Matters Of Mot Testing

[fil4362]

few question with regaurd the mot test.

1 How long does an mot last?

2 How long after it runs out do you get to sort it out?

3 You going away on holiday your mot runs out while your away can you have it done before you go?

4 If your car fails and you dont think it should have what can you do about it? can you complain? if so who to?

5 If you buy a car with say a 10 month mot on it and you later find a serious fault can you complain? if so who to?

6 You take your car for an mot test on the way there ALL your lights fail stop lights indicators the lot. what should you do?

7 You take your car for test it fails on a passenger side mirror missing although your driver side and interior are pefect is this right?

8 Your spare tyre is flat in the boot, you know it is should you tell the guy testing the car or hope he doesnt notice?

9 Your rear fog light passenger side is smashed and when turned on shows real bright white light to the rear should it pass.

10 The centre lap belt inthe back of your car got chewed by your dog whats the cheapest way to get round the problem ( not that i would advise you to do what i suggest just showing how bad the mot test is)

Any one want to hazard a guess tot he above questions please do so. Even omri can have a go they change the rules so often its hard to keep up lol

The first 3 questions i get asked often, the next 2 are questions the ministry dont really want you to know the last 5 are examples of the mot test oddaties

I have been a tester for 20 years or so i have been married 13ish years my wife could answer the question then again i cant work the washing machine so its only fair i guess

[sparkystav]

few question with regaurd the mot test.

1 How long does an mot last? 12months

2 How long after it runs out do you get to sort it out? as long as you want but you cant drive it

3 You going away on holiday your mot runs out while your away can you have it done before you go? yes

4 If your car fails and you dont think it should have what can you do about it? can you complain? if so who to? complain to VOSA

5 If you buy a car with say a 10 month mot on it and you later find a serious fault can you complain? if so who to? no, theres no proof it was there before the MOT

6 You take your car for an mot test on the way there ALL your lights fail stop lights indicators the lot. what should you do? fix them?

7 You take your car for test it fails on a passenger side mirror missing although your driver side and interior are pefect is this right? yes, you need both

8 Your spare tyre is flat in the boot, you know it is should you tell the guy testing the car or hope he doesnt notice? take it out, your spare has to be legal, but you dont have to have one

9 Your rear fog light passenger side is smashed and when turned on shows real bright white light to the rear should it pass fail,. smashed lens

10 The centre lap belt inthe back of your car got chewed by your dog whats the cheapest way to get round the problem ( not that i would advise you to do what i suggest just showing how bad the mot test is) take it out?

Any one want to hazard a guess tot he above questions please do so. Even omri can have a go they change the rules so often its hard to keep up lol

The first 3 questions i get asked often, the next 2 are questions the ministry dont really want you to know the last 5 are examples of the mot test oddaties

I have been a tester for 20 years or so i have been married 13ish years my wife could answer the question then again i cant work the washing machine so its only fair i guess

am i right?

[The Transporter]

You can have your MOT done up to a month before it expires, so you can have a situation where the MOT is valid for 13 months.

[ormi]

few question with regaurd the mot test.

1 How long does an mot last?depends if you get it post dated or not

2 How long after it runs out do you get to sort it out?when its out its out

3 You going away on holiday your mot runs out while your away can you have it done before you go?yes but it wont be postdated

4 If your car fails and you dont think it should have what can you do about it? can you complain? if so who to?go to the garage that done the mot and get a vt 17

5 If you buy a car with say a 10 month mot on it and you later find a serious fault can you complain? if so who to?depends on the fault??corrosion yes everything else no,the garage that mot'd and poss vosa depending on the outcome

6 You take your car for an mot test on the way there ALL your lights fail stop lights indicators the lot. what should you do?fix it or continue to the garage and get them to fix it

7 You take your car for test it fails on a passenger side mirror missing although your driver side and interior are pefect is this right? no it sould be a pass and advise

