Advice on driving to a pre booked MOT.

[DodgeRover]

Have you heard about the foreign trade plates trick? Simply bolt in date plates of a nationality of your choosing to your chosen vehicle and you become exempt* from all tax, mot and insurance requirements.

[danthecapriman]

Have you heard the one about the bloke who bought an identical car to one already owned and borrowed the number plates for the collection journey home? 

 

Thought so.

Have you heard about the foreign trade plates trick? Simply bolt in date plates of a nationality of your choosing to your chosen vehicle and you become exempt* from all tax, mot and insurance requirements.

The thought of one of these had crossed my mind...

 

Trouble is if you do get caught things get a lot worse for you than just trying to explain that your on the way to a pre booked MOT.

[Guest Hooli]

Just answer in timbuctooian & they'll get bored & wave you on

[garbaldy]

Have you heard the one about the bloke who bought an identical car to one already owned and borrowed the number plates for the collection journey home?

 

Thought so.

It got me home from Germany but it wasn't all plain sailing.

[Brodders]

Regards cancelling in cooling off period. I haven't been charged more than £25 yet. Did it 6 times last year

On a related note, does it have any impact on the premiums you have to pay if you take out a lot of policies and cancel them in the course of a year. I only ask as I saw a nice Cavalier on eBay nearby, which needs a little* bit of work for the MOT and I am very tempted to buy it, get it sorted out and then run it for the two weeks and then sell it on.

 

Would it cause much trouble when I want to get a new policy for the 75 and are they really going to just give back the money after the cooling back period, as due to my age, it is likely that I would end up losing a lot if they didn't play ball.

[The Moog]

On a related note, does it have any impact on the premiums you have to pay if you take out a lot of policies and cancel them in the course of a year. I only ask as I saw a nice Cavalier on eBay nearby, which needs a little* bit of work for the MOT and I am very tempted to buy it, get it sorted out and then run it for the two weeks and then sell it on.

 

Would it cause much trouble when I want to get a new policy for the 75 and are they really going to just give back the money after the cooling back period, as due to my age, it is likely that I would end up losing a lot if they didn't play ball.

 

It shouldn't do. They are separate policies all with 0 NCB and cancelled in cooling off period under law. 

[SiC]

Multiple credit searches done and open credit lines though.

 

I'd be very wary of doing this if there is any intention to buy a house in a couple of years.

[DodgeRover]

It wouldn't be credit though would it? You would be paying up front not in instalments?

[Noel Tidybeard]

 

 

 

Sure, but all my cars have the "check boot for dead hookers" flag on the PNC.

 

 

this is why everyone likes* you so much- the fear!

[richardmorris]

Have you heard the one about the bloke who bought an identical car to one already owned and borrowed the number plates for the collection journey home? 

 

Thought so.

 

I have heard first had of a 2cver who keeps two identical cars on one set of plates- on in Europe and one in the uk.

[andy18s]

I know a lad who bought a brand new Cbr600 from Germany back in the early 90's, when the parallel import game was kicking off

Flew over with the plate from his current bike, nailed it on and rode it back....

[garbaldy]

/\ yup that's the shot although when I left Germany the car was silver but by the time we all got home it had changed to gold with wobbly wings, v5 stated green though and not even a weird look.

[Faker]

Type of car has a lot to do with being 'tugged' by the feds! I used to drive a really mint vectra gsi. I used to get 'tugged' in it quite a bit. I asked once why I was stopped. Was politely told that I looked like a hood in the car.

[Station]

I have two identical Astras, I've only had one on the road in recent years but would consider swapping plates. Also was going to buy another white MR2 and do the same, but where do you swap the plates? On the driveway? It's so dodgy.

I've never done it though.

[scaryoldcortina]

I tested an MGZR for someone and the vin details didn't match the registration when I logged the test on - I phoned him to ask why and he'd forgotten to put the right numberplates back on the car before bringing it. Turns out he had two identical cars and only one set of tax/insurance.

 

I also remember a tale a very old tester told me about two ford anglias, one minter and one farmyard wreck. The wreck was always tested by putting its plates on the minter but that was before checking the VIN was part of the test.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Re the MG, I wonder why someone dodgy enough to cheat on tax and insurance could be arsed to get an MoT on the car that was impersonating the taxed and insured one.

[scaryoldcortina]

Other way round - the car being presented was the one with the Tax and insurance (and brewing HGF) and its plates were on the one he was driving around. To avoid having two cars showing the same reg he had put the "spare" set on the taxed car and kept it in his front yard.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Quel sorte de bellend!

[Talbot]

Just as a bit of a Thread Resurection, I noticed many comments in here about the purchasing of Insurance online (paid in full, not on tic) and then cancelling within 14 days doesn't then come with the usual arse-raping of "early cancellation fees" that ususally exceed the value of the premium.

 

Is this due to distance selling regulations?  Or something specific to insurance?  I may well have good reason to do this very soon, needing insurance for a week or so, but want to be *very* sure of how to cancel the insurance and get 25/26ths of the premium back, as every conversation I've ever had with every insurer has essentially been "no, you owe us money".

