MOT Failure Question
Author
Discussion

egomeister

Original Poster:

7,603 posts

293 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
If you put your car in for an MOT before the previous one expires and it fails, can the car still be legally driven on the old MOT or does the more recent failure negate the previously issued certificate?

miniman

30,104 posts

292 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
I think it depends on the severity of the fail. If it just fails, then IIRC you can still drive on the old MOT. If the tester issues what is basically a "totally unsafe" warning, then I think you have to get those things fixed.

^Slider^

2,874 posts

279 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
I think that the new test will supercede the previous test certificate. But currently there is no way of checking weather a ticket has been superceded or not.

Technically a MOT test cert is valid for a year but they all state that it is only aplicable to the date of the test as the next day it could very well fail the test.

As long as you had a test certificate that covers the period of the driving there shouldent be a problem, just be aware that if you do retest and it fails then you know that the car needs work doing to it and you may as well get it done and have the extra time added to the new test certificate.

Happy to be corrected though as im not 100% sure on the rules as i am only aware that a Motorvehicle needs a valid mot test certificate and if one is shown to me in date then thats that.

echo

178 posts

272 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
IIRC All MOTs are computerised now so the DVLA will know the moment your garage fails your vehicle. From that point on you cannot drive your vehicle on the road other than to get the repairs done or to get a retest. Any older test is immediately void. Your insurance company could also obtain this info as could the plod should they want.

aldi

9,288 posts

267 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
echo said:
IIRC All MOTs are computerised now so the DVLA will know the moment your garage fails your vehicle. From that point on you cannot drive your vehicle on the road other than to get the repairs done or to get a retest. Any older test is immediately void. Your insurance company could also obtain this info as could the plod should they want.


Are you sure about that?

Dwight VanDriver

6,583 posts

274 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
You can submit a vehicle for a MOT one month earlier than when the certificate expires. If a pass then they mark the new Certificate with the issue date of the date of the test and a thirteen month validity. They retain the old certificate which has to be produced if you want the 13 month test.

Presumably if it fails then the old cerificate will be handed back as it is still valid. If stopped then as validity is still current it can be produced on a stop. Bib will not know unless he makes a check of MOT Records (when they become live and notes a fail). Then, defect may be such that he invokes powers and puts the vehicle off the road and/or reports offences against Con and Use Regs.

Not sure what the DoT instructions are to garages faced with this. In the interest of road safety would have though a fail gives the power to suspend the currency of a MOT Certificate.

?

dvd

BliarOut

72,863 posts

269 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
It sounds a bit of a grey area to me. In the eyes of the law he needs a valid MOT certificate, which he still has and can produce. In the light of that, he would be in the clear. However, if the vehicle fails it's MOT then it's presumably not roadworthy for the very reason it failed the MOT which could then lead to a seperate offence being committed.

You're in the clear on the question, but nicked anyway

icamm

2,153 posts

290 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
I thought an MOT was valid for 12 months but the car might deemed be un-roadworthy at any point if re-checked. It would still count as a valid MOT certificate for insurance and tax etc unless the car had been officially classified as otherwise (eg after an accident).

Isn't the normal case of being stopped for a minor MOT fail fault, like tyresetc, to get a correction notice and a possible fine. No invalidating of MOT or re-test. Obviously if it was really serious the car can be impounded as un-safe and not allowed back on the road until it is fixed.

Dwight VanDriver

6,583 posts

274 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
icamm

That is a point that applies at the road side. Here we have the scenario where the Official Tester comes up with something that is contrary to what a Certificate states....if you get my drift.

Any MOT testers care to comment....

dvd



echo

178 posts

272 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
The MOT 'certificate' is no longer a cerificate The certificate is now simply a 'receipt for the MOT test'.

The ONLY valid record of an MOT status is on the VOSA database

Here

BigBob

1,471 posts

255 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
With the MOT paperwork now only being a 'receipt', insurance details being kept on a datebase and the DVLA having a database of all licensed drivers looks like being given a 'producer' will soon be a thing of the past.

Having experienced a weekend of living below freezing last weekend because the Gas Company's computer system was 'down' and they could send an engineer to fix a meter fault I just wonder how many more chavs without any license/MOT/Insurance will get away with it because the computer was 'down' when they were stopped.

We all know the governments record in installing and running large scale computer systems is apalling (Newport Passport Office, Child Support Agency, etc) - What makes us think this one will be any better.



g_attrill

9,085 posts

276 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
I don't think any of the answers are quite correct. Here is what I think:

- Any MOT certificate/test is valid for 12 months, no matter the roadworthiness of the car or any subsequent tests up until the date of expiry.