8 Your spare tyre is flat in the boot, you know it is should you tell the guy testing the car or hope he doesnt notice? not part of the mot at ALL

9 Your rear fog light passenger side is smashed and when turned on shows real bright white light to the rear should it pass.no but if you remove the bulb and sharps it will

10 The centre lap belt inthe back of your car got chewed by your dog whats the cheapest way to get round the problem ( not that i would advise you to do what i suggest just showing how bad the mot test is)remove if its not their you cant test it

Any one want to hazard a guess tot he above questions please do so. Even omri can have a go they change the rules so often its hard to keep up lol

The first 3 questions i get asked often, the next 2 are questions the ministry dont really want you to know the last 5 are examples of the mot test oddaties

I have been a tester for 20 years or so i have been married 13ish years my wife could answer the question then again i cant work the washing machine so its only fair i guess

[fil4362]

Best score yet is 6or7 out of 10 and a fellow mot tester has answered the questions......one question i will check tomorow but i believe it to be only half right wont post whats right or wrong yet as i want other to answer as well some people could find it very informative.

Answers i will be posting are from testers guide which is available from any library although vosa dont want you to know that as they dont want the commonman to know as much as the testers do, its just saves arguements that way.

[fil4362]

come on people theres been 140 views os this thread somemore answers please. Proves my point in a way most people dont know or dont want to know abotu the mot test

[fil4362]

bump

[dave1]

few question with regaurd the mot test.

1 How long does an mot last? 12 months normally but can be up to 13 months.

2 How long after it runs out do you get to sort it out? As long as you want provided the vehicle is not on public highway until it is sorted.

3 You going away on holiday your mot runs out while your away can you have it done before you go? Yes, you can have your vehicle tested whenever you want.

4 If your car fails and you dont think it should have what can you do about it? can you complain? if so who to? Yes. Complain to testing centre who will give you a form to send to VOSA

5 If you buy a car with say a 10 month mot on it and you later find a serious fault can you complain? if so who to? Not normally apart from corrosion up to 3 months from date of test then complain to VOSA

6 You take your car for an mot test on the way there ALL your lights fail stop lights indicators the lot. what should you do Providing it is between sunrise and sunset mask off all lights so that they will not require testing.

7 You take your car for test it fails on a passenger side mirror missing although your driver side and interior are pefect is this right? No. If driver side and interior are perfect there is no requirement for a passenger side mirror.

8 Your spare tyre is flat in the boot, you know it is should you tell the guy testing the car or hope he doesnt notice? Not relevant as spare tyre is not a test item.

9 Your rear fog light passenger side is smashed and when turned on shows real bright white light to the rear should it pass. Technically it should pass because only the statutory foglight (centre or o/s) form part of the test. N/s fog light should not be checked at all.

10 The centre lap belt inthe back of your car got chewed by your dog whats the cheapest way to get round the problem ( not that i would advise you to do what i suggest just showing how bad the mot test is) I'd be tempted to remove the seat.

[fil4362]

Bravo Dave you have a better understanding of the mot test than an mot tester LOL. you got higher marks than one set of answers on here.

1 How long does an mot last?. an mot certificate will be post dated automatically for up to one calender month. An mot test is valid for about 30 seconds. Its a test that says the vehicle met the minimum requirements at the time it was tested, it doesnt mean the vehicle is in satisfactory condition. This is writen on the front of every mot certificate

2 How long after it runs out do you get to sort it out? The vehicle can be without mot for as long as you like as long as you dont USE it on the road. It can however be parked on the road.. You do nt require mot to park it on the road only to drive. You can drive it, without a test, to and from the testing station as long as your booked in for a test.

3 You going away on holiday your mot runs out while your away can you have it done before you go? Yes have it done before you go it will be post dated upto one calender month.

