Pre-1960 vehicles to be exempted from MoT
Pre-1960 vehicles to be exempted from MoT
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750turbo

Original Poster:

6,164 posts

242 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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W00DY

16,222 posts

244 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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Really not sure what great hardship an MOT is, certainly if my '65 Beetle couldn't manage it I wouldn't want to drive it.

This just opens up abuse by idiots buying cheap wrecks. The classic VW world is already too full of cowboys covering vehicles with filler and selling them as mint.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

208 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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So is this an idea or is it really happening?

davepoth

29,395 posts

217 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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How long will it be before these vehicles get mileage limited, like they are in most of Europe? And will they start extending it further forward? A bad, bad idea IMO. The only people this really helps are those with rotten cars that they want the number plates off of.

kambites

70,082 posts

239 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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Sounds like a ridiculous idea to me. Most owners may well look after their cars carefully, but there will be a significant number who don't and don't notice there is anything wrong until a brake hose rusts through or the chassis folds in half.

MX7

7,902 posts

192 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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300bhp/ton said:
So is this an idea or is it really happening?
"From November 18 this year, owners of vehicles manufactured before 1960 will not have to have to take them in for an MoT, Roads Minister Mike Penning said."

I don't see the point in this. I'd have thought that most people who run pre-60s are wealthy enough to afford the £50 a year, and I think that if I owned one, I'd like someone else to give it the once over every year anyway.

I can't see the thinking behind this at all.

HorneyMX5

5,538 posts

168 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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This'll make getting my mates 59 Split screen bus back on the road a sinch!

Nick

kambites

70,082 posts

239 months

Monday 21st May 2012
quotequote all
I wonder if they were finding that garages didn't actually know the rules for older cars so the DVLA (or whoever it is) helplines were getting flooded with questions. I know a few people who've had classic cars fail incorrectly and had to appeal.

motco

17,006 posts

264 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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I wonder where this puts 'Q' plate cars? They are described as having no known manufacture date, or words to that effect.

kambites

70,082 posts

239 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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motco said:
I wonder where this puts 'Q' plate cars? They are described as having no known manufacture date, or words to that effect.
What are the rules for things like seatbelts, lights, emissions, etc. for Q-plates at the moment?

motco

17,006 posts

264 months

Monday 21st May 2012
quotequote all
kambites said:
motco said:
I wonder where this puts 'Q' plate cars? They are described as having no known manufacture date, or words to that effect.
What are the rules for things like seatbelts, lights, emissions, etc. for Q-plates at the moment?
Can't say about seatbelts but you can be let off screenwasher if you have no screen and lights if you declare the vehicle is for daytime use only, I seem to recall. Emissions for 'Q' plates with no emission data on the V5 is 'visible smoke only' - no CO etc.

I suspect this will be for vehicles that are manufactured by a factory rather than 'home built' so 'Q' plates won't be included.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

208 months

Monday 21st May 2012
quotequote all
kambites said:
Sounds like a ridiculous idea to me. Most owners may well look after their cars carefully, but there will be a significant number who don't and don't notice there is anything wrong until a brake hose rusts through or the chassis folds in half.
To be fair though, some other types of vehicles don't have MoT's either. Such as many ex-military vehicles and things like traction engines. These too are used on the roads and I suspect the actual number of of pre 1960's vehicles currently on the road is very very tiny. Sure there are lots of classics, but most will be post 1960.

So in terms of numbers it's probably not a huge issue in reality.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

208 months

Monday 21st May 2012
quotequote all
HorneyMX5 said:
This'll make getting my mates 59 Split screen bus back on the road a sinch!

Nick
Not really, it would still need to be just as safe and solid. The only difference is you aren't being having to pay once a year for someone to check it. However should you be stopped and/or involved in an accident then you'd be just as liable/guilty.

thinfourth2

32,414 posts

222 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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Commited to cutting red tape

Yeah right

It will mean another set of rules and rubbish to wade through

Snowboy

8,028 posts

169 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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kambites said:
I wonder if they were finding that garages didn't actually know the rules for older cars so the DVLA (or whoever it is) helplines were getting flooded with questions. I know a few people who've had classic cars fail incorrectly and had to appeal.
Probably this.

confused_buyer

6,910 posts

199 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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If you happen to have a heap of rust in a barn somewhere registered in 1959 with a potentially valuable plate but wouldn't stand a chance of passing an MOT without a £20k restoration now might be a good time to hit the pub.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

208 months

Monday 21st May 2012
quotequote all
Snowboy said:
kambites said:
I wonder if they were finding that garages didn't actually know the rules for older cars so the DVLA (or whoever it is) helplines were getting flooded with questions. I know a few people who've had classic cars fail incorrectly and had to appeal.
Probably this.
I doubt it. I mean how many pre 1960's are presented for an MoT? Certainly not enough to flood a helpline, even if every single one of them had such an issue.

eltax91

10,427 posts

224 months

Monday 21st May 2012
quotequote all
kambites said:
I wonder if they were finding that garages didn't actually know the rules for older cars so the DVLA (or whoever it is) helplines were getting flooded with questions. I know a few people who've had classic cars fail incorrectly and had to appeal.
This. My mates old man has a load of classic bikes. He's an engineer and maintains them fastidiously. Some of the 30's bikes originally used wodden block for brake pads, all of which he has upgraded. Come MOT time, he turns up and the tester says "the brakes don't meet the minimum standard", every year he argues they are better now than when they left the factory, every year they call the DVLA from the garage and get a pass issued.

Red tap nightmare. smile

Huntsman

8,906 posts

268 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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eltax91 said:
This. My mates old man has a load of classic bikes. He's an engineer and maintains them fastidiously. Some of the 30's bikes originally used wodden block for brake pads, all of which he has upgraded. Come MOT time, he turns up and the tester says "the brakes don't meet the minimum standard", every year he argues they are better now than when they left the factory, every year they call the DVLA from the garage and get a pass issued.

Red tap nightmare. smile
Indeed, my 1958 Lambretta does not have a brake light, never has, last time I MOT'd it was a royal pain.

ClassicMercs

1,703 posts

199 months

Monday 21st May 2012
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I would much rather a modification of the road tax rules on older vehicles. And encouragement for modern classics to be kept on the road. Lets move it up until at least 1985 - maybe with some mileage limit attached.
There is this risk of some cars becoming badly maintained as a result - but we are talking PRE 1960. Those vehicles are pretty limited in number - I'm sure there will be a statistic somewhere. The numbers of vehicles will increase substantially from the 60's onwards.