Halfords dispute

matt_drummer

LightFlare said:

Indeed - but leaving the car there for a week having decided not to proceed with the work is “odd”. (Depending on exact timelines) and possibly contributed to the situation they find themselves in

The car failed its MOT.

It couldn't be driven legally as it wouldn't be on its way to a prearranged MOT.appointment.

The OP would have had to have it collected by some means, either themselves or by selling it and making it somebody else's issue.

I assume the OP informed Halfords of their intention?

wongataa

matt_drummer said:

The car failed its MOT.

It couldn't be driven legally as it wouldn't be on its way to a prearranged MOT.appointment.

If the current MOT has not run out then the car can be driven away as long as whatever it failed on does not make the car unroadworthy.  The car failing a MOT does not invalidate a current MOT before it has run out.

We do not know what it failed on so it could have been perfectly legal to drive the car away or it could not have been.

matt_drummer

wongataa said:

If the current MOT has not run out then the car can be driven away as long as whatever it failed on does not make the car unroadworthy.  The car failing a MOT does not invalidate a current MOT before it has run out.

We do not know what it failed on so it could have been perfectly legal to drive the car away or it could not have been.

You are correct, of course.

I read the Government advice on this and it says it cannot be driven if any of the faults are deemed dangerous.

It's a bit confusing though, as failing an MOT must make the car unroadworthy? If it was roadworthy at the time of the test surely it would have passed?

I failed too in making an assumption that the scale of repairs in monetary terms was an indication of serious issues, but, as you say, that may not be the case.

I would be quite uneasy driving a car that had failed an MOT without having it repaired first. If I had an accident and injured somebody as a result of the defects I would find it difficult to live with what I had done.

jimjames

matt_drummer said:

wongataa said:

If the current MOT has not run out then the car can be driven away as long as whatever it failed on does not make the car unroadworthy.  The car failing a MOT does not invalidate a current MOT before it has run out.

We do not know what it failed on so it could have been perfectly legal to drive the car away or it could not have been.

It's a bit confusing though, as failing an MOT must make the car unroadworthy? If it was roadworthy at the time of the test surely it would have passed?

Not really true, it could fail due to an engine light being on or something equally unconnected to safety. Doesn't have any impact on the roadworthiness of the vehicle for being on the road unlike failing due to brakes

paul_c123

matt_drummer said:

LightFlare said:

Indeed - but leaving the car there for a week having decided not to proceed with the work is “odd”. (Depending on exact timelines) and possibly contributed to the situation they find themselves in

The car failed its MOT.

It couldn't be driven legally as it wouldn't be on its way to a prearranged MOT.appointment.

The OP would have had to have it collected by some means, either themselves or by selling it and making it somebody else's issue.

I assume the OP informed Halfords of their intention?

Putting to one side roadworthiness, it is legal to drive a car with no MoT FROM an MoT test (ie, home) as well as TO the test.

matt_drummer

jimjames said:

matt_drummer said:

wongataa said:

If the current MOT has not run out then the car can be driven away as long as whatever it failed on does not make the car unroadworthy.  The car failing a MOT does not invalidate a current MOT before it has run out.

We do not know what it failed on so it could have been perfectly legal to drive the car away or it could not have been.

It's a bit confusing though, as failing an MOT must make the car unroadworthy? If it was roadworthy at the time of the test surely it would have passed?

Not really true, it could fail due to an engine light being on or something equally unconnected to safety. Doesn't have any impact on the roadworthiness of the vehicle for being on the road unlike failing due to brakes

Thanks, a proper thanks, not a sarcastic thanks

Just for clarity, they were not statements though, I wasn't proclaiming them to be true, hence the question marks.

born_again

HampshireH said:

LightFlare said:

sheslookinhot said:

m0bov said:

Why did you leave the car with them over Christmas? Where did you get the money for a new car if you can't afford the repairs?

What business is it of yours why the car was left at Halfords or where the OP got the money from ?

well - car failed on 20th Dec but wasnt collected untill after XMas (presumably after 27th since work was scheduled for then and was completed)

Depending on when the OP thought they had cancelled - it seems odd that they just left the car there for a week. Most people would probably have gone and picked it up

Why they left it there and where they got the money from is irrelevant - albeit, the work couldn't have been completed if they hadn't left it there

OP already said they were away for Christmas in their original post 

So was the OP planning on leaving it there if it had passed?

m0bov

I think its remorse, decided wanted a new car than fixing the old one.

facade

m0bov said:

I think its remorse, decided wanted a new car than fixing the old one.

I don't think it is remorse, they probably preferred to put £1700 towards a new car rather than fix the old one.

Now they are stuck with a £1700 bill and they don't have £1700 after just buying another car.

The easy solution is to pay the £1700 bill on a credit card, and then sell the car for as much as possible to pay off the credit card bill.

Unless halfords are prepared to take the car as full settlement of the bill- I doubt it as halfords don't sell cars.

wongataa

matt_drummer said:

wongataa said:

If the current MOT has not run out then the car can be driven away as long as whatever it failed on does not make the car unroadworthy.  The car failing a MOT does not invalidate a current MOT before it has run out.

We do not know what it failed on so it could have been perfectly legal to drive the car away or it could not have been.

You are correct, of course.

I read the Government advice on this and it says it cannot be driven if any of the faults are deemed dangerous.

It's a bit confusing though, as failing an MOT must make the car unroadworthy? If it was roadworthy at the time of the test surely it would have passed?

A car not having any windscreen washer fluid in it will cause an MOT failure.  Having no washer fluid doesn’t make the car unroadworthy.  There are several things that will cause a MOT failure that don't make a car unsafe to drive.