Car goes in for MOT, fails, what can I do from here.
Is it legal to drive it to somewhere who gives a better quote for the work?
I will have a look on the DOT site but in the meantime if anyone has the answer I would be grateful.
Rick
R D S ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Has the old MOT expired yet?
If so, then the failure doesn't invalidate that. If not, then no - you can only drive to/from a pre-arranged test.
What did it fail on?
If it's something serious enough to render the car "unroadworthy", then it wasn't legal to drive before it failed the test - but now you don't even have the excuse that you didn't know...
Not unless the old MOT is still in force and it's not a dangerous item its failed on. You can only drive it to and from a pre-arranged MOT with no other MOT in force which is why it's always a good idea to take advantage of the "13 month" rule and MOT the car in the month before its due.
Bollocks. You can drive it to and from a place of repair, which might be your own home.
Actually you can't. I await your proof that it's otherwise.
NOOO. That's the way you end up parting with money fixing non testable items.
Test it first, see what it fails on then get that lot fixed and worry about the rest when you've a bit more dosh.
Conor (conor snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Ummm, Conor... I think that's exactly what he was suggesting - shove it in for a test, see what the fail list is, then drag it round various garages with a "Wossitgonnacost,mate?"
Of course, that then adds a £50 test fee to the overall cost of the exercise... I'd fix the stuff I know it's going to need first, then give it a self-test before paying for a test.
Bollocks.
Yes you can, provided you have a pre-arranged appointment for an MOT and you are on your way to the appointment. Should the vehicle fail the test then you can drive direct to a place where remedial work to repair the defects will take place. "
You may have misunderstood me, possibly my fault. The prior poster said...
# So you haven't actually taken it in yet? Why not just ring around a couple # of local garages and say "Look, I'm fairly sure it's going to fail on # these # - how much?"
I want it tested so I *know* what I *need* to have fixed to get a ticket.
R D S ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
The tester's manual is on
I have done pads, disks, replaced broken handbrake cable, sorted all the lights and the horn.
Beyond that there is play in the front wheel, I think it is the bearing, posted here, got no response, and a clunk, I will leave these to the garage.
OK, but I can't issue myself a ticket so it will still need a test, and will still need fixing.
Or am I missing the point?
R D S ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Indeed.
Yes. The point being that if you take it for a test, it fails, and you take it away - you will have to pay a second £50 test fee to get it retested, unless the garage happen to be doing a promo on free or reduced-fee retests. There's no requirement for them to do so.
OK, fair point.
The fee is £35 and I am almost sure I will be letting the garage do the work.
If I don't, however there is another local garage who will MOT for £25 ( I would prefer to avoid using this place if poss so will likely barter with the original tester, who surely, if he has any sense, will do a recheck for a reduced fee.
R D S ( snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :
Bear in mind he's already reducing the fee from the £50 standard/maximum charge... Where in the country are you?
if they repair it, it is normal for the retest to be free, there are even provisions to enforce it in some circs
Not quite true. There's a whole list of quite simple things for which no retest fee may be charged if the car goes back by the end of the next working day. Otherwise a partial retest fee /may/ be charged if you take the car back within ten working days.
Full details at
So if you fail and take the car back within ten days, and the testing station hasn't changed hands, then the MOST you can be charged is half the full fee. You can only do this once, though, and a partial retest includes a check of everything which was an advisory before.
Ian
Lancs, NW.
Everything is a bit cheaper up here.
The problem for us amateurs is knowing what is "excessive" play, ie. just how much is acceptable. I see the manual says that an item should only be failed if it is obvious that repair is required, but this is still a matter of opinion for the non-trained testers like us. I have a Clio to be tested tomorrow. I know that there is very slight play in or around the front offside wheel. I am fairly sure it is the inner track rod ball joint. But I don't know if I should do more before the test. Actually I won't because my test station does a free retest within 14 days regardless of where it is repaired. I am also not 100% sure of the cause, so a second opinion could help here. Mind you I have known testers to be wrong on pinpointing faults before.
i bet they dont ! if its not repaired within in 10 working days you will have to have another full mot test carried.
Vehicles which remain at the test station for repair and re-examination will no longer qualify
indefinitely for a partial free retest. These vehicles will only qualify if that re-examination is carried
out before the end of 10 working days following the day of the initial test. Vehicles not re-examined
within the above timescale must undergo a full test and the maximum test fee for the class of
vehicle being tested may be charged.
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