MOT not for me.

[Rusty_Rocket]

Some people find the concept of maintaining their car a complete inconvenience. It's like the £100 a year or so for a service is money wasted, then 3 years down the line when the car is bollocksed as the main bearings were worn to dust, the car has let them down. When people trot the above story out, I honestly have no sympathy whatsoever. It is, however, a mistake people make only once.

 

If only... I find these idiots never change their ways; they go from car to car, ignoring any service requirements and then moan when said vehicle expires way before it 'should' do.

A neighbour of mine once told me an oil change ruined his engine.  When I probed further, he said that 'the oil in it lasted ten years with no problems at all' and that 'the red light wouldn't go out so the garage changed the oil.. and the engine seized up a week later'....

[sierraman]

Well done you've saved £400. Now here's a bill for £1500 for an exchange engine. Ha ha ha!!!

[HH-R]

Are we still getting a 2 yearly inspection, or has that been WEIGHED IN now?

 

+1 for it's about right as it is. I don't feel I've ever been ripped off at MOT time, mind I'm a bit OTT about getting things fixed straight away so it usually passes fine.

[Taff]

I reckon all cars should be main dealer serviced by law........and all work advised must be carried out too. Including number plates.......and if the owner disagrees the car gets impounded and crushed.

 

After all they are the experts.

 

Then scrap the mot

 

Anything owned by me would be exempt as I know how to check it and am a trustworthy sort.

 

I trust you alf, have a quick shufty at the X1/9 while I make the brews, mate? Want a doughnut with yours?

 

I can't see how you can argue against an MOT, but regardless I have a serious question.

 

Would an insurer charge more for an MOT exempt car, compared to the same model but post 60?

 

Footman James didn't ask me any MoT-related questions about the Galaxie, which is exempt and road legal. Check out my legal L/H rear wheel arch

 

[forddeliveryboy]

Most of those in the know realise that lethal cars can easily pass MoTs with no advises (especially if they're shiny, newish and clean) because testers don't have X-ray vision and can't examine every testable item in minute detail, but overall, an annual test on structure, suspension, steering, lighting and braking is a very good thing. But turning it into something the Nazis would be proud of is not a good idea.

 

If I woz in charge of this sort of thing, I'd insist in a test every year from new, with no more than 20,000 miles between tests allowed. And insist on a road and brake test on a winding, bumpy road at speeds over 45mph. So they'd have to be out of town, like every other amenity today bar the charity shop.

[Vince70]

I find it quite worrying that anyone could now drag a knackered motor which hasn't been looked at in years and basically do the bare minimum to get it running and then go straight on the road.. admittedly it's illegal to drive an unroadworthy motor but that's not stopped anyone doing it..

 

Admittedly most classic car folk have beards and know all about their trunnions but there's always going to be the bloke on a quick make which flogs on a complete death trap full of rot or can't be arsed to look after his car..and MOTS aren't expensive at the end of the day.

If nothing else it's good to have another impartial pair of eyes look over the car for the sake of £35 a year for piece of mind and I can't see anyone would mind if the car is going to be road legal especially people who cherish classic motors..

 

Anyway my sister in law said to me the other week its good to have an MOT as that way the car gets serviced once a year.

It must be that magic wand that the mot tester has which automatically changes the oils and filters and renews the disks and pads when needed.

And that's coming from someone who doesn't drive a car covered in powered by fairy dust stickers lol...

 

My theory is that someone in government is a director of a classic car Arthur Daley cars sales business who has run out of bent mots..so got the law changed as it's the only logical explanation.

[purplebargeken]

MOT to stay! Mate does all of my more than basic stuff on all of our cars and he is ace. 

[Tamworthbay]

Some people find the concept of maintaining their car a complete inconvenience. It's like the £100 a year or so for a service is money wasted, then 3 years down the line when the car is bollocksed as the main bearings were worn to dust, the car has let them down. When people trot the above story out, I honestly have no sympathy whatsoever. It is, however, a mistake people make only once.

one of the women where I work came to me a couple of years back as her car was making a funny noise. I asked when she had last had it serviced, she replied that garage had done that when she bought it. I asked how long she had had it expecting an answer of a few months, no chance-5 YEARS!!!!!! In that time nothing had been checked even once. Not surprisingly it was dry as a bone. I filled it with crap oil we use as cutting oil on the lathe and told her to get it serviced ASAP. Guess what? She 'couldn't afford' it and It went bang two months later. In that time I know she had been out on several expensive night outs with other people at work so could have afforded it but it wasn't a priority it seems.

