Can I drive if car`s failed it`s MOT?

swizzle_2

My car is getting on a bit, but drive ok, most of the time. I would like a new car buy don`t too may miles plus I don`t want to spend my well earned cash.

Anyhow, was thinking I would wait until the MOT was due to see how much it would cost, but am I right in thinking I can MOT it a month earlier than the due date? But if it fails badley, can I not have the work done and still drive the car?

Would not drive it much , just to until I could trade it in.

Thanks

derrick

swizzle wrote:

My car is getting on a bit, but drive ok, most of the time. I would like a new car buy don`t too may miles plus I don`t want to spend my well earned cash.

Anyhow, was thinking I would wait until the MOT was due to see how much it would cost, but am I right in thinking I can MOT it a month earlier than the due date? But if it fails badley, can I not have the work done and still drive the car?

Would not drive it much , just to until I could trade it in.

Thanks

From the back of a failure sheet, tou can drive a car without an MOT to and from a PRE BOOKED test, but you can still be prosecuted for driving an unfit vehicle if that is the case.

YOUR VEHICLE HAS FAILED THE TEST

[font=&quot]PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING NOTES[/font]



1.Your vehicle does not meet the legal
requirements. If you intend to continue to use
it on the road you should have it repaired
without delay.

2.It is an offence to use on a public road a vehicle
of testable age that does not have a current test
certificate, except when



-taking it to a testing station for test
BOOKED IN ADVANCE

-bringing it away from a testing station after it
has failed the test

-taking it to or bringing it away from a place
where by PREVIOUS ARRANGEMENT

repairs are to be or have been made to remedy the defects for which the vehicle was failed.

Even in the above circumstances you may still be prosecuted for driving an unroadworthy vehicle if it does not comply with the Regulations affecting its construction and use. Additionally the insurance may not be valid.

3. If you do not agree with the refusal to issue a
test certificate, you may appeal. IF YOU WISH
TO APPEAL against all or any of the grounds
for refusal, you must use a special form (VT17)
which you can get from any testing station or
from a Vehicle & Operator Services Agency
local office. The completed form with the current
appeal fee must be received at the Vehicle &
Operator Services Agency local office within

14 working days pf the date of the refusal notice. If your appeal is successful the fee, or if appropriate part of it, may be returned to you. DO NOT HAVE YOUR VEHICLE REPAIRED before any appeal test is carried out. Any change in the condition of the vehicle may affect the outcome.

4. The fees charged for the re-examination vary
according to the following circumstances:-

NO FEE



a. If the vehicle is left at a station that undertakes repairs for repair and re-examination




NO FEE*



b. If the vehicle is brought back to the station and re-examined before the end of the next working day on one or more of the following items: ABS WARNING, BOOTLID, BRAKE PEDAL ANTISLIP, DIRECTION INDICATORS/HAZARD WARNING, DOORS, DROPSIDES, LOADING DOOR, MIRRORS, REAR REFLECTORS, REGISTRATION PLATES, SEAT BELTS (but not anchorages), SEATS, SHARP EDGES OR PROJECTIONS, STEERING WHEEL, TAILBOARD, TAILGATE, VIN No, HORN, HEADLAMP AIM, LAMPS, EMISSIONS, FUEL FILLER CAP, WINDSCREEN and WINDSCREEN WIPERS AND WASHER. WHEELS AND TYRES* (Partial Re-examination) *Not applicable to Motor Bicycles **Only one free re-examination is permissible per MOT

NO FEE



c. If the vehicle leaves the testing premises and returns for a re-examination on an item or items other than those listed at 4b above, the vehicle must be fully inspected on all testable items before a test certificate can be issued. This applies even if a "free retest" is offered for marketing reasons.

(Full Examination)

5. Details of the current fees are available from any testing station, where a poster is required to be displayed, or from any Vehicle & Operator Services Agency local office.

The INSPECTION MANUALS are

comprehensive instruction to the inspection procedures applied during the MOT test and set out in detail the statutory requirements that vehicles have to meet, the methods of inspection and the reasons for failure.

The above Manuals and Test Guide may be purchased by post from the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency P.O. Box 12, Swansea, SA1 1BP

scheming_gypsy

you can drive it for the month till the existing MOT runs out.

derrick

scheming_gypsy wrote:

you can drive it for the month till the existing MOT runs out.

Not if the car is unroadworthy and would not pass a test

jockettuk

swizzle wrote:

My car is getting on a bit, but drive ok, most of the time. I would like a new car buy don`t too may miles plus I don`t want to spend my well earned cash.

