MOT standards and what it means for you!
Many people think that because a car has passed an MOT it means your car should be safe for a another year!
I CANNOT BEGIN TO EXPLAIN HOW INCORRECT THIS ASSUMPTION CAN BE!!
Here is another analogy for you, when you go for your check up at the dentist (MOT Test), they may say your okay and to come back in 6 months (pass) or they may say that if you carry on brushing hard you will get gum problems (minor advisory - easy fix). They may tell you that you have a hole in your rear right molar and you need a filling (major defect). You get where I’m going, it’s an assessment of your teeth (vehicle) there and then!
An MOT test is a basic minimum standard that your vehicle has to meet to stay on the road. Although this means you get a “years motoring” this does not mean that the safety of your vehicle is guaranteed for a whole year.
You could get a PASS certificate, drive down the road, a stone flicks up, chips your windscreen, develops into a crack and therefor turning into a failure (within the specified area). Same goes for any electrical equipment, a bulb may go, a engine light may come on. Any variable is possible!
As an authorised examiner for the ministry, I would estimate as rough number that I have tested a few thousand vehicles since holding my qualification. This has allowed to see multiple vehicles of the same variant and compare to one another.
I have tested vehicles that have done 1000 miles a year, I have carried tests on cars doing 60,000 miles a year. Does this mean that a car doing 60,000 miles as more of a chance that it will fail? Possibly but not necessarily it is all down to how they are maintained!
So what am I trying to explain here?
PRO-ACTIVE ROUTINE MAINTENANCE!!!
A vehicle passing an MOT or not is down to how much maintenance or how many regular checks are carried out on your vehicle.
People take pre-cautions every year by getting regular check ups on their health for example, you would go to a dentist for a check up every 3-6 months. Why do people do it? Because they do not want any unexpected health implications in the future, they may no want any financial implication, most of all it gives people PEACE OF MIND!
so why wouldn’t you want that for your vehicle? Why wouldn’t you want to save yourself from emotional stress?
If you book your car in with us or a reputable mechanic and have a inspection carried out on your vehicle, you should receive a strong indicator on the likely-ness of getting a PASS.
Some parts of a MOT test the average mechanic will not be able to guarantee with the specific equipment for example, emissions test equipment, brake test equipment and headlight alignment equipment. BUT... a good mechanic should be able to inform you of any concerns they may have with any on these areas.
So.. key things to take away from today...
An MOT is not a guaranteed years safety it’s just a lawful standard for the time of the test.
Anything could happen once leaving the test station.
Not every mechanic knows the MOT handbook or knows how to access it
BE SAFE, BE PRO-ACTIVE, GET YOUR VEHICLE A SMALL INSPECTION EVERY 6 MONTHS OR 5,000 MILES!
If you want to see how when your MOT runs out or when it was last tested you can access that via this address:
https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/?_ga=2.76955543.349213256.1570872676-1004217258.1570658913
Simply tap in your registration and confirm the make and colour on the next page.
To check the MOT manual for a class 4 vehicle, take a look through the following address:
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