MOT rules - bit of a nuisance..

[Spin_bowler]

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

Sorry for the delay coming back I posted this so early in the morning I'd forgotten I'd contributed.

I was thinking from the perspective of someone who may have purchased a running car with expired MOT or someone out of country or who's been indisposed.

I thank you for your beautifully crafted question. Are you Dieselman in disguise?

 

[219]

Are you Dieselman in disguise?

You're the second person I've seen to ask that question of 'Annie' !

 

[Spin_bowler]

You're the second person I've seen to ask that question of 'Annie' !

There seem to be stylistic similarities

 

[Sp!ke]

And 23 posts of which almost all are inflammatory.

I'm not sure I see much in the way of constructive contribution.

 

[DSB SL AMG]

I thought you guys knew about DM's op?

Back on track... what happens if you have a car with no road tax or MOT? you cant get tax without MOT? so cant drive it at all on public highway?

You're the second person I've seen to ask that question of 'Annie' !

 

[Teflonso]

A little garage I sometimes use just rings up a local firm who will collect and deliver a car by trailer for £25. It strikes me that if a car is too dodgy to pass an MOT then it's more sensible to trailer it for repair and book an MOT immediately on completion so you can drive straight there.

100% legal, 100% sensible and you won't end up dead if your rotten motor is involved in a big shunt with some numbskull in a skip lorry.

.

 

[Stratman]

I thought you guys knew about DM's op?

Back on track... what happens if you have a car with no road tax or MOT? you cant get tax without MOT? so cant drive it at all on public highway?

The powers that be have thought about this. You are allowed to drive a car without an MOT or VED, but with insurance, directly to a pre-arranged test. You can even drive it back if it fails provided it hasn't been declared dangerous by the tester.

 

[219]

Back on track... what happens if you have a car with no road tax or MOT? you cant get tax without MOT? so cant drive it at all on public highway?

There is provision that , as long as insurance is in place , and a test appointment has been booked , you can drive to the prearranged test.

This does not exempt you from being charged with any offences relating to vehicle defects if stopped and any are found .

As long as the tester does not advise you not to drive the vehicle away , marking serious faults as 'dangerous' you can normally drive away from a failure , either home , to a place of repair or to the scrapyard . Once repaired you can return for prearranged retest .

There is no restriction on the distance you can travel for the test , nor on stopping along the way , such as for fuel . I have certainly used this to my advantage in driving a newly purchased car 100 odd miles home from the garage , in possession of ins certificate and new MOT dated that day , then taxed it at the post office on the Monday morning - at least I was driving home from a test pass so was reasonably confident the car was ok .

It runs in the back of my mind that there is provision to allow you to take the vehicle for repairs necessary to pass the test , before the test is booked , but my memory of this is unclear .

 

[frostbite]

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.

It is safe to drive, just not safe to use the jacking point.

 

[frostbite]

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 .

Most of the ones in Cheshire are mobile in police cars and ANPR vans..

 

[frostbite]

Well, that generated some discussion! Thanks for all the replies and comments. I have no intention of breaking the law or driving a car that is unsafe or messing an MOT garage/tester around (I know what that feels like). My favourite MOTing garage is a mere 30 miles from my local MB Indy to whom I will entrust the welding (they've already seen the scale of the job and no mention of it leaving the car unsafe, otherwise it'd still be there)
So, my chosen option is either book the appointment and have the car fail (may also highlight anything else that I could then get fixed at the same time as the welding). If they say it's dangerous, then I'll borrow a trailer and use the Memsahib's Barbarian to tow it.
To pinch MG's motto - 'Safety fast'. (I know, I had three, nothing fast or especially safe about them!)
The rules are a nuisance, but as is 99.999% the case, they're there for good reason.

 

[frostbite]

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.

Exactly Sir..

 

[frostbite]

Well, took her in for the MOT today. I have a list of about 50 things that I think need doing.. not many of them MOT issues, but anyway, I expected failure on:

1. Big rusty holes in the floor from front jacking point of which there is little solid metal left. If it had rained today, my feet would have got very wet!
2. Offside indicator side repeater not working (it's not the bulb)
3. Rear brake disc wear uneven
4. As I've taken them out... rear seat belt buckles missing.
5. Nearside headlight wiper not working.
6. Windscreen wiper blade needs replacing.
7. I was a bit worried about emissions as the secondary cats have been taken out.

It failed, as anticipated, but on:

1. Headlights aim too high.
2. No rear seatbelt buckles.
3. Corrosion around rear seat belt anchor points (which the tester wouldn't have known about if I hadn't stripped all the rear seats, carpet and trim out.)

The rusty hole and collapsed jacking point was only an advisory! Apparently because the corrosion is not close enough to anything important like a suspension or sub-frame mounting point.

I have found a nice chap who is going to do the welding for me, when he's finished the Triumph Stag, Mini and Jaguar XK he's working on at the moment. If he makes as good a job on the C43 as he has on the XK, I'll be well happy!

 

[219]

Re fail point 2 - if there are no rear seats present , does it need rear seat belts ?

 

[frostbite]

It was only the buckles and centre belt I took out, I left the main belts in. I guess that technically people could sit on the floor shelf that the seat cushion goes on, even though there are no seat backs either. Wouldn't be very comfy of course!