Motoring Discussion > MoT- True or False? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Rudedog Replies: 31

 MoT- True or False? - Rudedog
I took my car in for it's MoT today which was a month early to keep the original MoT date and just to be safe in case there were any issues that may need sorting. My problem was that I was told by the tester that if my car failed then it would be registered as a 'fail' and therefore the original ticket is then invalid then though it has a month to run on it.

True or False?
 MoT- True or False? - RattleandSmoke
Unless the rules have changed then its false. However depending on what it failed on, you would knowingly be driving a car that is not road worthy.
 MoT- True or False? - No FM2R
I believe your tester is wrong.

My understanding is that you would not be guilty of driving without an MOT until the MOT has expired. It has a current and VALID MOT certificate.

Depending on the fault then you may well be guilty of using an un-roadworthy or dangerous vehicle, and doing so knowingly. In the event of an accident it could be quite bad if that came out.
 MoT- True or False? - Bromptonaut
What Rattle and Mark both said.

You still have a valid MoT up to the expiry date. If it's failed on something the tester considers dangerous then, valid MoT notwithstanding, you might be in trouble in event of an accident as vehicle is not roadworthy.
 MoT- True or False? - Rudedog
It would have been an issue with an emissions light that came up on the dash, so AFAIK that's not unroadworthy. He saying that because it's all computerised then the fail would be fed back to the central database and would then flag up as a fail if I was stopped.
 MoT- True or False? - swiss tony
Hmmm Maybe true. tinyurl.com/d6qmwpj

Would contravene Construction and use regulations for sure...
 MoT- True or False? - No FM2R
In that same link...

"The law states each vehicle needs to have a valid MOT if not the insurance would be void"

Well, that's not true so I see no reason to believe the rest is more accurate.
 MoT- True or False? - Meldrew
What is an "Emissions Light"? I haven't got one in my car.
 MoT- True or False? - Tigger
>> Hmmm Maybe true. tinyurl.com/d6qmwpj
>>
>> Would contravene Construction and use regulations for sure...
>>

That article is wrong on so many levels.

The two potential offences are:

Driving a car with no valid MOT. The previous MOT is not revoked, so that one fails.

Driving a car which is in dangerous condition. This is an offence which is created at any time if the car is dangerous. But whereas you might have a mitigation of not realising it was dangerous, that defence now fails.

So, it failing an MOT is only a problem if the failure point means the car is now dangerous to drive. For example defecttve brakes.
 MoT- True or False? - AnotherJohnH
Probably true, depending on how you interpret the cut and paste chunk below.


www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test


If your vehicle fails the test

You’ll get a ‘notification of failure’ from the test centre if your vehicle fails the test.
The failure will be recorded in the secure central MOT database.

Until it passes a retest, you can only drive your vehicle:
to a pre-arranged appointment at a garage to have the repairs done
to a pre-arranged MOT test appointment

Your vehicle should be retested at the same test centre which did the original test.


=================


Perhaps key to the problem is the failure being recorded centrally - presumably bib will know.
Last edited by: AnotherJohnH on Fri 26 Apr 13 at 13:13
 MoT- True or False? - Bill Payer
No one seems certain on this under the new regime. You don't get an MOT certificate anymore (although bizzarely it says on the slip that you get that is a certificate) your MOT is recorded and maintained online.

So if it passes, the system shows pass. As soon as it fails, then the system will show fail.
 MoT- True or False? - commerdriver
I guess as well as a fail, the system will also still show that there is a valid MOT expiring, say, three weeks hence, so I would still be driving the vehicle as long as the problem which it failed on was not serious, in the hypothetical event that it happened to me.
Does anyone here really know on this one
 MoT- True or False? - Cliff Pope
>
>> Does anyone here really know on this one
>>


No.
But it used to be true, and I'd still take a chance anyway if I needed the car.
Obviously I'd fix anything serious straight away before using it.

The reason I always MOT early is so as to not be off the road while waiting for parts to arrive, or just the weekend when I've time to fix it.
Plenty of things aren't dangerous - windscreen chip exceeding maximum size, horn stopped working, seatbelt slightly frayed, dashboard bulb failed, etc.

Incidentally it is a lunar month (28 days) not a calendar month. Another inconsistency, as tax runs on calendar months.
 MoT- True or False? - Robin O'Reliant
Mine failed it's MoT on Friday. It's going in tomorrow to have a few jobs done but I'm still using it as my current certificate doesn't run out till 1st May. I thought the main idea of giving you a month before the old one ran out was to give you time to get the faults fixed?
 MoT- True or False? - Rudedog
Exactly!, but I was assured by my dealer that once it had been recorded as a 'fail' on the database then that was it and your current ticket was then invalid no matter how long it had left to run on it, seems to defeat the purpose of taking it in early to rectify any potential problems.
 MoT- True or False? - AnotherJohnH
>> Mine failed it's MoT on Friday.
>>It's going in tomorrow to have a few jobs done but I'm still using it
>>as my current certificate doesn't run out till 1st May.
>>I thought the main idea of giving you a month before the old one ran out
>>was to give you time to get the faults fixed?

Reply #6 in this thread may explain a lot:

www.police999.com/forum/index.php?topic=9416.0
Last edited by: AnotherJohnH on Sun 28 Apr 13 at 13:30
 MoT- True or False? - legacylad
Took my '04 330 in on Thursday for the MOT. Booked in at QuikFit 3pm. I returned an hour later to collect, but shock, horror, I was told that this year there were three advisories. Never had any previously. Flippin cheap BMW's.