4 If your car fails and you dont think it should have what can you do about it? can you complain? if so who to?You can complain no matter what your reasons, up to 28 days and 3 months for corrosion. Not much point though really all that happens is you arrange for your car to be tested at a garage of your choice which you pay for, at ful test price ( which if i remember correctly is now in excess of £54. Vosa send someone out to test the vehicle what ever his/her findings are stands. IT could still fail it could even fail on something it didnt origianally the tester will and can only test it as he/she see it on the day. You dont get your car fixed or the fault you found repaired. You drive away with the result of the test by vosa standing.

5 If you buy a car with say a 10 month mot on it and you later find a serious fault can you complain? if so who to? answer as above.

6 You take your car for an mot test on the way there ALL your lights fail stop lights indicators the lot. what should you do? If your vehicle has no side lights are disconected or perminantly masked you need no other lights, as long as you state the car is nly used during daytime. If the owners gets caught using it in the dark thats not your problem espesialy if you issued an advice certificate.

7 You take your car for test it fails on a passenger side mirror missing although your driver side and interior are pefect is this right? AS long as you have interior mirror and drivers side this is all thats needed. AS long as you have the driver side and one of the other 2 its a pass.

8 Your spare tyre is flat in the boot, you know it is should you tell the guy testing the car or hope he doesnt notice? spare tyre isnt in the mot doesnt matter what state its in.

9 Your rear fog light passenger side is smashed and when turned on shows real bright white light to the rear should it pass. Passenger side fog light isnt mentioned in mot so cant be failed what ever condition its in. The police wont like it but as a tester thats not your problem.

10 The centre lap belt inthe back of your car got chewed by your dog whats the cheapest way to get round the problem ( not that i would advise you to do what i suggest just showing how bad the mot test is) Centre seat belt can be removed. As long as yo have 2 of the three belts in the back the car will pass. if the police stop the car and some one is sat in the midlle thats their fault not yours.

[dave1]

Bravo Dave you have a better understanding of the mot test than an mot tester LOL. you got higher marks than one set of answers on here.

1 How long does an mot last?. an mot certificate will be post dated automatically for up to one calender month. An mot test is valid for about 30 seconds. Its a test that says the vehicle met the minimum requirements at the time it was tested, it doesnt mean the vehicle is in satisfactory condition. This is writen on the front of every mot certificate

Doesn't alter the fact that the certificate is valid until the expiry date. Only postdated to the expiry date of a current MOT certificate if within 1 month of expiry date.

2 How long after it runs out do you get to sort it out? The vehicle can be without mot for as long as you like as long as you dont USE it on the road. It can however be parked on the road.. You do nt require mot to park it on the road only to drive. You can drive it, without a test, to and from the testing station as long as your booked in for a test. You do however require insurance to park a car on the road. and that will almost certainly not be valid without current MOT.

3 You going away on holiday your mot runs out while your away can you have it done before you go? Yes have it done before you go it will be post dated upto one calender month.

4 If your car fails and you dont think it should have what can you do about it? can you complain? if so who to?You can complain no matter what your reasons, up to 28 days and 3 months for corrosion. Not much point though really all that happens is you arrange for your car to be tested at a garage of your choice which you pay for, at ful test price ( which if i remember correctly is now in excess of £54. Vosa send someone out to test the vehicle what ever his/her findings are stands. IT could still fail it could even fail on something it didnt origianally the tester will and can only test it as he/she see it on the day. You dont get your car fixed or the fault you found repaired. You drive away with the result of the test by vosa standing.

5 If you buy a car with say a 10 month mot on it and you later find a serious fault can you complain? if so who to? answer as above. Since the MOT will be at least 2 months old, corrosion will be the only thing you could complain about.

6 You take your car for an mot test on the way there ALL your lights fail stop lights indicators the lot. what should you do? If your vehicle has no side lights are disconected or perminantly masked you need no other lights, as long as you state the car is nly used during daytime. If the owners gets caught using it in the dark thats not your problem espesialy if you issued an advice certificate.

7 You take your car for test it fails on a passenger side mirror missing although your driver side and interior are pefect is this right? AS long as you have interior mirror and drivers side this is all thats needed. AS long as you have the driver side and one of the other 2 its a pass.

