You could argue 40% are perhaps wasting the MOT testers time, and their own, but that's not worthy of a fine in my opinion.
Personally, I inspect my car prior to testing, but it can still fail on things I can't see, bushes etc (I'm not a mechanic).
Poll: MoT basics fine.
- Thread starter Resident
- Start date
You could argue 40% are perhaps wasting the MOT testers time, and their own, but that's not worthy of a fine in my opinion.
Personally, I inspect my car prior to testing, but it can still fail on things I can't see, bushes etc (I'm not a mechanic).
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,643
Have you checked the Owners' Manual....?
The reservoir itself may be buried away, but there should still be level indicators on the filler tab or something, even if it's only a vacuum dipstick:
What, you mean like you're required to for the driving test? All that 'Tell Me, Show Me' stuff and the lectures on POWER checks?
The MoT test is just to certify that you've not only done it, but done it right. Keeping the car basically safe is your responsibility. That's why the Police would fine you, not your MoT tester.
So a policeman will just fine you on the spot for having a bulb gone or a wiper blade that might be too far gone?
No, they won't. You would likely get a warning that it needs to be put right in a reasonable time.
Soldato
- Joined
- 5 Aug 2006
- Posts
- 11,428
- Location
- Derbyshire
I would rather the effort be put into the following:
- Almost all crashes are caused by human error. The driver needs an MOT too to prove they are not a liability.
- MOTs are great for finding faults that a regular person just would not be aware of. I put a turbo on my MX5 this year, but would I have any idea when my brake lines are corroded to a point where they are no longer safe?
- People are stupid and neglect car maintenance.
- Clamp down on 'friendly' (dishonest) MOT testers who pass an MOT for a friend.
- Fine people for council estate modifications like presenting a car for an MOT with a black number plate with silver text.
- People are stupid.
- Also, people are stupid.
- Almost all crashes are caused by human error. The driver needs an MOT too to prove they are not a liability.
- MOTs are great for finding faults that a regular person just would not be aware of. I put a turbo on my MX5 this year, but would I have any idea when my brake lines are corroded to a point where they are no longer safe?
- People are stupid and neglect car maintenance.
- Clamp down on 'friendly' (dishonest) MOT testers who pass an MOT for a friend.
- Fine people for council estate modifications like presenting a car for an MOT with a black number plate with silver text.
- People are stupid.
- Also, people are stupid.
Right guys,
The fine suggestion came up at work, a canteen table discussion.
We have to check our vehicle daily, with a 24 point checklist, before we leave for the day's service and it got onto the topic of some of the common basic faults (one of our guys is a former tester).
The consensus was in favour of a fine system, not in so much as to actually fine someone but nudge/encourage drivers to actually check their vehicles.
I was taught FLOWER by my instructor (car) as basic maintainence:
To those saying, using the scenario of multiple users, sorry completely and utter disagree. Once you have those keys you are 100% responsible for the vehicle.
Do you think it'd wash with plod if my mrs' car had bald tyres and the once in a blue moon that I drive it, I get pulled and tried "well I didn't know, it's the mrs' car" excuse. What would plod say?
The fine suggestion came up at work, a canteen table discussion.
We have to check our vehicle daily, with a 24 point checklist, before we leave for the day's service and it got onto the topic of some of the common basic faults (one of our guys is a former tester).
The consensus was in favour of a fine system, not in so much as to actually fine someone but nudge/encourage drivers to actually check their vehicles.
I was taught FLOWER by my instructor (car) as basic maintainence:
- Fuel (well this is per journey)
- Lights
- Oil
- Water (coolant and screenwash)
- Electrics
- Rubber (Tyres)
To those saying, using the scenario of multiple users, sorry completely and utter disagree. Once you have those keys you are 100% responsible for the vehicle.
Do you think it'd wash with plod if my mrs' car had bald tyres and the once in a blue moon that I drive it, I get pulled and tried "well I didn't know, it's the mrs' car" excuse. What would plod say?
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,643
Depends which bulb and possibly depends on the copper... You might get a VDRN, but if they feel you were deliberatly negligent and want to nab you for it, then driving with a headlight out will incur a fixed penalty fine of £100. I believe a blown brake light only incurs a £60 fine.
Safety related stuff like tyres and brakes is more serious and can carry points, fines and possibly even licence revocation.
Yes, but the notion of MOT issuers fining people for not having the washer fluid topped up or a bulb broken is rather silly. So is fining someone for judging their wiper blades to be too far gone. Even the police will use a heap of discretion and very likely wont fine someone, unless its a repeat warning etc.
