49 replies to this topic

[cambiker71]

Just a quick note to mention that it is an MOT requirement to provide a customer viewing area for you to watch the test being carried out. Ask when you book your car in if you want to watch.

[timmins]

Yes it's piece of mind, but when you don't have a great deal of money (like many a young Mini driver) it can also mean your Mini will be off the road until funds are saved to get it sorted.

To me it's like visiting the dentist and you're just quaking in your boots with worry that they'll find a cavity or whatever. It's essential, but still a worrying time.

My local MOT tester has a little side room with windows so you can watch them inspecting your Mini. So that gives me extra piece of mind.

I found that my chances of pass or failure depended in large part on the station. I found that leaving a Haynes manual on the back seat, and indicating that I would do any required work myself, much improved my success rate.

[cambiker71]

Yes it's piece of mind, but when you don't have a great deal of money (like many a young Mini driver) it can also mean your Mini will be off the road until funds are saved to get it sorted.

To me it's like visiting the dentist and you're just quaking in your boots with worry that they'll find a cavity or whatever. It's essential, but still a worrying time.

My local MOT tester has a little side room with windows so you can watch them inspecting your Mini. So that gives me extra piece of mind.

I found that my chances of pass or failure depended in large part on the station. I found that leaving a Haynes manual on the back seat, and indicating that I would do any required work myself, much improved my success rate.

In my experience a haynes on the seat usually equals me finding at least one repair that is borderline dangerous at best, doesn't only apply to mini owners either, a haynes usually means somebody who has done a repair on the cheap with not much thought for the safety of the vehicle, sorry but most testers i know will search very hard for faults/bad repairs if one is in the car.

[jack_marshall]

I think its out of line to use the phrase 'dodgy testers' as if they are all over the place.

I work closely with a testing station and I know for a fact one tester got caught ignoring something and he was sacked on the spot, collect your tools, get out.

You dont get many chances till Vosa walk through the door and take your career away from you.

Dreading a large expensive fail list isnt nice but on the other hand.. if you cannot afford to maintain an older car should you be driving one?

[Hughes]

I always do as much of a check over as I can before I go. I remember once I failed on a brake light bulb. I felt like such a mug.

So now I always check as much as I can. If they find something I haven't spotted then fair play. If its serious then thank god they found it before it became a real problem.

Thats all im getting at. Big budget or small budget if your car doesn't meet the minimum standards then it shoudln't be on the road. So rather than worry about it - turn it into a positive by thinking 'at least I know my car is safe' !!

[mini_mad69]

I dreaded my first MOT after the rebuild, as it was like an exam to see if I had passed. Thankfully it did.


I was dreading my recent MOT because of emmisions. And that was the only thing it failed on. Is also the thing that has put the car off the road.

[minidan]

I always do as much of a check over as I can before I go. I remember once I failed on a brake light bulb. I felt like such a mug.

So now I always check as much as I can. If they find something I haven't spotted then fair play. If its serious then thank god they found it before it became a real problem.

Thats all im getting at. Big budget or small budget if your car doesn't meet the minimum standards then it shoudln't be on the road. So rather than worry about it - turn it into a positive by thinking 'at least I know my car is safe' !!

i agree with Hughes

[samsfern]

i get mine done at the mot station i used to work at, was my workexperience place, which turnt into a saturday job, and so on.... but i actually assist, like turning the lights on off, pushing pedals, etc and even do the emmission test and brake roller thing myself, lol, i wouldnt want it to pass unless it was 100% safe, i know what happens when things like suspension break!

Edited by samsernie, 08 February 2010 - 09:16 PM.

[Bean]

I worry about my Mini's MOT every year - Mainly because I've been unlucky enough to have it booked for the morning of SMD ... when I have a 4-5 hour drive ahead of me ... ! I've managed to sort that out now, so that's OK!!

It would be great to be able to say, "I'm glad they found that, I feel much safer now" - But it just doesn't work that way. No matter how well you know your car, there will always be an inevitable failure that creeps in ... whether a gaiter has torn or there's a little bit of ROT right up in the arch - I think it's the nerves of finding these things and the horrible feeling in the pit of your tummy, when you realise how much it will cost!

Plus, if your Mini is your daily-drive, as mine is, you have the inconvenience of not being able to use it until it's sorted - It's a right pain having to do major work on a car and still commute to and from work every day!

[foxfan]

You should see what has to be done to prep an LGV for VOSA MoT inspection.

tell me about it bro. Had a bad experiance with slack adjusters today

[Scallywag630]

For those of you worried about being "off the road", why not try getting your MOT done a month before the old one expires? If it passes you get a 13 month MOT and if it fails (as long as it is not dangerous) you get a few weekends to fix it.

[Bean]

As far as I was aware, as soon as you have an MOT, if it fails, it's classed as unroadworthy and you're not allowed to continue driving it?

[Scallywag630]

As far as I was aware, as soon as you have an MOT, if it fails, it's classed as unroadworthy and you're not allowed to continue driving it?

Not true. Even if the car fails, the old MOT is still valid until expiry. If the car is REALLY dangerous the MOT station can insist that it is trailered away, but the previous certificate IS STILL VALID.

[adam_93rio]

i dont see why people get so uptight about MOT's, but why do people keep talking about retests??
surely when you go for your test and they fail it, you get all the things on the list fixed. if they missed something the first time then you start to ask why they missed it

also, if your car fails an MOT before the old certificate expires, its illegal to drive it, as the failure notice is a notice to say this car is NOT roadworthy
i suppose if they say its failed because (x) before they book it all in properly then there is no proof of a test and therefore you can be on your way

i know if my car failed a month early, i wouldnt be driving it round until i could get it fixed

[minili]

i know if my car failed a month early, i wouldnt be driving it round until i could get it fixed

Depends what it fails on...

I was always scared of MOTing the Mini because it always failed

First year it needed a small patch on the sill (tiny hole, just too near a join or something?), second time it needed a tyre, and a bit of wire because the headlights stopped working the day before