More Bureaucratic bunkum to make our lives a misery.

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EU Set To Enforce Tough New MOT Rules On Motorists
Thousands of motorists face their cars being scrapped under EU regulations which come into force today.

Tough new vehicle-testing criteria will see previously roadworthy vehicles fail their MOTs or need expensive repairs.

An additional 15 items on the MOT check list will need to be passed before cars will be deemed legal to drive.

The move has been criticised as an example of European bureaucrats hammering already hard-pressed British motorists with soaring motoring costs.

Mike Nattrass MEP, UKIP transport spokesman said thousands of motorists will be forced off the road from today.

He said: “These new rules will drive perfectly serviceable cars off the road, and hundreds of thousands of motorists back to the cashpoint machine.

“These EU rules are just making life harder for people to get on with their normal lives.”

The AA said the move is the biggest shake up of the MOT system for more than 20 years.

The changes which include stringent checks on warning lights, handbrakes and wiring, were first introduced in January last year.

But is only today they become mandatory with vehicles failing their MOTs if they do not come up to scratch.

AA spokesman Gavin Hill-Smith said it is inevitable motorists will face higher repair bills to keep their cars roadworthy.

He said the additional checks were brought in to deal with growing technology that goes into making cars.

He added many drivers will face a situation where the cost of repairs is higher than the value of the vehicle.

“This is the biggest revolution of the MOT since the early 1990s and will mean many more cars will fail as a result,” he said.

“There is a huge amount of additional items which will need to be checked, car technology has become more sophisticated.

“Some people will be left with the situation that their car is an economic write off, a lot of older cars that may have previously passed their MOT won’t.”

Additions to the list include checks on electronic handbrakes and checks to the wiring and housing of the battery.

It also includes having working warning lights on the dashboards and speedometer which have not until now been compulsory.

Mr Hill-Smith said: “A lot of people will be surprised some things on this list were not already included.

“Having a working speedometer, and making sure the battery and wiring are secure for example.

“These are very basic things which are important.”

Andy Smith, AA patrol of the year, says: “If you’ve been happily ignoring a warning light because it’s not part of the MOT, these changes mean your car could now be on the MOT scrap heap or you’ll need to fork out on expensive repairs.”

MOT additions from today

1 Electronic handbrake
2 Electronic stability checks, to check steering during emergency stops or sharp bends
3 Dashboard warning lights
4 Steering and suspension including the steering lock
5 Subtle checks to headlight lenses
6 Wiring and battery positioning in the engine
7 Caravan electrical socket, to ensure indicators and brake lights on trailed caravans work while they are being driven
8 Built-in tyre pressure monitors, which alert to slow punctures.
9 Airbag warning lights
10 Speedometer
11 Seat adjusters
12 Doors - the locks must be in fully working order
13 Towbars
14 Exhausts and catalytic converters working
15 Fuel pipes
 
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Personally I don't have an issue with most of these extra checks and I wouldn't submit a vehicle with loose batteries or non working electronic handbrakes, for example......these things have been testable on HGV's for years.
Do we know how much the new test will cost?
John :)
 
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Trouble is, the more unnecessary shoite they put on cars to attract gadget hungry geeks, the more there is to go wrong. Then it costs.

My Magic Tree air freshner has dried up. Suppose that's a fail now? :rolleyes:
 
all of the items that are to be added, should have been added years ago.

If the engine management light is on, it means something is wrong with the engine or its associated ancilliaries. Just because the car still works doesnt mean its safe and roadworthy.

If you read what is actually being added, then you soon realise its necessary and just! The guy from UKIP saying it will send serviceable cars to the scrap yard is talking rubbish. The MOT test is very out-dated. If your happy to run around with a car that is showing a fault, or the airbag light is on, or the electronic handbrake actuator is not working then id say more fool you.
 
Certainly I don't want to get into a slanging match with anyone here :p
I prepare and submit maybe 15 - 20 cars / vans / bikes for MOT a year.
Apart from the ridiculous condition that some cars that come to me are in, I do get spooked when kids are regularly carried. Example - Micra, 53 plate, 3 door with goosed N/S door lock. Wifey slides off road in the snow, comes to rest with her side against a 5 bar farm gate, sprog in the back. Can't open the door :eek: Happy that the car isn't burning :eek:
08 plate Fiesta - so much crap stuck to the front screen (phone holders, chimp in a hammock etc) it was hopeless trying to see out. The rear seat belt holders were full of Xmas tree needles and wouldn't latch.....well slick!
Most gimmicks are left alone MOT wise, but ABS equipment now needs to work. Personally I think its been one of the great inventions of all time, but I admit repairs can be expensive.
Three things I can almost guarantee when a car comes to me:
1) The tyres are below pressure and have cracked sidewalls
2) There's no water in the screen wash bottle
3) There aint enough fuel for me to get to the test centre and back comfortably :p
John :D
 
