I didn't know this but there's a new MOT test coming in May of this year and part of it may be a problem for those Copenistas that have fitted High Intensity headlamps, so check out this link for more info... New MoT test will clamp down on dirty diesels
They've always been illegal, unless you fit a full replacement headlight with self-leveling and washers. They just didn't check for them on the MOT and from the amount of poorly aimed blinding one's I've seen most MOT stations don't check the beam pattern properly either!
Hey, there's an update on this one. So, the new MOT comes into effect in May 2018 and there's a couple of things that really concern me. First off, I've always taken my car for its MOT about 2-3 weeks before it expires so that I've got time to get anything fixed in time before the MOT runs out - with the new MOT, this is illegal: "if the car doesn’t get through the tighter new MOT rules, then it will no longer be classed as road legal, regardless of an existing MOT certificate or not." Does that mean I'd have to get it fixed at the MOT tester's? If so, would that be an incentive for them to fail it? Even worse is this: "Each tester will have to use their judgement as to whether a defect is dangerous, major or minor and this could lead to differences from one garage to another.” That, surely, gives testing centres carte blanche to fail vehicles, all above board, and significantly increase the amount of remedial work they get to carry out. Seems to me that this is another example of an "improvement" that hasn't really been thought through properly at Govt level. Have a look at the article: New MOT rules could mean fines of up to £2,500 | PetrolPrices.com
You can still drive your car away, and drive it to be repaired or retested, just as you used to be able to with an expired MOT certificate. You can't drive it around for any other reason though until you have a valid MOT. They spent most of the article scaremongering to get views but they did slip it in right at the bottom:- "According to the DVLA, the only time you are allowed to drive your car after it has failed a test is on the way to have failed defects fixed, or on the way to a pre-booked MOT appointment." I suspect garages may try to cash in on the people who like to get an early MOT with some kind of 'Pre-MOT' check which would basically be an MOT without the paperwork Meaning if they find anything you're not registered as unroadworthy and have time to get it sorted.
I'm sure Neville will pass with flying colours! How is Cumbria Jules? Are you still frozen in up there? Here it seems to have been raining for months. Roof down Copening still seems a distant dream so far this Spring. My poor little MLC is covered in dust in the garage - we've been working on our kitchen and all the cutting was done in there. Have to give her a Spring clean for the new season. Which will be her 15th Summer! Wow! Where did the years go?
@JulesAtCumbria Hi Jules. I’ve been reading about the new MOT too and it is very ambiguous. My understanding is that you can still book it in early but what happens if it fails is dependent on the category of failure. They key thing seems to be that it has to be roadworthy to continue to drive it and that you should get advice from the tester as to whether you can or can’t drive it other than for booked repairs/retest. The consensus so far is that you shouldn’t/can’t continue to drive with a “dangerous” failure item. Minor failures are the equivalent of advisories in the current system and major failures are broadly everything else and would encompass bulb failures through to leaking dampers, bald tyres etc. If the categories work as intended, you should still be roadworthy with a major failure.
Blimey, Badger - 15th Summer! .. and I won't tell you which year I'M in! Yeah, still so cold - mid-April and it's still winter woolies - mind you, Neville's been out without his lid a few times in the past month or so and boy, he doesn't disappoint! Poor MLC - neglected for the time-being but hope the kitchen is getting there and she'll be ready for the warmer (?) weather to come. ENJOY!!
Great work Rob! Thanks for the clarification on that one. I guess that most of us would ensure that the basics are sorted before taking a car for MOT (tyres, lights, wipers, etc.) so I imagine that other 'majors' would likely need dealing with fairly urgently in any case. My concern is that once a 'major' is detected, that leaves the owner with limited choice as to how to deal with it. Neville's not due until September and there's bound to be a bit of MOT-related traffic on Copenworld and other forums, so I'll watch this space with interest. Thanks so much for the input and enjoy your time out there as things warm up!
Hi Jules Thanks! Kitchen now pretty much finished. Now got to empty garage and take all the junk to the dump. I’ll be excavating poor little MLC tomo! Then get her cleaned up and hopefully get out in the sunshine- if there is any!
We’ve been spoilt this year. I managed to get the roof off two weeks ago on Thursday as well. Mind you it was because I had to buy a new hoover and it was the only way to carry it from (and back to) Tesco !
