Car fails first MOT..

[Outcast]

Indeed we did used to be allowed 1mm across the entire width

but...

Cars corner at much greater speeds these days. Go watch the girlies cornering their Ka's at any roundabout if you don't believe me.

If I'd tried that in my Hillman Hunter I'd have rolled it and they are totally oblivious (as are most males) to just how close to the edge of adhesion their tyres actually are at.

"I don't know why it span out officer, I went round at my normal speed " !!

 

[Dr Who]

There's a reason it changed. 20 years ago we didn't have average family hatchbacks weighing over 1.5 tons with 150bhp+

Ford Granada 2.8i very common, 1.5 tonnes and 160bhp, but they also didn't have ABS and DSC etc.

Saying that, both limits are well under what you would call safe as demonstrated many times by numerous tests.


Wingman.

As for "letting her" I remember telling my ex-wife that her tyres were illegal and she used a similar excuse of I will get them done next week. You just cannot reason with some women and the lease just complicates the issue even further (hers too was leased).

 

[Dogbreath]

Got to echo the points that other people have made.

1.1mm across a tyre, regardless of 1.6mm over the central part of the tyre and bald shoulders etc, is illegal and stupid. Especially if you drive for a living!

That's a bit of a daft statement, how can you discount "regardless of 1.6mm over the central tyre..." and then state it's illegal?

That's pretty much saying "irrespective of the legality, it's illegal".

 

[Howard]

Whilst I was working on my gf's car recently I noticed the front tyres were very much worn - down to the wear bars with nearly bald edges. I went and had them changed immediately, as I know if I told her she'd just brush it off for a while. Unfortunately many (most?) people (women) don't see the important side of issues like this. You can say "It's her car", "she's an adult" etc etc. as much as you want, but I would rather it was just sorted out ASAP, as I don't much like the idea of her driving around in unsafe circumstances!

The difference in the way it drove pre and post-tyre change was staggering (it was raining, which happens a lot in the UK!), which of course translates into available traction in an evasive manoeuvre!

 

[wingman]

I went and had them changed immediately, as I know if I told her she'd just brush it off for a while. Unfortunately many (most?) people (women) don't see the important side of issues like this. You can say "It's her car", "she's an adult" etc etc. as much as you want, but I would rather it was just sorted out ASAP, as I don't much like the idea of her driving around in unsafe circumstances!

IT DOESN'T MATTER IF SHE HAS AN ACCIDENT SHE'S AN ADULT IT'S HER FAULT WHATEVER HAPPENS!?!!??!?!111111

e; totally agree Howard.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Dealer advised her not to drive the car offsite as it had illegal tyres.... Sorry where is the issue with this?

If a policemen stopped her or she crashed in wet weather; how exactly are you expecting your opinion on whether or not it should have been driven going to effect any potential prosecution?

Plenty of car get through a set of tyre in year 1!

 

[Dr Who]

Are people seriously saying that it is the OP's responsibility to have his G/F's lease car tyres changed?

And yes I would think they wouldn't want her to drive with the illegal tyres not the lack of unrequired MOT.

 

[wingman]

When she asks me to check something for her I do, however I don't attempt to control what she does.

This has nothing to do with control. I seriously doubt any individual would consider their partner looking out for their road safety by way of ensuring the tyres are legal would be considered "controlling".

Are people seriously saying that it is the OP's responsibility to have his G/F's lease car tyres changed?

No, of course that is not what is being said.

However I find it difficult to believe the OP would not have a vested interest in maintaining his partners vehicle.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

This has nothing to do with control. I seriously doubt any individual would consider their partner looking out for their road safety by way of ensuring the tyres are legal would be considered "controlling".



No, of course that is not what is being said.

However I find it difficult to believe the OP would not have a vested interest in maintaining his partners vehicle.

Its a vehicle she drives, its not her vehicle per se. Also its not upto her when she gets tyres as I have already said if you try to get them too early they will be refused. Its happened before. All tyres are authorised by the fleet department, this doesn't help as it means times like Saturday mornings, ideal for a quick trip to the garage cant happen as the fleet department work 8.30-5 Mon-Fri

It is controlling btw, shes an adult I cannot force her to take these things seriously just like I cannot go and get tyres fitted as I see fit. I could go out and check over her car, but I can tell you she would take offence to that as she would consider it me being out of order. As an adult, and as the person allocated to ensure that car is roadworthy by her company, its up to her, and as said I have previously (more than once) gone and checked things for her like lights when she has asked.