Anyhow, was thinking I would wait until the MOT was due to see how much it would cost, but am I right in thinking I can MOT it a month earlier than the due date? But if it fails badley, can I not have the work done and still drive the car?

Would not drive it much , just to until I could trade it in.

Thanks

im sorry but by the sounds of it your expecting it to fail and probably fail badly..why risk driving round in a car that will probably cost you more to repair and make you spend your hard earned money .. get a newer car and be safe on the roads for both you and other road users.. cars fail mots for a reason and if that reason bad enough then no you should not drive a dangerous car ..

scheming_gypsy

derrick wrote:

Not if the car is unroadworthy and would not pass a test

even though its still covered by a valid MOT?

derrick

scheming_gypsy wrote:

even though its still covered by a valid MOT?

Thats right, if you think about it the MOT only says the vehicle is fit to pass the test on the day of the test, i.e the day after you could end up with a tyre below the legal limit, a headlight bulb or brake light not working,etc, all MOT failures, anything more serious could happen, leaking master cylinder, it is up to the driver to ensure that the vehicle is legal.

From my reply above:-

Even in the above circumstances you may still be prosecuted for driving an unroadworthy vehicle if it does not comply with the Regulations affecting its construction and use. Additionally the insurance may not be valid.

swizzle_2

I think it might fail- but I don`t know how badly. The thing is the car is only worth £200 so it`s not worth spending on it. If I trade it in it does not matter if it has 6 months or 6 days mot on it, they will still give me the same price.

But then again if it costs £100 to get it through the mot I would pay that. I just want to way up the options. It now has 6 mths MOT on it and it starts every time, I`ve had the brakes checked and they are fine, I don`t drive at speed or on motorways.
I would not drive a car that was unfit and put myself or my children at risk.

I just want good value for money, and cheap safe motoring if there is such a thing.

Wig

You have 6 months left so worry about this in 5 months time...

Then you can decide to test your car 1 month early, and it may fail on expensive items and it may fail on items not allowing you to drive it. You cannot drive it legally if there is something serious wrong with it, and this will be noted on the fail sheet, at the bottom that in the testers opinion the car is not safe to drive.

I have heard some garages will refuse to give the keys to an unsafe car, I am not sure if this is legal or not (perhaps Derrick can comment) but I have never had this problem myself, and I am the sort of person who having driven a car for months before and driven it to a test centre with no problems, if I am told the car is unsafe I will just ignore it (except to pay particular attention during driving to that aspect of the car which is deemed to be dangerous) and drive the car home and fix what needs fixing.

You might by testing the car be about to cost yourself money, and it might be better to just get your new car without testing, but you won't know this until you have tested the car - catch-22 Even if you don't want to repair the car you might have to arrange for a tow truck to come and get it from the garage, and all of that could add up $$

Some tatty old cars do actually believe it or not pass their tests no problem so you could be worrying over nothing. But it is best to decide what you will do in case things don't go according to plan...for example in the event it is unraodworthy but you don't want to repair...what will you do? will you drive it away, I would but would you?

derrick

Can't comment on Wig's remark about garage refusing to hand over keys, but if you drove it to the test centre, it should be driveable back home, however if it did fail you would be driving an unroadworthy car as described above, although a broken tail light would make it illegal to drive but not dangerous to drive, even a cracked (not chipped) windscreen would fail the MOT, therefore making it illegal, depends if you get pulled by plod and how he is feeling, although if you still have time left on the MOT cert, then unless something is really obvious then you should be alright.
Having said all that, it is not advisable to, knowingly drive an unroadworthy vehicle.

wazza

derrick wrote:

Can't comment on Wig's remark about garage refusing to hand over keys, but if you drove it to the test centre, it should be driveable back home, however if it did fail you would be driving an unroadworthy car as described above, although a broken tail light would make it illegal to drive but not dangerous to drive, even a cracked (not chipped) windscreen would fail the MOT, therefore making it illegal, depends if you get pulled by plod and how he is feeling, although if you still have time left on the MOT cert, then unless something is really obvious then you should be alright.
Having said all that, it is not advisable to, knowingly drive an unroadworthy vehicle.

uncle used to won a garage. he used to refuse to hand back keys to the car if it is in dangerous condition to drive, i.e faulty brakes. if the customer complains then he says he has to notify the police. i think the garage bears some responsibilty if they release a car in a dangerous condition