Advisory 1 was a 'minor leak of exhaust gases'. I told them that was what the circular holes at the end of the metal pipes were for. Doubtless they had heard it before.

Advisories 2 & 3 were very worrying. I had just spent my 2 days off work helping a friend before new tenants came into his property. The car, and boot, was bursting at the seams with a large pressure washer, lance, hoses, wellies, waterproofs, lots of tins of paint, rollers, overalls, gardening eqpt etc etc.

The advisories read : 002 Boot full
: 003 Back seat full

I really must get a more practical vehicle, or bother to hitch up the trailer. Made my apologies and left, £30 the poorer.
 MoT- True or False? - martint123
>> The advisories read : 002 Boot full
>> : 003 Back seat full

I've had both those in the past.
Boot full = unable to inspect rear suspension to mounting points.
Back seat full = unable to inspect rear seat belts. - He did threaten to fail me on that one if I didn't get the coffees
 MoT- True or False? - Bromptonaut
The 'lingo was done in late March. Pass with three advisories:

1) Engine obstructed by covers - the acoustic wotsit it left the factory with

2) Damage to n/s front wing - where SMWBO scraped a wall in a tight car park on an agency teaching trip

3) Missing wheel trim - the one in the boot that parted from car, reason unknown, a week before.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 28 Apr 13 at 22:30
 MoT- True or False? - Bill Payer
I had one recently for winter tyres fitted.

And daughter's car for faded OSR lamp lens (it's remarkably new looking and looks exactly the same as the NSR).
 MoT- True or False? - TeeCee
>> I had one recently for winter tyres fitted.
>>

It must have been very recently or it should have had winter tyres fitted....
 MoT- True or False? - No FM2R
The written and definitive response from a pleasant and helpful man (Stephen) at VOSA;

"An MOT is valid until midnight on the date of expiry of the current certificate - even if the vehicle fails an MOT prior to that date.

Please note however that the vehicle should also be kept in a roadworthy condition and meet legal requirements at all times in order to be driven on the public highway.

Once midnight on the date of expiry is reached, you are only legally able to drive the vehicle directly to/from a pre-booked MOT test.

If the vehicle fails the test you are also able to drive it to a place of repair and back to an MOT garage for re-test."

Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 30 Apr 13 at 13:35
 MoT- True or False? - Cliff Pope

>>
>> If the vehicle fails the test you are also able to drive it to a
>> place of repair and back to an MOT garage for re-test."
>>
>>

"Where the relevant certificate is refused on a compulsory test, the vehicle is an exempt vehicle when it is being used solely for the purpose of—

(a) delivering it (by previous arrangement for a specified time on a specified date) at a place where relevant work is to be done on it, or

(b) bringing it away from a place where relevant work has been done on it."

(From MOT-tester, quoting the 1994 act)


Note three important points:

1) The car has to have failed an MOT before the "driving to a place of repair" clause applies. It appears not to cover a car that is being repaired/restored prior to taking an MOT
2) The place where relevant work is to be done can presumably be your own home, or a competent friend's.
3) It does not say the car has to go straight from the MOT test to the repairer. It might be taken home (legally) and then driven (legally) to a pre-booked repair somewhere else.
 MoT- True or False? - bathtub tom
I thought it could also be driven to a pre-booked appointment for destruction?
 MoT- True or False? - Cliff Pope
I think it can be towed, but not driven:


(B) for the purpose of delivering it, by towing it, to a place where the vehicle is to be broken up;


Towing needs to be defined of course- breakdown truck, dolly, or bit of rope?
 MoT- True or False? - Rudedog
Very interesting! My garage rang me today to say that my car had failed it's MoT due to low tread on one of the rear tyres, unfortunately I'm immobile at the moment after two lots of surgery, the garage would happily renew the rears of with the tyres of my choice (CSC 5's) but I worked out that I would be paying about £50 more than if I had it at home and used a mobile fitter (Event), I suggested that a relative could bring the car back home BUT the garage 100% insisted that the car now no longer had a valid MoT as it was registered on the database as a fail.
 MoT- True or False? - swiss tony
Rudedog... tell them how much you wanna pay, they may (should) price match...
 MoT- True or False? - No FM2R
Rudedog...

Stephen North
VOSA Customer Service Centre
Operations Directorate

E-Mail: Stephen.North@vosa.gsi.gov.uk
Switchboard: 0300 123 9000

"An MOT is valid until midnight on the date of expiry of the current certificate - even if the vehicle fails an MOT prior to that date."
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 30 Apr 13 at 19:17
 MoT- True or False? - AnotherJohnH
Can Event not fit at the garage?

Or is that rubbing their noses in it a bit too much?
 MoT- True or False? - swiss tony
>> Can Event not fit at the garage?
>>
>> Or is that rubbing their noses in it a bit too much?
>>

The garage is within its rights to not allow work to be carried out by third parties on its premises...
 MoT- True or False? - Runfer D'Hills
@ Rudedog, would the garage charge you for a re-test if you let them fit the tyres? If not, it might be worth paying their £50 premium for the convenience of having them fit the tyres?
 MoT- True or False? - Rudedog
That's what I've settled for HD, because I'm recovering at home I just want my car back (even though I can't drive it at the moment), I don't have a real problem with the dealer as they've usually been really good with me, it seems they've just got this completely wrong.
Latest Forum Posts