Possible relaxation of MOT testing frequencies.

[Mottie]

The government are looking at making the MOT test being done every two years to save people money. They have been talking about doing this for years but it seems more likely now. It is literally going to cut MOT revenues in half for test centres. Cars are generally a lot safer nowdays though compared to twenty or thirty years ago - you just don't seem to get the number of old rust buckets on the road these days. What do you think - is it a good or a bad thing?

 

[Burnerman]

Generally I think it is a bad thing.....ok, its unlikely that a car needing its first test at 3 years is likely to show any significant issues but after that then its a bit of a lottery.
Items like exhausts, drive shaft boots, brake pipes, springs etc can be suspect at any time, never mind tyres.
Anyway, for those people that don’t give a chuff about their vehicles are at least bound to have them inspected and therefore the MOT is a good thing.
With the guys I use they are always happy for me to have a good butchers underneath where I can check things that aren’t covered.....and also spy for oil leaks or whatever.
The MOT is an ally, not an enemy and is cheap enough.
John

 

[Keithmac]

If you keep your vehicle in good order and serviced you should have no bother at MOT time.

We've seen some absolute death traps over the years, should not have been on the road.

 

[Burnerman]

Last Autumn I was preparing a 12 plate Qashqai for its test.
The bottom joints were so worn you could have got a horse and cart in the gap.
If that vehicle had to run another 12 months, the wifey concerned would have been sitting at the side of the road with the wheels at a crazy angle
Compared with usual vehicle running costs, the MOT is a gift.
John

 

[johnny2007]

Halfords and the other usual suspects would be up in arms.
You go in for a free mot and end up paying 2 grand for new tyres, new exhaust and new brakes.
Once i changed brakes on my friend and they failed the car on brakes saying discs and pads were worn.
She called me in panic, i went there and you should've seen their faces when I pointed out the brand new brakes.
They hadn't even looked at them!

 

[Mottie]

Halfords and the other usual suspects would be up in arms.
You go in for a free mot and end up paying 2 grand for new tyres, new exhaust and new brakes.

I got two free mot's from Halfords last year (well, not entirely free - I had to spend a quid each time in a Halfords store!) and both my cars passed with flying colours.

 

[johnny2007]

I got two free mot's from Halfords last year (well, not entirely free - I had to spend a quid each time in a Halfords store!) and both my cars passed with flying colours.

Try sending a lone woman with an older car (over 10 years old)

 

[JP_]

It's not a huge saving if done every 2 years, and will probably end up costing more when minor problems become major ones.
This year one of my cars sailed through with no problem (2014 Focus estate) but the 2010 Hyundai needed new brakes. Could have the brakes waited another year? Hmmm, not sure I'd want to take that risk.

 

[Mottie]

Try sending a lone woman with an older car (over 10 years old)

I did. I was on a shoot the day of the booking so I sent Mrs Mottie up with our 2008 Golf with 100,000+ miles on the clock. I told her that in the event of a failure, do not have any work done. It passed.

 

[Avocet]

It's populism. Empty, vacuous, populism. An MOT can be had for well under £50 a year. That saving would be a drop in the ocean compared to the recent increases in the cost of living. Our grocery bill has gone up by more than the cost of an MOT in the last month alone! Of course, people will argue that it's not just the cost of the MOT that will be saved, but the cost of the work too. Yet, hang on! If you're saving on the cost of work, doesn't that mean you're driving something that would have needed work to pass an MOT?! Of course, there are the blatant rip-offs that people hear tales of, at certain "large chain" retail outlets, but that's a separate issue. There is an appeals system for such places, whether it's every year or every other year.

I could, however, support a tougher test every other year. So you get a test like we have now, one year, and an "enhanced" test the next, where they check things (particularly emissions) in a bit more detail. The current MOT emissions test is, IMO, a joke at present, for more modern cars.

 

[Burnerman]

Although the amount of car work I do now is hugely reduced, the ones that do come my way often have uninflated and worn tyres, knackered wiper blades and no washer fluid - which does show that many people don't give a toss about their vehicles, as long as it starts.
John

 

[cdbe]

I've been caught out on tyres a few times, I keep an eye on the tread but I've had a few cuts/bulges on the insides - and my new place seems obsessed with "scrubbed" tyres. Other than drop links I find it difficult to identify wear in suspension components so for me worth the fee for these two alone.

A mileage element might be worth considering - I do 3,000 miles between MOT's - some people do 30,000.

 

[JohnD]

It's populism. Empty, vacuous, populism.

There must be an election coming up.

That lying, incompetent, dishonest clown has damaged his party's reputation so his desperate underlings are scurrying around for any nonsense that might help.

 

[Avocet]

I've been caught out on tyres a few times, I keep an eye on the tread but I've had a few cuts/bulges on the insides - and my new place seems obsessed with "scrubbed" tyres. Other than drop links I find it difficult to identify wear in suspension components so for me worth the fee for these two alone.

A mileage element might be worth considering - I do 3,000 miles between MOT's - some people do 30,000.

Yes, the mileage element makes a big difference. "Hackney" taxis tend to have two MOTs a year - at the discretion of the local licensing authority. Most of them do require an additional MOT. However, there are private (Uber-style) vehicles that can do similar mileages, and these aren't subject to the same licensing conditions, yet still carry members of the public "for hire or reward", as they say. Many of them aren't exactly in their first flush of youth, either - (the vehicles, that is, not the public)!

 

[Vicario]

A recent test showed up a blown headlight bulb. I rarely drive at night so hadn't noticed, but my wife had driven it through London several times at night just before the MOT.
A friend of mine was actually pulled over by the police as his brake lights weren't working - he had 10 months left on his MOT. Turned out to be a bad connection at the switch. They didn't book him by the way, as he could show a recent test result. They said that they would have impounded the car if he hadn't had an MOT.