NI MOT

35har1old

For information don't wait for remainder 
Just attempted to book appointment for car due 22/05/24 earliest apt any where near me still 26 miles away was 07/08/24 

skycatcher

Mines due 24 April..... Still not got a reminder but first available booking i could make yesterday was 30 July! You just need to check closer to the time for a cancellation but at least  you have a confirmed booking this way.

Mildly_Miffed

Almost worth getting a boat over for a test.

motorguy

This is easy mitigated.

Book your MOT test, take whatever date you can.
Check periodically for cancellations / new dates and times becoming available.

It literally takes 2 mins to log in and check.

I booked a date at the start of January in Dungannon (50 miles from me) for late March.  MOT due late March so "ok" but a bad time of day and bad location as i'd have had to take an afternoon off work.  Got the car checked over for MOT, Thursday week ago, got the all clear, logged on and got an appointment that Sunday in Newry (my nearest centre).

Just keep checking online regularly.  I would be very surprised if someone looking for an appointment couldnt get an MOT done by the weekend with a tiny bit of effort.

motorguy

skycatcher said:

Mines due 24 April..... Still not got a reminder but first available booking i could make yesterday was 30 July! You just need to check closer to the time for a cancellation but at least  you have a confirmed booking this way.

In past years i've changed mine maybe anything up to four times - getting a better date, getting a better location, getting a better time at that location.  Takes a bit of checking every now and again but dates do come up pretty much constantly so worth keeping an eye on.

motorguy

Mildly_Miffed said:

Almost worth getting a boat over for a test.

Theres really no need.  Its just a matter of checking online regularly for a better date.

SiliconChip

BBC website story yesterday.

MoT: 72-day wait for test in NI is new normal, DVA boss says

motorguy

SiliconChip said:

BBC website story yesterday.

MoT: 72-day wait for test in NI is new normal, DVA boss says

Them pretending its normal isnt helping anyone.

If its the new normal why do they only send out reminders 30 days in advance?

People can mitigate the issue as per my posts above, but it really shouldnt be like this - and it has been like this for several years now.

Mildly_Miffed

motorguy said:

Mildly_Miffed said:

Almost worth getting a boat over for a test.

Theres really no need.  Its just a matter of checking online regularly for a better date.

Meanwhile, over here on the mainland, if it's more than a week or so leadtime, you just phone a different garage...

35har1old

motorguy said:

SiliconChip said:

BBC website story yesterday.

MoT: 72-day wait for test in NI is new normal, DVA boss says

Them pretending its normal isnt helping anyone.

If its the new normal why do they only send out reminders 30 days in advance?

People can mitigate the issue as per my posts above, but it really shouldnt be like this - and it has been like this for several years now.

Given that I applied 83 days prior to due date I think the new norm of 72 days is a underestimate and the first date so far is 160 days from when I applied I know I can keep checking for a earlier date

redped

As @motorguy says, just take the first date and then regularly check for a better appointment. I've been doing this for several years, but they now send out a confirmation code via text message each time you log on - possibly to counteract the various websites which offered to find a better appointment for you.

The whole system isn't fit for purpose, and the two new centres at Mallusk and Hydbank are delayed which doesn't help things.  All they do is say this is the new norm, rather than doing anything to improve the situation (e.g. I read an MLA saying yesterday that dealerships should be allowed to do some MOTs, they could hire more staff, be open for longer hours, etc.)