[The Moog]

Yep it is a cooling off period. Be aware that it only applies if you pay for the insurance in one go.

 

If you stick it on finance then effectively the finance pays the insurance and you pay finance and that comes under different rules. 

With admiral etc I usually do the two week thing and it was costing £25 which was the admin fee. May have changed as havent done it for 6 months 

[cort1977]

If its just moving it on one day you can get day insurance for that kind of money and no worries about cancelling.

[Vince70]

I’ve only just found out that my insurance allows me to drive point to point anycar third party only (with or without insurance) after years of paying day insurance when I’m going on colleckshun missions around the country.

I would never of known it was only after the other half pointed out she has it on her policy and uses it when ferrying her kids cars around.

So its worth a phone call to your insurance company to find out.

It would of saved me a fortune over the years if I had known.

[dollywobbler]

Glad this thread has popped back up. I have the V5C for the Invacar, so have wisely declared it SORN. It's actually on disabled tax (unsurprisingly) but I'm hoping that SORN effectively invalidates that, so I'm ok (as usual on a SORN) to drive to a pre-booked MOT. Does this sound reasonable?

 

It's 12 miles to the nearest 3-wheel MOT station. If I'm feeling adventurous, I can take the scenic mountain road...

[320touring]

Glad this thread has popped back up. I have the V5C for the Invacar, so have wisely declared it SORN. It's actually on disabled tax (unsurprisingly) but I'm hoping that SORN effectively invalidates that, so I'm ok (as usual on a SORN) to drive to a pre-booked MOT. Does this sound reasonable?

 

It's 12 miles to the nearest 3-wheel MOT station. If I'm feeling adventurous, I can take the scenic mountain road...

Should be fine - no tax is a civil matter anyway;)

[dollywobbler]

Should be fine - no tax is a civil matter anyway;)

 

But doesn't apply here anyway, as you can legally drive to an MOT with a car that has been declared SORN. I'm just hoping that overules whether it's PLG, Historic or Disabled. As I can't change the tax class until it has an MOT, it seems a moot point to me. Especially as, due to its age, it's free tax anyway.

[320touring]

But doesn't apply here anyway, as you can legally drive to an MOT with a car that has been declared SORN. I'm just hoping that overules whether it's PLG, Historic or Disabled. As I can't change the tax class until it has an MOT, it seems a moot point to me. Especially as, due to its age, it's free tax anyway.

Aye, so when's it going in Mistah?

[Talbot]

I have the V5C for the Invacar, so have wisely declared it SORN. It's actually on disabled tax (unsurprisingly) but I'm hoping that SORN effectively invalidates that

It doesn't so much "invalidate it" more "puts it on hold". You'll still have to change the taxation band to Historic (and might have to change it to PLG first, then to Historic. I've never done it, but I wonder if there might be issues going straight from Disabled to Historic)

 

But you're correct. Once it's on SORN, nothing else matters. In theory, once you have the MOT, you're then driving it back home unlawfully, as the law allows you to drive to a pre-booked MOT, drive away if it fails, and drive to and from places where you're having work done by appointment. What it doesn't (specifically) allow is for you to drive home from an MOT that you have passed. Theoretically, you have to Tax it instantly before you can drive home. Which of course you cannot do if you need to change the taxation class.

[Talbot]

I’ve only just found out that my insurance allows me to drive point to point anycar third party only (with or without insurance)

This is generally only true if you're driving a vehicle that does not belong to you. If you've just bought a car and are driving it home, it doesn't cover you (unless you have come to an arrangement with the vendor whereby ownership only passes to you once you're home, which could be fraut with issues and legally questionable.)

 

Also, many insurers do insist that the vehicle in question is not only not yours, but is "insured elsewhere". I am not sure how they can insist on that bit, but it's certainly been in the wording of policies I've had in the past.

[cpjitservices]

I drove the Jag 75 Miles with no Mot or Tax, was fully insured though and had a pre-booked MOT here in Hull. 

 

Was Fine.

[dollywobbler]

It doesn't so much "invalidate it" more "puts it on hold". You'll still have to change the taxation band to Historic (and might have to change it to PLG first, then to Historic. I've never done it, but I wonder if there might be issues going straight from Disabled to Historic)

 

But you're correct. Once it's on SORN, nothing else matters. In theory, once you have the MOT, you're then driving it back home unlawfully, as the law allows you to drive to a pre-booked MOT, drive away if it fails, and drive to and from places where you're having work done by appointment. What it doesn't (specifically) allow is for you to drive home from an MOT that you have passed. Theoretically, you have to Tax it instantly before you can drive home. Which of course you cannot do if you need to change the taxation class.

 

Cool. Village with the MOT station has a Post Office, which is where tax class changes can be done (or at least sent off) so that'll do for me. 

 

Aye, so when's it going in Mistah?

 

I said I'd have it on the road in March. Hopefully it'll be running by the end of the weekend, and then I can tackle some other jobs it needs before MOT (mostly door handle related).