MOT rules - bit of a nuisance..

[frostbite]

Well the MOT on the C43 runs out at the end of this month. Now, there is not a cat in hell's chance of it passing an MOT as it needs a right dose of welding. This won't happen in time for the MOT end date so I will need to get the car to the 'garage appointment for repair' without an MOT.
This is OK if the car has failed an MOT and I have a certificate of failure. But I can't do it if the MOT has simply run out. It appears that I am not allowed to rely on the bleedin' obvious, that the car won't pass, I have to have a chitty to say it's failed. This will of course cost me a MOT test fee.
I do appreciate the danger of driving a bag of nails on the public road (although having a fail chit doesn't make it any safer), but actually this is about a jack point, so only dangerous if I use the jacking point?
Oh well, 50 notes to the garage/MOT empire to tell me what I know already.
Or hire a trailer.....
(The place to which I will entrust the car for the welding don't do MOTs)..

 

[Iwoody]

Why don't you whack it in for the MOT and let it fail then get the welding done while its there and then get a retest?

 

[Iwoody]

Sorry, I read that wrong, I assumed the same garage was doing your welding.

 

[markmifsud]

Just check with the MOT station if they will do a free retest under the circumstances. Once they understand the situation I am sure they will oblige.

 

[clk208]

My suggestion is to book an MOT appointment with a test centre that's as close as possible geographically to your welding place. If you get stopped you can claim to be going to your MOT appointment (which you are legally allowed to drive to without MOT). Then cancel the appointment once safely arrived at welding place.

I assume you don't want to go the retest route in case it takes more than the 7 day window (or whatever it is) for a free retest.

 

[mct_cars]

^ Exactly what he said.

 

[def90cars]

If your car won't pass an MOT and is therefore unsafe..... why are you driving it still?

But as stated I would book an MOT, take it and let it fail - then you have the slip - then simply go back for the free retest when it is fixed.

 

[219]

If you still have a few days before the current MOT expires , can't you drive it to the welding place before then ?

Once the welding is done , even if the MOT has by then expired , you can book an MOT and legally drive it from the welders garage to the MOT test .

 

[Spin_bowler]

I sense time or cash flow is the issue here. OP States he can't get the welding done before the MOT expires, so none of the above suggestions work.

As far as I can see, it's either drive it with no MOT to welding place then onto an MOT station, or trailer it. OP, you're right, it is a bit of a nonsensical rule. I get why it exists though but to have a month or so grace period after expiry would also make a lot of sense.

 

[brucemillar]

I believe (I may be incorrect) but it has never caused me an issue.

You can legally drive a car on the road without a valid MOT certificate as long as "you are driving it to a "pre-booked" MOT and can (if required) demonstrate that the MOT is booked. If on the route to the "pre-booked" MOT you were to stop by the welding shop to get that MOT work carried out then that should not be an issue. Otherwise how do restoration specialists etc carry out their work?

 

[Annie19t]

OP, you're right, it is a bit of a nonsensical rule. I get why it exists though but to have a month or so grace period after expiry would also make a lot of sense.

Why is it nonsensical ??? When you can mot your motor a month before then any issues that arise can be sorted before it expires

 

[whitenemesis]

I'm sure we've been here before but don't recall the final consensus of opinion. If your car fails the test and is recorded as such on the system, next time the police check, or you go through an ANPR camera it gets flagged as no valid MoT?

 

[brucemillar]

I'm sure we've been here before but don't recall the final consensus of opinion. If your car fails the test and is recorded as such on the system, next time the police check, or you go through an ANPR camera it gets flagged as no valid MoT?

This is correct. So to allow you to have the car repaired to an MOT standard you have to be given road time to to get it sorted then returned to the MOT station. During this time you have no valid MOT. So as long as you can show that you have a pre-booked test then no action will follow.

 

[meeeb]

I believe (I may be incorrect) but it has never caused me an issue.

You can legally drive a car on the road without a valid MOT certificate as long as "you are driving it to a "pre-booked" MOT and can (if required) demonstrate that the MOT is booked. If on the route to the "pre-booked" MOT you were to stop by the welding shop to get that MOT work carried out then that should not be an issue. Otherwise how do restoration specialists etc carry out their work?

And it has to be a direct route. If you go 'around the houses', you're goosed.

As has already been pointed out the rule is not nonsensical. What's nonsensical is driving around in a potential MOT failure rust bucket and leaving it until the last minute, or too late, to get it sorted.

 

[Bellow]

My suggestion is to book an MOT appointment with a test centre that's as close as possible geographically to your welding place. If you get stopped you can claim to be going to your MOT appointment (which you are legally allowed to drive to without MOT). Then cancel the appointment once safely arrived at welding place.

Nope. This is the OP's problem - not the MOT tester's. Who has a living to earn. Where is he going to get a replacement customer with 5 minutes notice? What's lacking here? An understanding of business - or scruples?

 

[A-AvantGarde]

My suggestion is to book an MOT appointment with a test centre that's as close as possible geographically to your welding place. If you get stopped you can claim to be going to your MOT appointment (which you are legally allowed to drive to without MOT). Then cancel the appointment once safely arrived at welding place.

I assume you don't want to go the retest route in case it takes more than the 7 day window (or whatever it is) for a free retest.

I would do this too. However, when I looked into this a while back (and as long as you get the Refusal certificate) I believe that it's actually okay to drive the vehicle to:
1. Pre-booked MOT
2. A garage to have the defects repaired

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

You must not drive it around for any other reason and stop off on the way to pickup groceries etc. My understanding is that this is to allow other garages / specialists to carry out repairs that may be needed.

Just ensure you make appointments for anything and don't make any deviations / unnecessary trips.

 

[Doodle]

You must not drive it around for any other reason and stop off on the way to pickup groceries etc. My understanding is that this is to allow other garages / specialists to carry out repairs that may be needed.

Just ensure you make appointments for anything and don't make any deviations / unnecessary trips.

There's already been legal precedent set on this to the contrary (but with the proviso of reasonable deviation) - Secretary of State for Transport V. Richards (1998) JP 682

 

[clk208]

Nope. This is the OP's problem - not the MOT tester's. Who has a living to earn. Where is he going to get a replacement customer with 5 minutes notice? What's lacking here? An understanding of business - or scruples?

Big deal.

You could give them almost a full days notice. Make the appointment for 4pm, drive over to the welder first thing then cancel the appointment virtually straight away.

Booking in at a big chain like Halfords would be my preference if I needed to do this. I could go in to the store at a later day to buy stuff which would generate profit for the store and appease my conscience.

Bit of a weird thing to be taking a moral high ground on, it was just an option for the OP. What's lacking here- common sense or a sense of proportion?

 

[toolman1954]

Hi,
You could of course just avoid any ANPR cameras en route to get the welding done, and of course on the way back. It is not as though they are bolted to every lampost in every road. Big Brother has not gotton that advanced --yet ---. Regards .

 

[meeeb]

Never ceases to amaze me the amount of energy some people will employ to circumnavigate the law rather than comply with it.