Car went back and got MOT immediately this morning.

I don't have an issue with garage recommending it not to be taken because its unroadworthy, but it seems excessive to say they should not have let it leave as they knew she was going directly to have the fault fixed, something by their own admission they could not do as they did not have the tyres.
Seems they also told her they would be reporting it to VOSA as unfit for the road as they have to do "for lease cars". How that's anything but simply filling in the MOT failure as they would for any vehicle I am a little bemused unless there is suddenly extra legislation regarding leased vehicles as opposed to private ones.

 

[frying_pan_cat]

it seems excessive to say they should not have let it leave as they knew she was going directly to have the fault fixed, something by their own admission they could not do as they did not have the tyres.

They may have a legal responsibility not to let you drive a car off their premises which has been inspected to be illegal to drive on the roads though (in this case due to lack of tyres of legal tread depth)

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

They may have a legal responsibility not to let you drive a car off their premises which has been inspected to be illegal to drive on the roads though (in this case due to lack of tyres of legal tread depth)

Your allowed in MOT rules to remove a failed vehicle if (as she did as she had just arranged the tyres to be fitted) you have an appointment to fix the issue :

If your vehicle fails the test

You’ll get a ‘notification of failure’ from the test centre if your vehicle fails the test. The failure will be recorded in the secure central MOT database.

You can still drive your vehicle if it fails the test and its existing MOT certificate is still valid (ie you got it tested before the expiry date). However, you might be stopped by police and prosecuted if your vehicle is unroadworthy.

If the vehicle fails the test and the certificate has expired, you can only drive it to:
a pre-arranged appointment at a garage to have the repairs done
a pre-arranged MOT test appointment

Your vehicle should be retested at the same test centre which did the original test.

 

[andy_mk3]

I didn't see it was a fleet car. In that case, they can quite happily refuse to let you have the car back.

 

[Simon]

What an odd thread. I expected to read a 3 year car failed on something that was the OEMs fault, instead its due to someone incapable of doing simple pre-MOT checks.

Scary thing is people like this are all over the roads and when I slam on in an emergency situation in the wet, people like this are the ones sat inches from my rear bumper with no hope of stopping.

I guess she's also driving around with a headlight bulb out too?

 

[andy_mk3]

I wish I got a picture now, but a BMW on runflats came it at work today (fleet car). The guy said the runflat light had come on. Turns out it had been on for 6 weeks!! The OSR tyre had holes in it where it had worn through from running flat. It's mental.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

I didn't see it was a fleet car. In that case, they can quite happily refuse to let you have the car back.

Why is that?

 

[andy_mk3]

Because the fleet company own the car and if it's not legal then they have the right to take it off the road, through the garage.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Because the fleet company own the car and if it's not legal then they have the right to take it off the road, through the garage.

Thanks so backed up my suspicion from about post 6.

Good to know, but would be pretty short sighted from a garage to actually do anything as you get choice when booking services etc which garage you use on leases.
I refused to use a main FORD dealer and lease company were fine about it (they noted on the system that no cars from my company should be booked into that dealer) makes little diff to them and if a garage got a reputation locally for causing issues to fleet drivers I can imagine they would loose quite a lot of business.

 

[andy_mk3]

I deal with fleet companies quite a lot, and if tyres are illegal or brakes are unserviceable then they say the car stays until it's sorted, the garage can't argue with that.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Thanks so backed up my suspicion from about post 6.

Good to know, but would be pretty short sighted from a garage to actually do anything as you get choice when booking services etc which garage you use on leases.
I refused to use a main FORD dealer and lease company were fine about it (they noted on the system that no cars from my company should be booked into that dealer) makes little diff to them and if a garage got a reputation locally for causing issues to fleet drivers I can imagine they would loose quite a lot of business.

Sounds a better option than losing the whole contract!

 

[Maccapacca]

I went on a boys weekend to Le Mans to watch the 24hrs in a K reg 5 series, at some points @ 120mph+, boys thing all boozing it up (except the driver) loads of other cars, generally racing to Le Mans.

Because we were in car park rouge we slept in, on or near the cars, in the morning my eye caught the canvas hanging out the rear tyres.

Safe to say we drove back the same, must have been 15 years ago