The Dreaded time again

[french]

My Mot is due on 15th December, I always put the cars in early to get a chance to sort them out before it runs out. I have sorted out the intermittent parking bulb. H/light bulbs seem a bit different in colour, so I am off to Halfords to get some Osram Nightbreakers, at least I'll know it has matching bulbs. The brightness is the same, to me, one seems slightly yellower. Wife & daughter say they cannot see what I mean...could be the usual pre Mot nerves. This started Mrs French off on a tirade ie "When I was in Labour & the nurse called you she said you were outside reading a football paper, not in the least bit bothered, but your cars get you worried...gnash gnash...I thought this was normal...chaps ???

 

[Yugguy]

I dont think the MOT tester is going to get out his light meter and fail you if one light is a Kelvin or two out.

 

[tanuie]

Good luck with the MOT, I all ways take mine a month early.

 

[french]

I know but I thought I might as well, anyway changed them both & what an improvement...I can SEE, also changed the air filters, they looked remarkably clean after 8000 miles.


PS can a mod be so good & move this to general please ?

 

[ash59fifty-uk]

Get the osrams from Amazon they are so much cheaper

 

[french]

Thanks ash but I have already bought them.
The good news is passed with two advisories, lower ball joints & a chunk out of the rear tyre. I knew about the tyre so I'll be looking on OPONEO's website for them. The two ball joints are not expensive but will have to buy a tool to get them out & refit the new ones...anyone have one for sale ??
TBH its quite cheap about £38, just have to find the time I guess.

Glad its over , I hate waiting for them to finish & give me the news... this time it was quite painless lol

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Can you still drive on a failed MOT?

 

[french]

I think you can drive it away & then re book it back in after he work is completed but not sure,what has yours failed on ?


I'm a bit disappointed , my car's MOT expiry date was mid December '16 & I took it in early for my own convenience & it has passed, the new expiry date is December '17. I thought if you took it in a month earlier you had the extra month added on, ie my expiry date should be January 19 instead of December 17 ?

 

[kwk]

Can you still drive on a failed MOT?

Yes you can. My ML failed a couple of weeks ago on a blown headlight bulb (working when I left the house) and two indicator bulbs faded and showing the wrong colour. I asked the tester that question and he told me that as long as the previous mot had not expired there was no problem.
Funny though, the advisories for front anti roll bar bushes worn from last year, seem to have miraculously healed themselves. Same garage, same tester.

 

[zipdip]

I took mine 3 weeks early to the same MOT centre I use but it seems to have changed hands and on top of that the guy who owns the garage has started to run MOT tester courses,still I got two advisories about the front tyres worn on the inner edge,to be fair they are but the tyre s were legal with tread over 3/4 of it,I put those two part worn tyres on as they had been in my garage for a while to run all the tyres out at the same time,the MOT at £35 is cheap but I will find somewhere else next year,had 4 Nexen tyres fitted this morning,it seems these are now fitted to the Porsche 4x4 at £92 fitted a corner a bargain.

 

[markjay]

The question of whether you can drive a car that failed its MOT has been discussed before...

There seem to be no definitive answer.

I asked my MOT tester the same question and he insisted that he could not formally tell me that I can drive the car....

I think the current concensus is as follows:

If your car failed its MOT then it still has a valid MOT until the expiry date, i.e. you will not be charged with the offence of not having valid MOT or have your insurance invalidated for sane reason etc.

But you are committing an offence because as the keeper you have an overall responsibility to ensure that your car is roadworthy, and once it failed an MOT test, you could argue that it is no longer roadworthy in spite of still having a valid MOT certificate.

Most people will read this to say that it is OK to drive it straight to the garage and back to the MOT testing station...

 

[Dryce]

But you are committing an offence because as the keeper you have an overall responsibility to ensure that your car is roadworthy, and once it failed an MOT test, you could argue that it is no longer roadworthy in spite of still having a valid MOT certificate.

Most people will read this to say that it is OK to drive it straight to the garage and back to the MOT testing station...

That's my understanding.

And you have to watch your insurance small print as well.

The issue with the vehicle having failed an MOT is that is in effect a statement the car doesn't meet the required standard. The get-out of being able to drive it to/from test is the implementation of the law trying to be reasonable.

The problem is that things are fuzzy. I suspect more than a few people get a car tested early - it fails - and they drive it normally while waiting to get it sorted and re-tested - in effect treating he previous MOT as valid even though the new one has failed it. If something happens - such as being stopped on your way to work - or having an accident - then it seems to be a bit of a no-man's land.

 

[french]

Great! I went to fit the Bulbs I bought from halfords & they are the wrong type...my fault I thought they were H7 but mine has Bi-Xeons, anyway money back & they were out of mine, just as well as they are a fortune...guess I'll stick with the ones I have...passed the mot so wife must be right .

ordered two 265/35 18 tyres should be here next week.

No tool for sale anyone ?

 

[John]

I spoke to an MB Service Manager recently who happened to be an MOT tester of 15 years previously.

He told me categorically that an earlier failed MOT made no difference to the MOT status of the vehicle.

So unless your car fails or is failed on that final expiration date, it is still classed as having an MOT until the expiry date on your MOT printout!

Wife & daughter say they cannot see what I mean...could be the usual pre Mot nerves. This started Mrs French off on a tirade ie "When I was in Labour & the nurse called you she said you were outside reading a football paper, not in the least bit bothered, but your cars get you worried...gnash gnash...I thought this was normal...chaps ???

I don't care about whether my car passes or fails the MOT to be honest.

Shyte happens.

I can only assume you are concerned about a large financial bill and possibly the hassle of getting whatever it is sorted?

Your wife in labour was unlikely to cause you either of these?

I'm a bit disappointed , my car's MOT expiry date was mid December '16 & I took it in early for my own convenience & it has passed, the new expiry date is December '17. I thought if you took it in a month earlier you had the extra month added on, ie my expiry date should be January 19 instead of December 17 ?

I've never heard of this.

It used to be if you presented your MOT certificate, they would honour the expiration date. Otherwise your MOT would move back to the date you did it if you took it in early I think.

This doesn't apply anymore.

 

[markjay]

...I can only assume you are concerned about a large financial bill and possibly the hassle of getting whatever it is sorted?

Your wife in labour was unlikely to cause you either of these?....

You are joking, right??????

 

[John]

You are joking, right??????

You've lost me...

 

[markjay]

.
....It used to be if you presented your MOT certificate, they would honour the expiration date. Otherwise your MOT would move back to the date you did it if you took it in early I think.

This doesn't apply anymore.

I was told by my local MOT tester that if you have the car MOTed up to one month prior to the expiry date, then the original anniversary date will be retained.

However if you present the car earlier than one month prior to the original expiry day, then the new certificate will have an expiry date of exactly 12 month from the test date (i.e. you 'lose' the remainder of the original certificate period), and this will also be your new anniversary date going forward.

So in order to preserve the car's original MOT expiry date, you need to present it no earlier than one month prior to the current expiry date.

The idea is to prevent situation where the car is presented (say) 6 months early and is then certified for the next 18 months without need to retest it.

 

[markjay]

You've lost me...

My wife going into labour was the beginning of many years of financial hardship and many problems that needed sorting............

 

[John]

My wife going into labour was the beginning of many years of financial hardship and many problems that needed sorting............

I was talking an immediate big bill rather than a long drawn-out one...

 

[RichardF]

Never cross and angry woman, they'll remember things you haven't done yet.