to test it mind.. ..well i would lol

 

[Confused]

I was always under the impression you could take the MOT up to a month in advance so that if it does fail, you still have a valid certificate, so you could continue to use the car while it's repaired, until the existing certificate runs out.

 

[moss]

I was always under the impression you could take the MOT up to a month in advance so that if it does fail, you still have a valid certificate, so you could continue to use the car while it's repaired, until the existing certificate runs out.

Thats what I thought too, unless its changed with the new MOT?

 

[Pug]

i was under the impression that the previous one covered it until it ran out, at which point you needed a new MOT - but have no foundation for that...

 

[2L84SLEEP]

See now the lunchtime crew has got me all confused lol I know its only a couple of days difference between the 6th and 10th of March but it may be the difference between having to get a car through its MOT, ££££, or not.

Any other takers on this one?

 

[pinkegobox]

i did it, and my mate did... that is, assumed the old MOT is valid until it runs out, even if you fail another one in the mean time. however, neither of us work in the car industry so our word means nothing i'm afraid. is there no one on here who does?

 

[Marshy]

Since the introduction of the computerised MOT once a vehicle fails it's test any current pass certificate is regarded "null & void" ,after which you can legally ONLY take it too & from either a place of test or place of repair for which you have a pre booked appointment.

Also remember the vehicle will instantly go on a central database as being unroadworthy & any enforcement authority can instantly detect it via number plate recognition equipment , knowingly driving an unroadworthy vehicle carries considerable penalties & in most cases voids your insurance so please don't be tempted to nip to the shops or to get bits for repairs as the risks now can be pretty bad.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Since the introduction of the computerised MOT once a vehicle fails it's test any current pass certificate is regarded "null & void" ,after which you can legally ONLY take it too & from either a place of test or place of repair for which you have a pre booked appointment.

Do you have a source for this information? I can imagine it's going to mean virtually everyone who thinks their car may fail will simply MOT it the day its due rather than, as is currently the case, up to a month before the due date...

 

[Marshy]

Do you have a source for this information?

Yeh , I own & run an MOT test station mate , When we were using the old hand written certificates it didn't matter as you could easily produce a valid certificate & no enforcement authority could easily check whether a car had failed or even know if it had had a test ,Now due to "big brother" watching they have you by the short & curlies , what I do & advise all my customers to do especially on older cars is have a "pre MOT check" so we can easily see if there are likely to be any problems & get them sorted before the cars put through a test ,this way you always have a current certificate.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Yeh , I own & run an MOT test station mate

That'll do for me then!

New system sounds like a real pain, especially for older cars

 

[Marshy]

New system sounds like a real pain, especially for older cars

Tell me about it mate , That's the reason we offer a "pre check" for a small nominal fee ,At least then the customer can see your on their side & have the piece of mind that when their car is tested there's a 99.9% chance of a pass & only one test fee ,It saves us a lot of hassle & time too.