8 Your spare tyre is flat in the boot, you know it is should you tell the guy testing the car or hope he doesnt notice? spare tyre isnt in the mot doesnt matter what state its in.

9 Your rear fog light passenger side is smashed and when turned on shows real bright white light to the rear should it pass. Passenger side fog light isnt mentioned in mot so cant be failed what ever condition its in. The police wont like it but as a tester thats not your problem.

10 The centre lap belt inthe back of your car got chewed by your dog whats the cheapest way to get round the problem ( not that i would advise you to do what i suggest just showing how bad the mot test is) Centre seat belt can be removed. As long as yo have 2 of the three belts in the back the car will pass. if the police stop the car and some one is sat in the midlle thats their fault not yours. This is a contentious point as the MOT regulations are rather vague on this. The guidelines are that if a compulsory seat belt has been removed then the vehicle must be failed. If a seat is missing then any seatbelt for use with that seat should be disregarded for the test. I cannot find anywhere that says only 2 belts are required in the rear. I would take it that if the car was fitted with a centre belt as standard by the manufacturer then it would be classed as compulsory, or have I missed a statute somewhere?

[ormi]

also if their is two fog lights fitted to the rear of the car they must work correctly if the left doesnt light up then its a pass but if the lense is broke and it shows a white light when on then its a diff kettle of fish!!!NO white light must show to the rear of the car well that fog light will be emiting a white light so its a fail....

[dave1]

also if their is two fog lights fitted to the rear of the car they must work correctly if the left doesnt light up then its a pass but if the lense is broke and it shows a white light when on then its a diff kettle of fish!!!NO white light must show to the rear of the car well that fog light will be emiting a white light so its a fail....

Is that actually a requirement for the MOT test? I know that no white lights should show at the rear legally (except reversing lamps) but I was not aware that it formed any part of the test. I thought that the manual only covered obligatory lights but not any non obligatory lights......in fact it states that any optional lights should not be tested. The requirements of the MOT test and the requirements to comply with the law are, unfortunately, subject to wide variations.

[ormi]

also if their is two fog lights fitted to the rear of the car they must work correctly if the left doesnt light up then its a pass but if the lense is broke and it shows a white light when on then its a diff kettle of fish!!!NO white light must show to the rear of the car well that fog light will be emiting a white light so its a fail....

Is that actually a requirement for the MOT test? I know that no white lights should show at the rear legally (except reversing lamps) but I was not aware that it formed any part of the test. I thought that the manual only covered obligatory lights but not any non obligatory lights......in fact it states that any optional lights should not be tested. The requirements of the MOT test and the requirements to comply with the law are, unfortunately, subject to wide variations.

you know what mate their is so many grey areas i dont care, all my lights work as they should.........

i thought if they were their and working they must work as they should ie be red not white....but at the end of the day its up to the tester.

as the tester i would just remove the bulb/sharps, job done!!

[fil4362]

also if their is two fog lights fitted to the rear of the car they must work correctly if the left doesnt light up then its a pass but if the lense is broke and it shows a white light when on then its a diff kettle of fish!!!NO white light must show to the rear of the car well that fog light will be emiting a white light so its a fail....

Is that actually a requirement for the MOT test? I know that no white lights should show at the rear legally (except reversing lamps) but I was not aware that it formed any part of the test. I thought that the manual only covered obligatory lights but not any non obligatory lights......in fact it states that any optional lights should not be tested. The requirements of the MOT test and the requirements to comply with the law are, unfortunately, subject to wide variations.

you know what mate their is so many grey areas i dont care, all my lights work as they should.........

i thought if they were their and working they must work as they should ie be red not white....but at the end of the day its up to the tester.

as the tester i would just remove the bulb/sharps, job done!!