Deleted User 298457
Deleted User 298457
You can do that in the UK
tbh i have turned up with known faults as my mot test station is ridiculously cheap for repairs and it saves me working outside with axle stands ect ,so i have turned up with a rattling drop link ,and handbrake needs adjusting (they always dismantle and clean up ,not just do the 10mm nut under the ashtray ) obviously i wouldnt take it with the wishbone hanging off ect
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,643
I wasn't arguing against that. As people in this thread have already said, that's for the Police to decide. Testers do not have that kind of authority and I doubt they'd want it, either.
Or if the vehicle presents an actual/immediate danger (ie it's dark and foggy and your lights are ******), or if the person is wilfully driving an unsafe/unfit vehicle, or if the person is just being a **** about it.
They usually start with the aim of a VDRN, but I've heard quite a few complaints from people who got fined. Most of them deserved it IMO.
Knackered wiper blades seem a trivial thing, until you get caught in a heavy downpour on unlit roads at night and suddenly can't see a ******* thing, just as we had earlier this season... at which point it's suddenly a very big safety issue.
Associate
- Joined
- 30 Aug 2014
- Posts
- 705
Weird that there's even 2 votes for "yes" unless their finger slipped or OP on multiple accounts.
Very true.
You'd expect people to identify a bald tyre, but as has been said, there can be bulges, splits, cuts etc (not to mention cracked alloys) on the inner sidewall that unless the presenter actually jacks the car up or takes the wheels off to inspect the tyre, then they won't see the problems, and even if they did see faults, they may not know what they're looking at.
You only have to look at some of the threads of members here asking questions about damaged tyres.
I've carried out 10's of thousands of MOT's over the course of nearly 20 years, and nothing shocks me anymore with state of some of the cars presented (and almost all of those MOT's i've done at main dealers).
People really do think an MOT is a saftey guarantee for 12 months, whereas nothing could be further from the truth.
As for dodgy MOT's, it's rife, very very rife, and always has been.
DVSA have cut back and cut back on staff, and although their inspectors will visit all testing stations to carry out an audit, it can be once very 3 years if the testing station is Green on the RAG scale.
Hell, i could sit here at home, log in, wait 30 minutes then issue a certificate for any car and probably get away with it (i obviously wouldn't, as it's dumb beyond belief).
As for the OP's idea..
Utterly ridiculous!
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 21 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 47,151
I mean I’m no engineer and can’t say I do an MOT before the MOT itself. Isn’t the whole point of an MOT to ensure the car is safe and to fix it until it can be driven again?
Pretty much, but my problem with an MOT is that say i inspect a car with brake pads worn to 2mm or find a brake pipe thats heavily corroded, but isn't quite corroded more than 1/3rd of original size, then it's a pass and advise.
Now in a weeks time, those brake pads could be metal to metal on the discs, or over the course of winter the brake pipe could be much much worse.
We judge on how the vehicle is presented at the time.
Now in a weeks time, those brake pads could be metal to metal on the discs, or over the course of winter the brake pipe could be much much worse.
We judge on how the vehicle is presented at the time.
On my Navara the documentation simply says:
"Windscreen washer fluid:
Check that there is adequate fluid in the reservoir."
The tank is buried away over the top of the wheel and there is no indicator or dipstick type attachment - the fill neck, about 2 inches of it, simply appears out of the chassis near the battery. The dash indicator uses hysteresis so if a low/not low state is triggered by an incline, etc. it won't immediately trip again if it subsequently goes low so isn't 100% reliable.
Other vehicles likewise:
"Check if there is still enough windshield washer fluid in the reservoir."
But likewise the tanks are buried away near the front or side and not easily accessed, no type of indicator or indicator attachment though on the Tiguan you can see enough to know if it is more than 70% full or so but no idea below that.
Would need to resort to an after market vacuum dipstick and I'm not sure it would work very well with the Navara as it has a bit of an odd tank setup (elaborate kidney shape with an additional reserve reservoir) as it is customised to fit into the space above the wheel.
In my last car the washer bottle was buried behind the front bumper, under a metal plate and the fill nozzle goes through an S bend as it comes through that said metal plate. There was no electronic indicator, there was no dip stick, the only way to tell if its empty is if water stops coming out if it. The actual bottle was huge and swallowed a lot of fluid so rarely needed filling.
Lot of modern cars seem to do this for some reason. I've got a 7L tank on mine but between a big windscreen and also spraying the headlights, etc. goes surprisingly quickly.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
- Posts
- 12,643
Just about every car I've ever worked on has had some kind of level indicator, even if it's just an arrow on the fill tube where the main reservoir is buried, like on the wife's CR-V.
In that case just keep yours topped up at all times. As your manual also says:
"Check fluid levels such as engine oil, cool-
ant, brake and clutch fluid, and window
washer fluid as frequently as possible, at least
whenever you refuel".
So on something big like the Navara, I imagine you're having to refuel every 50 miles or so?
