Sign up for MOT reminders! Cautionary tale!

Savvy_Sue

This week's email from Martin had a link to get an email reminder sent for your MOT. What a good idea, I thought, I know ours is due just after the tax, so that's a reminder in itself - renew tax, think "MOT needs doing" - but it won't hurt. (Insurance is a completely different time of year.)

Unfortunately putting my registration in came up with

There was a problem Check that you've typed in the correct registration number.

You can only sign up if the vehicle has a current MOT.

Which seemed a bit odd: I remember DH taking the car for service and MOT, I remember a 'discussion' with him because I thought we'd agreed to use local garage and he'd gone to the dealer again.



However, turns out the MOT wasn't done. Which my local garage has confirmed:

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-status

Car is now safely off road, booked in for next week, and I'm working out how to get to everywhere I need to be without it, and hoping there won't be a fine for letting it lapse.

Interestingly, when I put the works van details in, it did let me set a reminder - and that doesn't have a valid MOT because it's too new to need one atm!

decbel

No fine for lapse of MOT.

Only if you happen to be on the road and stopped by police not going to a pre-booked MOT.

giraffe69

Can't you put relevant dates into an electronic diary? Google Calendar is very good at reminding me of things it might be costly to forget.

EdGasketTheSecond

A bit of paper works for me; got all the important dates on there.

AdrianC

I signed up to this service a while back - and I've just received the email reminding me the MOT is in a month's time.

A month is, of course, the minimum before-expiry period I can get the car tested and keep the expiry date.

So, yes, it's working... and it's worked for you, too, OP - it's alerted you to the fact you forgot the last MOT!

Savvy_Sue

giraffe69 wrote: »

Can't you put relevant dates into an electronic diary? Google Calendar is very good at reminding me of things it might be costly to forget.

Yes, that works perfectly, IF the person booking the service and MOT actually ASKS for the MOT to be carried out! Which I suspect didn't happen this year - always has in the past.

And with the reminder coming if it's not been done within two weeks of the due date, that really will work perfectly should that minor detail be forgotten again.

Savvy_Sue

decbel wrote: »

No fine for lapse of MOT.

Only if you happen to be on the road and stopped by police not going to a pre-booked MOT.

Oh that IS a relief. There is no chance of that now: once I'd worked out what had happened it was straight home via the garage to book it in. It's been a bit of a pain to work out how to get everywhere we need to be without a car at short notice, but we're sorted now.

decbel

Thing is OP when You do pass the MOT you've actually gained days. The new MOT will begin on the day that the car passes. It is not retrospective.

When the MOT comes around again you have the option of having it done a month earlier. But you don't lose that month. The new MOT will start a day before the expiry date.

decbel

One thing interesting about lack of MOT is whether it invalidates our insurance.

Its a topic that comes up regularly on the motoring pages.

Unless lack of MOT is specifically noted in your policy then I would say no. I've yet to see a policy that does.

At the very worst perhaps your insurance could be downgraded to third party. After all, you are entitled to drive the vehicle for a pre-booked MOT. How would you legally get there. Being trailored simply isn't practical.

Even with a brand, new fresh MOT you can still be pulled and fined 100 yards out of the test station.

Extremely unlikely mind.

[Deleted User]

decbel wrote: »

One thing interesting about lack of MOT is whether it invalidates our insurance.

Its a topic that comes up regularly on the motoring pages.

Unless lack of MOT is specifically noted in your policy then I would say no. I've yet to see a policy that does.

At the very worst perhaps your insurance could be downgraded to third party. After all, you are entitled to drive the vehicle for a pre-booked MOT. How would you legally get there. Being trailored simply isn't practical.

Even with a brand, new fresh MOT you can still be pulled and fined 100 yards out of the test station.

Extremely unlikely mind.

I would say very unlikely unless you really badly failed the attitude test, and even then with the certificate in hand even the most antagonised copper would have to accept it or face a disciplinary.

bigadaj

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

Yes, that works perfectly, IF the person booking the service and MOT actually ASKS for the MOT to be carried out! Which I suspect didn't happen this year - always has in the past.

And with the reminder coming if it's not been done within two weeks of the due date, that really will work perfectly should that minor detail be forgotten again.

Have you come up with a solution for the first point, presume your other hand is suitably abashed?