- A car cannot be driven on the road in an unroadworthy state, whether to/from an MOT or anywhere else. If it is a less serious failure item it can be driven to/from the centre and to/from a place of repair (but only after failing)

- I am pretty sure in saying that if a car fails on ANY item before the previous test expires it does not invalidate the old test - you could repair the item the same day but not get it retested for a week.

Gareth

^Slider^

2,874 posts

279 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
Having thought a bit more about this i think the following.

The MOT test certificate is valid for 12 months from date of issue, but it says that the certificate only states the vehicle was roadworthy at the time of the test.

Having a retest before the 12 month period wont actually invalidate the test certificate provided the vehicle does not fail on safety where the MOT certificate could be witheld.

The only thing i am aware of that can invalidate a MOT is a vehicle inspection by inspectorate or an autherised police officer where notice of prohibition can be issued.

The person who can invalidate a MOT test as above i guess could be a autherised MOT tester but the grounds should be the same as prohibition.

For the road test if a driver produced to me a valid MOT test certificate at the time then he fulfills the requirement.

I guess the fact the DVLA update our PNC databse they could put a marker against the vehcile stating that the vehcile's test certificate has been withdrawn, same as prohibition notices.

Hope that helps.

>> Edited by ^Slider^ on Thursday 24th November 16:37

sb-1

3,379 posts

293 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
The new style MOT certificates(computerized ones) will not be implimented nationwide until March 2006.

gilbertd

744 posts

272 months

Thursday 24th November 2005
quotequote all
echo said:
The MOT 'certificate' is no longer a cerificate The certificate is now simply a 'receipt for the MOT test'.

The ONLY valid record of an MOT status is on the VOSA database

Here

In your dreams unless you are extremely unlucky. Not one MoT test station in this area has gone over to the computerised system. One has had the equipment installed but it has been lying dormant for over 6 months. The 'off the record' VOSA answer that the test station I use was given was that he doubted it would ever work properly.

Think about it, it's a Government computer system. Then think CSA, Air Traffic Control, etc. Working for a Government department I have seen it before. Someone decides that there needs to be a centralised record of MoT certificates. Someone else then thinks that the computer could not only keep a record of the certicates but could be made to run the whole system. In theory, yes it probably could, but not with the sort of money and expertise the Government are prepared to throw at it. All they really need, and what will probably happen to get them out of the situation, is a link between test station and VOSA/DVLA or wherever so that a record is kept when a certificate is issued.

echo

178 posts

272 months

Friday 25th November 2005
quotequote all
My local test centre uses the new system - but reading some more:
'The original date for the first MOT stations to be computerised was May 2002 but faults discovered during extensive testing led to repeated delays. The first garages finally went live with the system in April this year but the government has now admitted it will not reach all 18,500 MOT garages until the end of March next year at the earliest'
BigBob said:
We all know the governments record in installing and running large scale computer systems is apalling (Newport Passport Office, Child Support Agency, etc) - What makes us think this one will be any better.
Spot on

egomeister

Original Poster:

7,603 posts

293 months

Friday 25th November 2005
quotequote all
Ok, the question was down to an office dispute which was resolved when someone emailed VOSA.

The correct answer is...... (drumroll!)

"The current MOT is valid until midnight on the date of expiry -regardless of whether or not you have a test and fail before that time."

I must admit this is contrary to what I believed, which was that a subsequent fail superceded a previously issued certificate.

softtop

3,172 posts

277 months

Friday 25th November 2005
quotequote all
I had an MOT the other day and the tester said he cant get through as many with the new test?

As far as the roll out is concerened, the kit was ready to go two years ago but there were issues to be sorted out.It will happen now.

pentoman

4,835 posts

293 months

Friday 25th November 2005
quotequote all
My family's garage has had computerization for at least 6 months.

The project was massively delayed, but some bright spark had already ordered the machines years ago when the idea was in its infancy. Hence the computers we got for it are a good few years old (having sat in a warehouse for ages presumably) and come with a comedy 14.4 kbps modem .

genius!

Russell

zcacogp

11,239 posts

274 months

Friday 25th November 2005
quotequote all
sb-1 said:
The new style MOT certificates(computerized ones) will not be implimented nationwide until March 2006.
Interesting. Presumably they choose their roll-out sequence carefully, but I wonder what the criteria for choosing are.

I know I got a computerised certificate when mine was done last weekend, and the tester(s) didn't have many good things to say about it. (The system that is, not my car!)



Oli.