Mot date
- Thread starter jagmanx
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RichardHelen262
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If it is booked in for mot then you will be fine
wildebus
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That is not quite right. You can get an MOT carried out upto 30 days before it is due and so get up to 13 months before next one due, but any earlier and it is a straight 12 month ticket on a pass and you would have 'wasted' the extra time you had.
Personally I book in the test for around 3-4 weeks before the due date so if passes, get the original expiry date + 12 months, and if fails, can sort out repairs without pressure of time soas to get best options to fix.
jagmanx
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I am just being ultra cautious.
I could get it done earlier but if it were to fail (and require time out).. We would be severely inconvenienced. We have medical appointments up to 21st April and we need the vehicle to travel to one of them and sleep in.
If it fails on 26th we can cope until it is sorted as we have a campsite and Mot garage. And friends to impose upon if needed.
Not expecting any problems but the medical appointment on 21 April is crucial.
Normally I organise the mot for 1 month before the due date as has been suggested
That is not viable this year.
I could get it done earlier but if it were to fail (and require time out).. We would be severely inconvenienced. We have medical appointments up to 21st April and we need the vehicle to travel to one of them and sleep in.
If it fails on 26th we can cope until it is sorted as we have a campsite and Mot garage. And friends to impose upon if needed.
Not expecting any problems but the medical appointment on 21 April is crucial.
Normally I organise the mot for 1 month before the due date as has been suggested
That is not viable this year.
Last edited:
wildebus
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Um..... Yes, I think Portugal is not in the UK? Do they have an actual '(UK) Ministry of Transport Test' in Portugal?
wildebus
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Couple of comments ....
If you booked in the vehicle within a month of the expiry of the MOT and it were to fail, the current MOT is not invalidated. it still has the same time to run and you can still drive and use the vehicle upto the expiry time. You would also have the benefit that if parts were needed to rectify a fault they could be ordered early and so be available on a retest/repair day. If you were presented with a surprise fail on the last day you might be without your home while they were placed on order.
There is some confusion on this generally and there will be a band of people who will say if it fails the MOT it will not be legal to drive. That is not correct - a vehicle must be roadworthy to be used on the public highway, however, failing an MOT is not an automatic indication of not being Roadworthy - you can have a vehicle that is roadworthy but not MOT worthy (say a low brake pad warning light, or a seat belt buckle on a seat that is not in use, for example).
If you did book it in early and it DID fail on something significant that meant you could not drive the vehicle, would it not actually be good to know about that rather than be in ignorance of the fact and potentially putting your life in danger if it were a dangerous defect?
jagmanx
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Thankyou David & Others
Will go back to plan A 12th April
Stanski
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Agree with most of what has been said. BUT as I understand the latest rules:
IF a MOT fail is identified that is categorised as Unsafe, " Rectify Immediately", then vehicle is not allowed on the road.
The previous MOT becomes invalid in this instance. The significant reasoning for this is steering and brake systems/pipes corrosion.
My advice would be to get it done early as suggested, if a serious problem is discovered, you'll be in a better confident scenario than not knowing of the issue as you can plan around it.
IF you need support to get to the appointment, ask for help from us members - sure we can resolve the issue.
IF a MOT fail is identified that is categorised as Unsafe, " Rectify Immediately", then vehicle is not allowed on the road.
The previous MOT becomes invalid in this instance. The significant reasoning for this is steering and brake systems/pipes corrosion.
My advice would be to get it done early as suggested, if a serious problem is discovered, you'll be in a better confident scenario than not knowing of the issue as you can plan around it.
IF you need support to get to the appointment, ask for help from us members - sure we can resolve the issue.
jagmanx
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Yes I concur with the concept and result of a catastrophic fail
I have options albeit expensive to get from Maidenhead to Watford and back
Friendds one way and taxi back
I do not believe the vehicle to be in poor health
I have it serviced every year but is is 16 years old as indicated rusty brake pipes or similar
Stanski
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Any previous MOT advisories?
If you have had a regular MOT examiner over last few years they probably would have to you of any niggles forth coming.
At 16yrs, it should be OK, but it is in that age bracket that can become tormenting.
Ours is 24yrs, and no major headaches, except a bit of welding and front cross member.
Due for a major overhaul, hence dilemma with rebuild of engine or not.
Should you need help, give us members a shout, confident you will get support.
Let me know how you get on.
wildebus
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The vehicle may not be driven on the road when a dangerous defect exists, but the MOT is still not rendered invalid and still expires at the original date of expiry.
What the MOT document says about a dangerous defect is to not use the vehicle on the road until that defect is repaired. This is an example from a vehicle I had:
In this case, the "dangerous defect" was a wire - that has gone to the manual pull-out step which had been removed - which had dropped and was dragging. I fully respected the reason why the tested had flagged as dangerous from his point of view, but I rectified the defect in 10 seconds (cut the wire off) and that fixed the defect and allowed me to drive away as the MOT was still current. Yes, it needed a retest of course, but still had the time until expiry.