[sierraman]

I don't know where they take these MOT's but it seems tremendous value to me if they not only spend 40 mins or so testing the car but also complete a full service including filters, 5 litre of oil and some pads for £45.

 

It goes back to some people's expectations these days that everyone should charge £6.50 an hour to do anything. Plaster a house? Yes I'll do that we'll call it £30 shall we? No appreciation of the constant need to buy equipment, pay the rent, invest in diagnostic stuff etc...

 

Mate of mine worked for a Tarmac company, did roads etc, got sick of people saying 'could you Tarmac my drive on a Saturday morning for £50?'

[colino]

Our MOT was OK (I'm told 4 2 2 is definitely out and Advisories are going) as most people still in the UK think the annual safety check is some kind of bumper to bumper service but also think they are being ripped off fitting a part-worn for £20 to squeeze another years test on their Focus.

The test has went wrong in straying into secondary safety systems though; if your abs/dsc isn't working your brakes still pass the roller test and if you rely on your airbags you should be forced to have it replaced with a spike anyway.

Just wait until these tiny city cars with every extra under the sun, even self-parking, throw up a warning light at their first MOT.  It will be the new scrappage scheme as the things wont be viable to repair and the poor souls will just sign up another finance agreement for yet another, bland eurobox.

I'd guess Spain is the most objective test I've personally experienced, it either passes in the automated lane or it doesn't and the worst is New Zealand.  Your car would only fail to pass its WOF if you turned up at the station (bare foot of course) and realised you'd forgotten to bring it.

[Des]

I believe the MOT is the reason so many old cars have survived. Look how few old chodders exist in Ireland, they don't use salt on their roads, they should be rich in old donks, but traditionally drawing turf would always see them leave an old car or two at the bog. They had no test until recently, so no enforced maintenance. Driven until they break, at which point most every component is worn out.

The demise of points killed servicing, as the critical gap closes through wear the car gets harder to start and served a good reminder to get it booked in, that's motorists for you, if it starts, they'll drive it.

[Eddie Honda]

Ireland killed them with a few scrappage schemes too. Another difference is that they are more interested in tractors than cars. Britain has plenty of motoring heritage to preserve too. Bugger all in the way of a national transport museum in Ireland either.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'm in spain and its worse than Ireland for shite-spotting, bloody hopeless even right out in the sticks!!!

[CHRIS1980]

A mate of mine is a tester,he loves posting up pics of people's tyres on facebook. It's shocking what people will drive and think it's ok.

[twosmoke300]

As i walked back from my dentist app this morning (a mile max) I spotted six cars with at least 1 illegal tyre on . Thats just looking at the kerbside as I walked past not going round the cars .

[Clanger]

In the olden days we used to take our Series Landies to get MOTed at one particular local garage, we always took them in after lunch... why, after lunch and why the one garage you ask?  Because the old fella that ran the place always had a liquid lunch and hated Series Land Rovers with a passion, so instead of actually inspecting them he just gave an automatic pass to get rid of us and our spawn of Satan vehicles.

 

Ah... the good old days!

 

Now I live somewhere that has absolutely no safety checks at all.

[alf892]

I suspect the insurance companies quite like the exemption.

 

Your policy will require you to keep the vehicle in a roadworthy condition somewhere in the small print........and although you may be exempt from the actual check C&U will still apply. If a big/any claim comes in one of the first things they will do is have your vehicle inspected and if they find a fault it will give them wriggle room due to your negligence.

 

Most of them won't be too bothered about nuns and kittens getting squidged as long as they don't have to pay for the funerals or ongoing dependants.

[CHRIS1980]

Just thinking,that jag was probably hammered down the motorway at 3 figure speeds on those tyres like that.

[oldford]

Just thinking,that jag was probably hammered down the motorway at 3 figure speeds on those tyres like that.

