MOT expiry date

Technically it needs to be no more than a month early. They might be willing to bend the rules and do the service and carry out the MOT test, but not write out the ticket until the next day, or find something minor like a bulb to fail it on, and write out the certificate the next day as if you'd gone away, replaced the bulb and came back, but failing that it might be easier to book it in a day or two later.

Peter

AstraVanMan ( snipped-for-privacy@Whataloadofforeskinbollocks.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Especially if it's a centre that's doing computerised tickets.

One month is easy. over a month is a definite no nowadays. All you need is the old MOT certificate (or the reg doc if it is the first MOT).

I would delay the booking for two days.

Alan

You could always fit a blown bulb immediately before the test so that you know it will fail. That way you don't to ask any favours of them - just make sure they do free re-tests.

Chris

I've often thought of doing that - booking a car/van in for it's MOT exactly two weeks and a month before the current MOT expired. Providing the place did free retests, that is. That way, there's 2 weeks to sort anything out that's a bit more tricky than a replacement bulb, and if that's all it is, just bring it down exactly a month before the old one expires, and hey presto, a no-hassle 13 month MOT.

Peter

Do a lot of places still give 2 weeks for a free retest? I seem to see 7 days more often in London.

That might backfire. The couple of times a blown bulb has been found during an MOT on my cars (and it was the only failure) the tester has just put a new bulb in and added it to the bill. I guess they figured it isn't worth the hassle - for me, or them - of a re-test for something that takes 2 minutes to fix.

YMMV of course.

Parish

My local place does a full re-test for free within 7 days. But knowing my luck they'd find something else wrong. ;-)

come the day of computerisation that involves all the mot test centres, I fear the days of a free re-test will be a thing of the past as it wont be financially viable, were as now via the old system, its a quick squint [1] under or around the car and a test certificate issued, but now when its due back for a re-test its gotta be logged back in & the whole thing done again , unless of course its items that are in the " next day free re-test " bracket, which is explained on the back of your VT30, you have a looked on the back of it, haven't you ?

but then, if you've all had your cars serviced and looked after there will be no need to have it re-tested as it will past first time, making my ( the tester ) & yours ( the customer ) life's much easier.

I guess you could remove the fuse then - not sure if they'd bother trying to track that down.

Chris

Don't most places just re-test the point(s) on which the car originally failed?

Chris

Or disconnect the wiring if a convenient connector can be found.

Parish

That's what I thought (I'm sure it;s happened in the past), but the last MOT failure I had was two years ago - a cut in a seatbelt. I replaced the belt and called back the next day expecting that they could check the belt and issue the certificate but was told that I'd have to book it in as it needed a full re-test since I'd taken the car off the premises.

Maybe the DoT have tightened up the regs?

Parish

No - even although I took it back on the next working day they did as near as dammit a full test again. Of course it was an SD1, so they were looking for something else fallen off. ;-)