What is an
MOT?
An MOT
(Ministry of Transport test) is an annual safety check that ensures your
vehicle meets the minimum road safety standards, including regulated exhaust
emissions levels put in place by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA,
formally VOSA).
During this
test, important components of your vehicle will be checked to ensure that they
meet the legal standards and that your vehicle is safe to drive. In May 2018,
new check mot history
rules mean any defects will be categorized as dangerous, major or minor.
If your car
passes its MOT, it may still have minor faults (which should be fixed as soon
as possible to prevent it getting worse). It could also be passed with advisories,
which means you should keep an eye on the issue and repair it if it gets worse.
Does my car
need an MOT?
If your car
is more than three years old, you are legally obliged to have an MOT. If you
struggle to remember when your MOT is due, you can sign up for government
reminders by text message or email.
Without a
valid check mot status, your
car is not considered roadworthy; you won’t be able to renew your vehicle tax
or insurance, and in short, you won’t be able to drive your car.
What work is
carried out in an MOT?
Whilst the
MOT does not cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox, it does look
at other key components of your car, so you need to keep on top of your car’s
maintenance in order to pass.
The MOT
tester will look at the body of the car, the vehicle structure and general
condition of the car, ensuring that it’s free from excessive damage in any
particular areas. They’ll also look at tow bars, fuel/exhaust systems,
seatbelts, seats, doors, mirrors, load security, brakes, tyres/wheels, lights,
the bonnet, the windscreen, wipers/washers, the horn, steering/suspension and
electrical components.
It sounds
like a lot, and may seem almost impossible to pass: just how do you make sure
that all those things are working correctly day after day?
The truth is
there will be elements of your car that you won’t be able to check yourself;
however, there are parts that you can inspect and you should make sure that
they are in good condition and full working order before going in for your MOT;
otherwise you could fail on something minor and relatively simple to solve.
How do you
pass an MOT?
The answer
lies simply in looking after your car and checking that some fundamental things
are in good working order before taking it to the garage.
Here’s a
list of 10 easy tasks you can do before booking your car in for a mot history.
1. Check
Brake Fluid
We begin our
check mot
checklist with the brake fluid. Open your car’s bonnet – making sure your car
is stopped, with a cool engine, on a flat surface – and look for the master
cylinder.
You’ll see
markings that say ‘min’ and ‘max’; the fluid within the container needs to be
between these two instructions. If yours is below, make sure you top it up. You
can pick up brake fluid from your local car store, but make sure it’s the right
one for your make and model — you should be able to find this information in
your car’s manual.
Before you
close the cap, check for the condition of your brake fluid: it should be clear
or an amber color, though it can turn brown as it gets older. If this is the
case, you’ll need to change the brake fluid. You can do a more thorough test by
buying chemical strips and dipping them in the brake fluid.
When you’ve
done all your tests, don’t forget to shut the bonnet fully.
2. Check
Mirrors
In order to
pass your MOT, you must have your obligatory mirrors intact. This means one
interior and one offside mirror.
According to
the MOT manual, there are three acceptable rear-view mirror positions:
An exterior
mirror or device that provides a view along the offside of the vehicle.
An exterior
mirror or device that provides a view along the nearside of the vehicle.
An interior
mirror or a device which provides a view to the rear of the vehicle.
When
checking your car’s mirrors, ensure that none are cracked, severely impairing
your view or exposing a damaged edge.
3. Check All
Warning Lights
We’d like to
think that if a warning light was showing on your dashboard, you would consult
your vehicle handbook to identify what the problem was and get it booked in
quickly to be fixed. However, if you’ve let this one go, there’s no time like
the present to get it fixed. This will be picked up in your MOT and you will
fail, so it’s best to get it done beforehand, and not to let a potentially
dangerous problem go on any longer.
This is
referred to as the ‘malfunction indicator lamp test’ and it only came into
effect in 2012, after a revision to the European testing directive. It’s a
simple visual test – if the tester turns on the ignition and warning lights
come on, you will fail your MOT, not to mention probably finding yourself with
an additional charge for the garage to investigate and diagnose what the light
means.
4. Ensure
Tyres Have Enough Tread
Your MOT
isn’t the only reason you should stay on top on your tyre tread: it’s crucial
that your car has the correct tread depths because, if they’ve been worn away,
it will affect your stopping distance, particularly in wet weather conditions.
