Car failed it's MOT on leaky brake pipe...but current MOT valid until 15th May??!

DEBTMONKEY1A

Hi all,

My MOT expires on 15/5/10...took it in today & failed in a slightly leaky brake pipe & dodgy handbrake....booked in on Monday am to fix it. mechanic says that if I'm pulled over & Police do a check between now & Monday they could seize & impound vehicle (as it's 'unsafe') & crush it....is this true? If so looks like busses till Monday (!)

Gloomendoom

Probably. Your car is unroadworthy. It doesn't matter if it has a current MOT certificate or not.

Why would you want to drive a car with dodgy brakes? You could kill yourself, or worse, somebody else.

Weirdlittleman

Yes the mechanic is right.

Your car is not roadworthy, if pulled over the police could prohibit further driving as well as impounding the car to prevent the offence continuing (they may not do this and just trust you but unlikely if they know the full facts i.e you know its dangerous and still drove). After its impounded pay up or have it crushed.

If you do decide to drive it under no circumstances admit knowing it was faulty if pulled over.

chelleybelley

yes as ur now failed mot replaces the other one

Robert2009

If you had not taken your car for an MOT and not known about the leaky brake pipe and you were pulled over by the police the result would still be the same, your car is unroadworthy and could be impounded.

It is just the same if you had taken your car in for a service and not an MOT, and the leaky brake was noticed, your car is unroadworthy until it is fixed.

You have an MOT but an unroadworthy car.

Your car could have passed its MOT then you drive out the garage and a stone is thrown up and holes the brake pipe.

Is it roadworthy because you have a years MOT and a holed brake pipe?


Rob

Kilty_2

Just keep an eye on your brake fluid - check it every time you go to drive the car. If it goes down at all then top it up - should you lose too much you'll get an air lock in the system (and no brakes at all)

Been there, done that. My car failed it's MOT for handbrake and was "fixed" by a garage who ended up causing a leak. So my car with 11 months and 29 days MOT was leaking brake fluid :rotfl::rotfl:

SailorSam

There are probably things on the Mot that if my car failed i'd still take the chance on using it until i managed to get it fixed, but leaky brakes are the thing only a fool would ignore.
Park up until you can get it fixed.

VoucherMan

I had a 'slightly leaky' brake pipe last year. A couple of days later it became a 'slightly more leaky' pipe and I lost my brakes completely. Luckily I was on flat ground & just round the corner from a garage so manage to crawl there in first gear.

I doubt yours is anywhere near that bad or the garage wouldn't have let you drive away, but I was surprised how quick they failed.

If you do get pulled over I'd recommend stopping in front of the police car. Just in case...

DEBTMONKEY1A

Thanks all! Only plan on using it between now & Monday if URGENT! Spoke to a friend who's in the police & he said if you physically produced the log book, MOT & insurance they'd look at it & wave you off....IF they checked it on the PNC they would have to delve deeper on the MOT because both the public MOT list & the Police one will show 'MOT valid until 15th May' , 'however other tests/alternatives including fails are showing' (or words to that effect!). My police mate said YES they could impound/crush the car but & i quote him 'it would not really be in the public interest/purse if you had an apointment booked in to remedy the car & were trying to keep the car roadworthy'...ie would not be good press for the cops at all!

Had a look under the car (I'm SO not technical!) & can see where the leak is....anyway thanks again all!

P.S-I remember the early eighties as a rebellious youth not getting car tax for months & months as nothing was on computer......happy days! (I now expect to get flamed to hell for that!).

jd82

The bad news is that is it now recorded on an official government database that you're car is not roadworthy.

I would not drive this car in a million years because you know it is a death trap. Is it really worth the risk? I have managed to get all over the country without a car.

I have a car myself but it always amazes me that some people think a car is essential, may be in your case it is but if you're going far I would not want to drive it knowing the breaks could fail.

DEBTMONKEY1A

No a car is not essential to me but usefull! As i said jd82 I won't use it ulness it's very urgent! It may be on a government database but most policeman would not dig that far & anyway if they did then see my 'public purse' comments from mt police friend! It's immaterial anyway as I'm 99% sure it won't be used between now & Monday but jd82 I think my policeman friend is more likely to know about how far a normal policeman would did than any member of the public?