We test quite a few of them for the local dealer and they tend to be a bit hard on tyres.  I had a lovely 7,000 mile XK convertible in for its first test, switched on the rear fog lamp and one by one the LEDs went out - failed that, had a 2 pager on a 13 year old rotten S type that didn't even get an advisory the previous year, the final nail in the coffin for that was putting the plastic 'hammer' through the rear sub frame.

 

We had a customer bring in a car for test that she had purchased from us 3 years previously, she remarked that a warning light came on when the engine was revved.  I had a look and it was the oil pressure warning, informed her what it was and the possible consequences to be told that we shouldn't be selling cars that only last for 3 years.  We then enquired as to where she had it serviced, to be told that she had it MOTd every year and that it was the same thing.  We gave it an oil and filter change before the test (would you risk an emissions test with a possible oil pressure fault?) and found that the filter was badly distorted, this sorted the oil pressure problem.  The car failed on front brake pads down to the metal.

 

I failed a Police womans car on a track rod end, brake pads on the metal and not a single brake light working - all three lights had blown bulbs.  It was weird in that it recorded the best brake efficiency of any car that I've tested.

[Coprolalia]

The hot rod chaps I know love the MOT exemption. Means their Model As with flathead v8s need no arches or decibel limits.

They keep their motors in top working order mind.

[CHRIS1980]

We test quite a few of them for the local dealer and they tend to be a bit hard on tyres.  I had a lovely 7,000 mile XK convertible in for its first test, switched on the rear fog lamp and one by one the LEDs went out - failed that, had a 2 pager on a 13 year old rotten S type that didn't even get an advisory the previous year, the final nail in the coffin for that was putting the plastic 'hammer' through the rear sub frame.

 

We had a customer bring in a car for test that she had purchased from us 3 years previously, she remarked that a warning light came on when the engine was revved.  I had a look and it was the oil pressure warning, informed her what it was and the possible consequences to be told that we shouldn't be selling cars that only last for 3 years.  We then enquired as to where she had it serviced, to be told that she had it MOTd every year and that it was the same thing.  We gave it an oil and filter change before the test (would you risk an emissions test with a possible oil pressure fault?) and found that the filter was badly distorted, this sorted the oil pressure problem.  The car failed on front brake pads down to the metal.

 

I failed a Police womans car on a track rod end, brake pads on the metal and not a single brake light working - all three lights had blown bulbs.  It was weird in that it recorded the best brake efficiency of any car that I've tested.

It amazes me how people get through life without killing themselves. I know people may not know all the ins and outs of cars,but come on...oil checks? Water? Screen wash?....do they know how to even open the bonnet? Of course when it all goes wrong it's someone else's fault.

[captain_70s]

The MOT irritates me. It means my car fails on mild cosmetic things like structural corrosion, leaking fuel pipes, leaking brake pipes and non-functional indicators. Load of bollocks...

 

 

In all seriousness though, I went from having no advisories on one MOT and then an A4 sheet of shit to fix on the next one with less than 10,000 miles travelled. I think the garage had gotten a new MOT tester, one that actually looked at the car, highly depressing.

[cros]

Watching a heroin addict driving to pick up his supplies in a blue Vectra (wife and kids on board), I'm wondering what sort of fucked up society we live in where this is even feasable when a airbag warning light on at the MOT will put a more responsible citizen off the road.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

What would you like to see done to correct this situation?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

What would you like to see done to correct this situation?

 

 

Reason for rejection: presenter refused to pee into a cup.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

If the Heroin addict has valid tax, MOT and insurance then there's no problem for him to go and collect his skag legally and safely

[twosmoke300]

Vectra c ? Airbag light will be on anyway

[Taff]

If the Heroin addict has valid tax, MOT and insurance then there's no problem for him to go and collect his skag legally and safely

 

quite right. we are far better off persecuting those immigrants with the horrible old french cars and their badly spaced number plates who are a threat to the very fabric of our communities.

 

Old skag boy probably has a government grant to assist his with his MoT anyway

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Immediate removal of children. Parents unfit, car unfit, no advisories.

 

So nowt to do with the MOT test then. It must be OK as-is!

[dollywobbler]

Here's a thought. While I certainly like the MOT, the vast majority of accidents are still caused by twats at the wheel than mechanical failure. Maybe it's the drivers we should be testing every year...