If you’re
caught on the road with tyres below the required depth, you could face a fine
of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per tyre.
UK driving
law requires that your vehicle be fitted with the correct tyre size and type,
and that the tyres are fit for purpose.
The minimum
legal tyre tread in the UK is 1.6mm, in a continuous band that wraps around the
central three-quarters of the tyre.
You can
quickly check the tread of your tyres with the help of a 20p coin. Simply take
the coin and insert it into the grooves on the tyre. You should not be able to
see the outer band of the coin if your tyres are within the legal limit. If you
can see that section of the coin, your tyres could be unsafe, so it’s best to
get them checked and changed by a professional before your MOT.
5. Make Sure
Your Lights Are Working
Much like
your mirrors, there are obligatory lights that need to be working on your car
for you to pass your MOT: the front- and rear-position lamps. The exact
positioning of these required lamps does not form part of the inspection, but
it’s best to check that both lamps are approximately the same height and that
they’re working, not obstructed and in good condition.
6. Test Your
Horn
Probably the
quickest and easiest test to do and chances are that if this didn’t work, you’d
already be aware of it and have had the fault fixed. So, as you’re doing your
full pre-MOT checks, be sure to check the horn.
7. Ensure
Your Vehicle Has Enough Oil
The oil
check is an important part of an MOT because without it, the garage will not be
able to test emission levels.
You can
check this by taking a quick look under the bonnet. As you would when checking
the brake fluid, do this test with the engine off and cool and the car parked
on a flat, even surface.
Locate the
dipstick and pull it out, then wipe off any excess oil to ensure that you’re
starting with a clean stick. Next, dip the dipstick back in and remove once
more. You should see the oil sitting between the ‘min’ and ‘max’ marking on the
dipstick. If you don’t, it’s time to top up your oil.
Keeping on
top of this is important for your vehicle, so that your oil doesn’t break down
and clog your car’s filters. Fortunately, changing your oil is inexpensive, easy
and relatively quick to do, so if you notice your oil needs changing before
your MOT; it can be sorted in no time.
8. Give Your
Windscreen the Once-over
Windscreens
can be a minefield to assess because some marks will pass an MOT, whilst others
won’t.
Theoretically
speaking, as long as a mark is not over the size of 10mm and is not obstructing
the driver’s view or on the driver’s side of the windscreen, or if the mark is
no larger than 40mm on the rest of the windscreen, then you should be okay.
These marks include chips, cracks or significant scratches. If in doubt, get it
checked by a professional.
Whilst
you’re checking your windscreen, don’t forget to check that your wash reservoir
has enough liquid in it and that your wipers are in good working order.
9. Get Your
Vehicle Cleaned
This may
seem like an unnecessary one, but it’s a good idea to do it as part of your
final checks. You are not going to fail your MOT if your car is a little on the
dirty side. However, you need to ensure that number plates are dirt-free so
they are easy to read, and that your lights are not blurred by smudged glass.
10. Keep on
Top of Your Maintenance All Year Round
Needing to
have an MOT sometimes serves as the only reminder to check certain parts of
your car. However, we urge you to stay on top of your vehicle upkeep all year
round, to help maintain your car’s performance, as well keeping your car as
safe as possible. Avoiding your vehicle maintenance could be an accident
waiting to happen.
What happens
if your car fails its MOT?
Your car
might fail its MOT if it has either dangerous or major faults. You car can’t be
driven until dangerous faults have been repaired. Major faults must be fixed as
soon as possible.
Your car
fails its new MOT within the existing MOT period
If you’re
getting your new MOT before the old one has expired, you can drive your car
away to get major faults repaired, but not if it has failed with dangerous
faults.
Your car
fails its new MOT and the old one has expired
The very
latest you should leave your MOT test is the day the old one expires, because
driving without an MOT breaks the law and will invalidate your insurance.
If your car fails its MOT on the day it’s due to expire, you can drive it away
that day to get it repaired as long as it hasn’t failed with dangerous faults.
Do electric
vehicles need an MOT?
Yes. Just
like any other vehicle, after its three years old, electric vehicles must have
an annual MOT. The only difference is that the emissions test isn’t part of the
MOT for electric vehicles.
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