Stanski
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Still not 100% convinced as I use various testers for specific types of vehicles, two have mentioned the MOT fail date in recent (past year) discussions when booking hence why I offered the advice. AGREE with you that if defect rectified, vehicle should be able to return to the road.
Shall await for more clarification from our members who enjoy finding out facts.
Thankfully have had to rectify a few Serious Fails for cars in last 2 years, and got them resolved quickly with the help of friends in the trade In some instances.
One did need trailering as fuel pump did not work, another was serious corrosion of a brake pipe, quickly got it off and got it copied for refit next day.
Oil leak was a PITA scenario as sump had to be swopped.
An annoying one was the changing of marker lights, as I forgot rules changed so they had to be working.
wildebus
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The check would be quite simple .... Log on to the DVLA history info and check for the date the MOT expires. If it is still in the future then the vehicle still has a current and valid MOT.
Whilst MOT testers should know the rules, sadly that is not always the case and their advice or work sometimes can be suspect or plain wrong and if not believed, checked. I have had a car fail an MOT incorrectly and while I am no mechanic I KNEW they were wrong so discussed this with another garage who knew the car, then took the car to the other garage who did another MOT and passed it with NO work being carried out between the two tests.
Whilst MOT testers should know the rules, sadly that is not always the case and their advice or work sometimes can be suspect or plain wrong and if not believed, checked. I have had a car fail an MOT incorrectly and while I am no mechanic I KNEW they were wrong so discussed this with another garage who knew the car, then took the car to the other garage who did another MOT and passed it with NO work being carried out between the two tests.
mistericeman
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From the .gov site.... (UK only)
Stanski
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Not so feasible as all MOTs are in date, just had Mondeo done Friday. Sister is using it while we are away. 2 others gone to new owners.
Agree - we humans are fallible with interpretations and like you will question the validity of a decision if knowledge suggests it is incorrect.
A self-trained mechanic, with life experience of maintaining and servicing; motorbikes, cars, racing cars, vans, minibus and a PSV.
So having had to learn and obtain legally required qualifications to satisfy UK and European legislation have much knowledge, BUT, to 100% remember it all, not a chance.
That's why this forum is good, as it encourages people's opinions to be seen, brings refreshing/updating of lost knowledge and also allows that knowledge to be out for scrutiny.
Some members get a little huffy and puffy about it, but for me the process is good as it allows others who are maybe not so confident in airing opinions to improve knowledge or become stronger in understanding, and increase self awareness.
So may I thank you (and all members) for your time spent posting.
It is heartening to read feedback, because in my humble opinion, it means you care.
Thanks for listening (aka Reading).
wildebus
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What I was meaning about checking the date is this:
For example, MOT is due 31st Dec.
Take for an early MOT on 10th Dec ....
If the vehicle fails, there will be a big red FAIL in the MOT History, but you can still see if the MOT is still valid or not (I believe it will still show as valid).
If the vehicle fails with a DANGEROUS DEFECT, there is a body of opinion that says the MOT becomes invalid. in which case the MOT would show as expired. (Again, I still believe it will still show as valid).
Faults fixed on 20th Dec and retested with PASS ...
Now check the MOT Expiry date - if it is still the 31st Dec in the following year, the MOT never became invalid. if the MOT Expiry Date is 19th Dec, then the MOT WAS invalidated.
It is possible to go through the history and by checking the dates of MOTs carried out (if done within prior 30 days of Expiry), you can see if the 'unused' part of an MOT was carried forward.
Now a vehicle with a current MOT has nothing to do with Roadworthiness. Whether it just failed an MOT, or just passed an MOT, a vehicle can still be Roadworthy or Unroadworthy - the two have no legal connection to each other.
For example, MOT is due 31st Dec.
Take for an early MOT on 10th Dec ....
If the vehicle fails, there will be a big red FAIL in the MOT History, but you can still see if the MOT is still valid or not (I believe it will still show as valid).
If the vehicle fails with a DANGEROUS DEFECT, there is a body of opinion that says the MOT becomes invalid. in which case the MOT would show as expired. (Again, I still believe it will still show as valid).
Faults fixed on 20th Dec and retested with PASS ...
Now check the MOT Expiry date - if it is still the 31st Dec in the following year, the MOT never became invalid. if the MOT Expiry Date is 19th Dec, then the MOT WAS invalidated.
It is possible to go through the history and by checking the dates of MOTs carried out (if done within prior 30 days of Expiry), you can see if the 'unused' part of an MOT was carried forward.
Now a vehicle with a current MOT has nothing to do with Roadworthiness. Whether it just failed an MOT, or just passed an MOT, a vehicle can still be Roadworthy or Unroadworthy - the two have no legal connection to each other.