MOT

It is required by law that all vehicles over 3 years old have a valid MOT certificate. This is to ensure that vehicles are not a danger to both the owner and the general public.

The test covers most apsects of the cars safety including brakes, lights, and general condition. Listed below are the categories that the tester will assess.

Lighting Equipment

Front & Rear Lamps
Headlamps
Stop Lamps
Rear Reflectors
Direction indicators & Hazard Lamps
Horn

Steering & Suspension

Steering Control
Steering Mechanism/system
Power Steering
Front Suspension
Rear Suspension
Transmission Shafts
Wheel Bearings
Shock Absorbers
Wheel Alignment

Brakes

ABS Warning System/controls
Condition of Service Brake System
Condition of parking brake system
Service brake performance
Parking brake performance
Additional braking devices

Tyres & Wheels

Tyre size/type
Tyre load/speed rating
Tyre condition
Road wheels

Seatbelts

Mountings/condition/operation

Motor Bicycle Sidecar

Security
Suspension & wheel bearings
Wheel alignment

General

Drivers View of the Road
Exhaust system
Exhaust emissions
General Vehicle Condition
Mirrors
Fuel System
Registration Plate/VIN Numbers
Speedo
Speed Limiter
Driving Controls
Glazing

Of course not all of these categories apply to every car but it's a good indication of what the examiners need to check.

Tips

We stronly advise that you carry out the following checks before you take you car in for it's MOT.

1. Check all the lights on your car. Get a friend or family member to check the lights with you, if one of your brake lights doesn't work for example, thats a failure.

2. Check your extra equipment such as windscreen wiper blades. If they're split then thats also a failure.

3. Clean out your car. No it's not a joke, if the examiner has to climb through your old kebab wrappers, they'll be less inclined to pass your car on borderline decisions, especially if they've got curry sauce on their overalls.

We stronly advise that you do these checks yourself because not only will you pay more at a garage for parts but you'll also be charged labour which can be as high as £80/hr.