MOT Questions

Kingy

Kingy

Kingy

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
3,400
Location
Leicester
Morning,

Last month I searched autotrader for the nearest cheapest car with an MOT and a towbar, and finished up with 600 quids worth of 2000/X 2.0 Zetec Mondeo Estate.

The MOT is up in September sometime, but the startdate to my new contract has been put back, so I'm toying with the idea of getting a few bits done now instead of waiting, not least as it's about due an oil service anyway.

If I were to put it through an MOT now, and it fails, what are the rules on getting things fixed? Is there a set amount of time that you have to drive the car to pick u the parts it needs? Or is it condemned to the garage that tested it until it passes? Or does the original certificate (and it's expiry) stand?
 
Your MOT is valid until the expiry date.
If you put it in for an MOT and it fails - no problem, the existing MOT is still valid.
The only thing that can take the car off the road is if a dangerous fault is found during the test - in that case a prohibition can be placed on the vehicle.
But that is unlikely.
 
stoofa said:
Your MOT is valid until the expiry date.
If you put it in for an MOT and it fails - no problem, the existing MOT is still valid.
The only thing that can take the car off the road is if a dangerous fault is found during the test - in that case a prohibition can be placed on the vehicle.
But that is unlikely.
Click to expand...

Really? I thought if a car was not road worthy it shouldnt be on the road valid mot or not.
 
stoofa said:
Your MOT is valid until the expiry date.
If you put it in for an MOT and it fails - no problem, the existing MOT is still valid.
The only thing that can take the car off the road is if a dangerous fault is found during the test - in that case a prohibition can be placed on the vehicle.
But that is unlikely.
Click to expand...

Ta,

What sort of thing would be considered dangerous?

Things that are actually wrong with the car:-

Broken passenger side wing mirror
Heavy vibrations through the cabin above 70 (possibly a wheel bearing?)
Slow puncture (probably unrelated unless the vibration is caused by a buckled/cracked wheel)
Intermittent clunking noise when pulling away / turning. (My old man seemed to think that might be a CV joint?)
 
Probably only the mirror would affect the MOT? Not like there is a road test involved, just what they can see/inspect?
 
L0rdMike said:
Really? I thought if a car was not road worthy it shouldnt be on the road valid mot or not.
Click to expand...

If a car should be on the road or not is not what is being discussed here.
The OP asked about the legality and the legality is that it doesn't matter if a car fails its MOT - the original MOT is still valid and the vehicle can be driven on the road.
 
mot test centres do check undercarriages, so if there is an issue with the CV, they would spot it.
 
I didn't think a car needed a passenger wing mirror to pass an MOT - just a drivers side one and one other (in this instance, the rear view mirror).
 
Kingy said:
Ta,

What sort of thing would be considered dangerous?

Things that are actually wrong with the car:-

Broken passenger side wing mirror
Heavy vibrations through the cabin above 70 (possibly a wheel bearing?)
Slow puncture (probably unrelated unless the vibration is caused by a buckled/cracked wheel)
Intermittent clunking noise when pulling away / turning. (My old man seemed to think that might be a CV joint?)
Click to expand...

none of those are going to be classed as dangerous.

Dangerous would be ... exposed cords on a tyre...An exhaust that is hanging off and likely to come off at any moment. That sort of thing.
 
Gaygle said:
I didn't think a car needed a passenger wing mirror to pass an MOT - just a drivers side one and one other (in this instance, the rear view mirror).
Click to expand...

From memory if it was fitted from the factory, it needs to work/not be broken...
 
Kingy said:
From memory if it was fitted from the factory, it needs to work/not be broken...
Click to expand...

incorrect.

only the offside (ie drivers side) mirror is a fail.

The exact rule says that there must be a mirror on the offside and one other. This can be the interior mirror or the passenger mirror.
 
Last edited:
MrLOL said:
incorrect.

only the offside (ie drivers side) mirror is a fail.

The exact rule says that there must be a mirror on the offside and one other. This can be the interior mirror or the passenger mirror.
Click to expand...

That's odd... ISTR cracking the passenger side mirror on my first car and it being an MOT failure as a consequence...
 
If it's fitted it has to function correctly, if no mirror is fitted then it can't be tested on that mirror.
 
If it's taped up then it should pass as far as i am aware, just like if you have a cracked bumper/headlight, tape across it to secure it is acceptable. At least it must be with the amount of older Mondeo's going around with their duct tape holding them together :p
 
Liquidfox said:
If it's taped up then it should pass as far as i am aware, just like if you have a cracked bumper/headlight, tape across it to secure it is acceptable. At least it must be with the amount of older Mondeo's going around with their duct tape holding them together :p
Click to expand...

funny you say that, i only ever see Mondeos strapped so much :D
 
Ok, to cover a few things above.

A test drive can be and usually is part of the test.
The nearside mirror damaged/missing/insecure is an advisory only.
The slow puncture isn't an issue, a flat tyre isn't a fail, but it is a reason to refuse to test.
The clunking if it's a CV joint will depend how bad it is but it's up to the testers discression.
Generally these old mondeo's aren't too bad. I actually mot'd a W reg one today with 154k on the clock. It just needs a bulb and a bit of the back of the sill welding at one side since its near the rear trailing arm mount.
Just fire it in for a test, chances are it won't be too bad.
 
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