Would my car fail its MOT?

gazza975526570

Ive got a car that i only drive about 2 miles per day which is an old banger tbh.

The reversing light doesnt work - ive tried the bulb and fuse with no joy and where i drive i never actually reverse - is this checked for its impending MOT?

In addition a small hole has appeared in the sill - about a 50p coin size - would it fail for this?

Im due to but a new car in about 6 months so keen not to spend money if i dont have to.

cyclonebri1

gazza975526570 wrote: »

Ive got a car that i only drive about 2 miles per day which is an old banger tbh.

The reversing light doesnt work - ive tried the bulb and fuse with no joy and where i drive i never actually reverse - is this checked for its impending MOT?

NO

In addition a small hole has appeared in the sill - about a 50p coin size - would it fail for this?

Yes it should do, probably will be a lot bigge4r when the prodder's been around it. Quite a cheap and easy fix though if thats all thats wrong

Im due to but a new car in about 6 months so keen not to spend money if i dont have to.

Case of weighing it up before you spend the money on the repair and or MOT,;)

Crabman

If you're after further info about the tests carried out, try: MOT Test Information & MOT Tester.co.uk

anewman

The reversing light problem could be the reverse switch being faulty, an earthing problem somewhere or some problem with the wire connections.

As for the 50p size hole, I would get a punch out and put some reasonable force on it around the edges and see how much falls off. Remember when you do this you are not damaging the car, sound metal will not be damaged. As it has rusted all the way through I would suspect, as cyclonebri1 does, that there will be more unseen rust and it will be that that fails it the MOT.

zeon999

Yes it would fail but they are easy enough to repair it just depends what else is found when it come to doing the MOT.

Then its just a matter of weighing up whats best for you wether its worth the costs of the repairs or wether your better of finding a different car.

Hintza

Perhaps the cheapest thing to do is stick it through an MOT and see what it fails on then you can decide.

One caveat is I am not sure what the new rules are on re-presenting a vehcle later just for a retest, someone here might know though.

derrick

Is it actually worth running a car for driving 2 miles a day??
Insurance,tax, MOT petrol etc, you could probably use taxis for less!!,or walk,(1 mile each way).

hartcjhart

the hole in the sill will fail and thats just the rust you can see,when it gets on the ramp lord knows what they would find

unless you or someone you know can weld it will cost a fair bit to repair

Costs/ mot fee,repairs,poss retest fee,tax,insurance,fuel

only you can work out if its worth it,if you can use public transport,pushbike,walk etc then that could be the better option

Wig

The reverse light I think is via a switch on the gear selector / gearbox, take a look.

But if you don't want to bother fixing it. You could black out with tape all your lights, headlights, indicators, brake lights, and reverse lights and maybe numberplate lights aswell.
Remove the electrical plugs from the rear of the lamps aswell.

You could ask an MOT tester if it is required to black out number plate and indicators,

Your car then will not fail because it will pass as a vehicle with no lights. and I believe it can then only be used during the daylight hours and not when visibility is seriously reduced.


For the sill, prod around it make sure there is no more rust holes, then use two bits of wire gauze, put one inside the hole and one outside the hole tie them together with a bit wire and snip off the wire. then fill using body filler, and smooth and paint.

derrick

Wig wrote: »

Your car then will not fail because it will pass as a vehicle with no lights. and I believe it can then only be used during the daylight hours.
.

Never heard of this!!

What happens when you have fog during the day when dipped headlights are mandatory?

Also brake lights are mandatory at all times.

Wig

You also cannot use the car during times of seriously reduced visibility, presumably if the weather changes you are expected to quickly find a safe place to hibernate until the sun comes out again.

Brake lights are not required on cars with no lights. You have a right arm (hopefully ) to take their place.