Taking car for MOT early. How much time?

[G_T]

Just a quick-ish question.

I'm getting my car ready for sale and I'm looking at putting 12 months ticket on it however there is still 3 months MOT remaining.

If it fails is my car no longer road worthy or do I still have the 3 months on the original ticket before I can't legally drive it anymore?

I know technically if it's been judged "unroadworthy" then I shouldn't but you never know with these things.

[Gretchen]

Technically yes, is still road legal until MOT runs out. Morally...?

Not sure what your garage will offer re-test if you take it away and diy it though. Will be at their discretion. Just had a collegue do this, her husband fixed all failures, she takes car back a week later, had to pay re-test, and low & behold more failures are found Inc steering rack...

I'm taking one of mine in one month early in the hope it comes back with a 13 month ticket in order I can trade it in along with my mid-life crisis for something Fast & Furious.

[richyb]

You can olny have12 months MoT maximum as far as I'm aware. If you put the car in a month early you still leave with a certificate for 12 months so you basically lose a month.

[Kinky]

richyb said:

You can olny have12 months MoT maximum as far as I'm aware. If you put the car in a month early you still leave with a certificate for 12 months so you basically lose a month.

It can be up to 13 months. So you can MOT your car up to 4 weeks before the existing cert expires - so the max it can be is 13 months.

Not sure on the legalities of driving a car that, on the hand had a legit MOT cert, but on the other has failed an MOT. I guess the key is that the MOT cert only certifies the state/condition of the car on the day of test.

[Marty G]

richyb said:

You can olny have12 months MoT maximum as far as I'm aware. If you put the car in a month early you still leave with a certificate for 12 months so you basically lose a month.

As long as you have the previous MOT the garage can date it for up to a month in advance and stick 12 months on from the end of the first one so effectively getting 13 months MOT.

Edited to say damn, beaten to it!

Edited by Marty G on Monday 4th May 12:19

[Fish981]

Your old MOT is still valid, your car is unroadworthy. It was also unroadworthy before the new MOT.

They say ignorance is no defence but I assume being stopped having failed an MOT leads to badder things than if you didn't know.

[G_T]

So basically if I MOT my car 3 months early and it fails I lose 2 of the 3 months? That's incredibly gay but I suppose it makes sense.

I'll just try to get a garage to do a pre-MOT inspection or something similar and then pay the same garage to MOT it...

.... Actually that sounds incredibly dodgey am I allowed do that?

[SmoothCriminal]

Why on earth would you want to do an Mot 3 months early... point? you arn't gaining anything.

[G_T]

SmoothCriminal said:

Why on earth would you want to do an Mot 3 months early... point? you arn't gaining anything.

G_T said:

I'm getting my car ready for sale and I'm looking at putting 12 months ticket on it however there is still 3 months MOT remaining.

RTFP.

[750turbo]

richyb said:

You can olny have12 months MoT maximum as far as I'm aware. If you put the car in a month early you still leave with a certificate for 12 months so you basically lose a month.

Sorry, wrong...

Just took my bike for an MOT, a few weeks early, and I now have an MOT issued on the 18th April 09, that expires on 6th May 2010.

This was all done on the VOSA Database.

In the past with the old hand written MOT's, if we had the old certificate, we could test them a month in advance, and issue a 13 month certificate as well.

HTH

[removalizer]

MOT Tester here, The mot computer (VTS device)sets the date, testers have no control over it you can test 4 weeks in advance and keep your original date

[Fane]

^^^ what he said.

[G_T]

I'm not trying to add on the time thought.

Just wondering if I test my car early and it fails does that mean I have no MOT.

For example;

1) I hypotheticlaly buy 12 month MOT.
2) I retest it after a month and it fails.
3) So I not longer have any MOT? I.e. My 11 months don't count?

[SS2.]

G_T said:

Just wondering if I test my car early and it fails does that mean I have no MOT.

No, the vehicle would continue to have a valid MOT certificate until such time as the original certificate expired.

Doesn't mean to say that the vehicle would be roadworthy though or that the driver would escape prosecution if a defect was subsequently identified by the police.

And prior knowledge of a defective vehicle or component might amount to an aggravating factor in any such prosecution.

Also, might be an idea not to use the vehicle on a road if the tester considers the vehicle to be in a dangerous condition..

[Gretchen]

SS2. said:

G_T said:

Just wondering if I test my car early and it fails does that mean I have no MOT.

No, the vehicle would continue to have a valid MOT certificate until such time as the original certificate expired.

Doesn't mean to say that the vehicle would be roadworthy though or that the driver would escape prosecution if a defect was subsequently identified by the police.

And prior knowledge of a defective vehicle or component might amount to an aggravating factor in any such prosecution.

Also, might be an idea not to use the vehicle on a road if the tester considers the vehicle to be in a dangerous condition..

So.

In summary.

Legally, technically yes.

Morally...?

[SS2.]

Gretchen said:

So.

In summary.

Legally, technically yes.

Morally...?

Depends on the nature of the failure, I guess..

People may perceive a world of difference between, say, driving during daylight hours knowing that they have a blown number plate bulb versus driving with defective brakes..

[G_T]

Cheers for that guys.

Just to clarify I have no intentions of flogging a car that has just failed it's MOT and I also have no intentions of roaming around in a car that is potentially dangerous.

I just wanted to be able to leisurely sort out any niggles without having to have the damn thing driveway bound. I'm in no rush to sell in this market anyway.

To be honest I reckon it's all hypothetical anyway. The old girl will sail through.

[Gretchen]

G_T said:

Cheers for that guys.

Just to clarify I have no intentions of flogging a car that has just failed it's MOT and I also have no intentions of roaming around in a car that is potentially dangerous.

I just wanted to be able to leisurely sort out any niggles without having to have the damn thing driveway bound. I'm in no rush to sell in this market anyway.

To be honest I reckon it's all hypothetical anyway. The old girl will sail through.

I love kittens me. And knitting too.

[G_T]

Thanks for sharing.

[Gretchen]

G_T said:

Thanks for sharing.

I did. In the first reply.

Women. Berated for posting in P & P, ignored in G & G.

fk it. I'm off to spec a new GTR.

Edited by Gretchen on Wednesday 6th May 16:41