1 Electronic handbrake
Good - a mechanical handbrake is part of the original test and i dont see why electronic ones shouldnt be
2 Electronic stability checks, to check steering during emergency stops or sharp bends
Makes sense
3 Dashboard warning lights
A light on means something isnt working right on or in the engine, the most important part of the entire car apart from the driver! if its a brake system light then its still a no brainer
4 Steering and suspension including the steering lock
Steering and suspension components have always been part of the MOT. Steering lock has not, but it makes sense that it should be functioning correctly, as you wouldnt want it locking up whilst driving
5 Subtle checks to headlight lenses
No brainer
6 Wiring and battery positioning in the engine
No Brainer - batteries are heavy. Wouldnt be good for it to drop out the engine bay if it was loose
7 Caravan electrical socket, to ensure indicators and brake lights on trailed caravans work while they are being driven
Another no brainer!!
8 Built-in tyre pressure monitors, which alert to slow punctures.
If the system is there, and telling you there is a puncture or incorrect pressure, then why wouldnt you fix it?
9 Airbag warning lights
No brainer
10 Speedometer
No brainer
11 Seat adjusters
again a no brainer!
12 Doors - the locks must be in fully working order
you want to be able to get in and out without using the window, and plus if there is an accident, working door lock mechanisms can save lives if theres a fire or similar
13 Towbars
You dont want it to snap off or something when towing!
14 Exhausts and catalytic converters working
The BET emissions tests have been a requirement for vehicles made since 1996/7 although, some cars as early as 1992 had cats. If the cat doesnt work, the car wouldnt pass the strict emissions test anyway so i dont see what difference this is about
15 Fuel pipes
fire hazard if rotten

Having said that, somebody, somewhere is talking bulls balls, because in some other EU countries which i am familiar with, there are no MOT tests on vehicles. The test in Poland for example is a basic condition report which grants them eligibility to get car insurance. Certainly not a multi-point check like the MOT.
 
They could make a start by checking the fookas actually have number plates attached - I hate this trend for removing the front plate, and carrying it around on the dashboard :evil:

And as for Renault et al getting 5 star NCAP ratings (I know they are for crash resistance), no car where you need to take half the front off / return it to main dealer just because a headlight bulb has popped should get any stars at all, IMHO.
 
And as for Renault et al getting 5 star NCAP ratings (I know they are for crash resistance), no car where you need to take half the front off / return it to main dealer just because a headlight bulb has popped should get any stars at all, IMHO.
I can change each of my Megane headlight bulbs in about 5 minutes, not brilliant I'll admit though. First time it took about an hour and had to whip a wheel off admittedly! :p
 
They could make a start by checking the fookas actually have number plates attached - I hate this trend for removing the front plate, and carrying it around on the dashboard :evil: .

Plates are in the MOT.

Sounds like a cunning way to avoid getting tickets from SPECS.
 
Think I'll stick with my old Carlton. Basic, uncomplicated engineering. Hasn't even got rear seat belts. :eek:

I'll leave it to everyone else to tear their hair out, chasing electrical faults on ridiculously complex cars. Much money will be spent and time wasted on cars that will end up as uneconomically repairable long before their time.
 
Think I'll stick with my old Carlton. Basic, uncomplicated engineering. Hasn't even got rear seat belts.

Must be a C or early D plate or earlier then?

Cars from 1987 onwards had to have rear belts fitted.

My Skoda, what has sat on the drive for 12 months, is going to be checked over on Friday to see how much it will take to make it road-worthy once more...

Cross all your digits for me guys!!!
 
Having said that, somebody, somewhere is talking bulls balls, because in some other EU countries which i am familiar with, there are no MOT tests on vehicles. The test in Poland for example is a basic condition report which grants them eligibility to get car insurance. Certainly not a multi-point check like the MOT.

No, they are just normal EU diktats: they only apply to the UK; everyone else just ignores them.
 
Funny how the AA guy hasn't said anything negative (or positive) about the new tests, yet some prannet from UKIP thinks hell has frozen over and the French are invading. :rolleyes:

If a car has the equipment (I hate electronic handbrakes with a passion) then it should work FFS.
 
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