Dave is right about the lights Obligatery lights only are in the test. Nearside fog light is not in the test, even if it is showing white light to the rear. All other lights, the testers manuel states "must show red light" Or "must show amber light" In reason for rejuection collumn " show any other colour than permited" Also first collum states "this test apllies to all obligatery lights" nearside fog light isnt obligatery. It is down to the testers discretion if he fails a car or not but he can only fail on items that are actually in the test. I dont recall the words "no white light must be shown to the rear" anywhere in the testers manuel. It does however say "check the light emits a light of the right colour"

The LED washer jets that were popular a while back showed lights of all colours but as they were not in the mot they passed. I was in my mates car when he got a ticket for having them even though i disconected them as the copper wrote the ticket.

Under the seatbelt section ( unless they have changed it and i havent read the email yet very unlikley as if you dont read the updates they stop you testing) the rear of a car needs either one 3 point belt and a lap belt or both 3 point belts. so a lap belt is not required. If the car had the buckle and no belt it would be a fail. As long as the buckle and belt are missing its a pass.

[fil4362]

I could be wrong but as far as i am aware the crime is "driving car on road with no insurance" As far as i am aware parking it without insurance wasnt a problem only using it. The only thing required to park a car on the road is road tax as far as i know.

[Balsca]

Nope, parking your car is still driving. Even moving it a foot is still driving. 6 points +£200 find and probably your car seized with operation reclaim.

Iain

[fil4362]

Nope, parking your car is still driving. Even moving it a foot is still driving. 6 points +£200 find and probably your car seized with operation reclaim.

Iain

Sorry i actually ment parked, as in you put it there when it was insured. then the insurance ran out it doesnt suddenly become illegal its not illegal to have your car parked with out insurance

[dave1]

Nope, parking your car is still driving. Even moving it a foot is still driving. 6 points +£200 find and probably your car seized with operation reclaim.

Iain

Sorry i actually ment parked, as in you put it there when it was insured. then the insurance ran out it doesnt suddenly become illegal its not illegal to have your car parked with out insurance

Vehicle Excise and Regulation Act 1984 and Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 give Police, Local Authorities and Licensing Authorities the power to remove and dispose of untaxed,uninsured or unroadworthy vehicles.

The following case law also applies.

http://www.rjerrard.co.uk/law/cases/pumb.htm

[fil4362]

superb post dave good find clears that one up. THe law does state "use" as i suspected but its the definition of "use" i was wrong about. The car does have to be insured to be just left parked on the road, on the grounds that you could "use" it. This law is as silly as the mot test. So a guy with a car locked in his garage as its winter snd he doesnt take it out in the bad weather (i know lots of classic car owner that do this) has to have it insured because he could use it.That will be next.

The guy you posted about had no way he could have driven that car, what was it no gearbox oil and seized on brakes and was still done for it on the basis the law didnt want to decided the terms of "use". They basicly desided he could use it because they couldnt and didnt want to determine between being able and not able to rotate the wheels. How silly. I am not sprised the guy appealed the case. I dont agree with it but if thats the law then thats the law.

[fil4362]

Rear Fog Lamps The inspection of rear fog lamps is confined to the one rear fog lamp which is required to be fitted to the centre or offside of vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1

The above is copied direct from testers manuel. Doesnt mention nearside fog light there fore its not in the test and as such cannot be failed.

Obligatory rear position lamps (rear lamps) Lamps required by Regulations to be fitted to a vehicle to indicate its presence and width when viewed from the rear. They must show a steady red light to the rear, visible from a reasonable distance

Also copied from testers manuel, this is were the problem origianates. The reason for rejection from one section cannot be applied to the method of inspection for another item

An obligatory light position light must show correct colour, a non abligatory light isnt in the test.

The problem is how the manuel is used. Its actually clear cut. As for the vt32 is says "should" be issued not must be.

The mot test is very clear when read correctly. If its not there in black and white it cant be tested and if it is in black and white its very simple. THe only point to argue is the "term" excesive as in excesive wear. your idea of excess will be diffrent to mine i always get told excesive is to the point of falling off.