April this year, the law changed on how garages MOT your car and the potential outcomes. The mechanics here were very busy in training for the new rules for quite a while last year. What we can tell you is that the law has changed very drastically, to the point where your used car can immediately have no MOT if it fails.
Before we delve a little deeper into the new rules we feel we need to point this out to you. If your car comes in for an MOT and it fails, you immediately have no MOT and it’s deemed illegal to drive. A pre MOT can stop this becoming an issue so consider this before booking your car in.
What’s New in MOT Law
The MOT system has now changed and put failures into 2 categories. A major and a minor, kind of like your driving test. Anything that falls into a major is an immediate fail. This will be items like your brake pads being low, tyres being worn or other seriously dangerous items. Once it fails, your current MOT expires at that very moment. It doesn’t matter if you’d had 4 weeks left, it’s still gone. That’s because your car is now deemed dangerous by an MOT professional. This law may seem silly but if your car is dangerous, do you really want your kids inside it? I didn’t think so.
The minor faults are then listed as an advisory for you to work on after your MOT. So if your tyres are close to the legal limit, this is then advised and you should replace them as soon as possible.
Why did they change the law
They changed the law because MOT (Ministry of Transport) felt far too many cars were being driven dangerously on the roads with failed MOT. It was also believed that drivers were being short-changed by garages when it comes to certain failures. The new law allows anyone who buys used cars in Liverpool and surrounding areas, to have a fair MOT test.
What do we do if a Garage Holds My Car to Ransom
There have been reports that garage owners have been holding customers cars after a fail. Their idea is to keep the car and force the customer to do the work before they can drive away. While they are being sneaky about it, they also have some power on their side. A garage can advise you that you not to drive the car. However, they are not allowed to stop you or keep your car. An MOT garage must advise that your car is illegal to drive and it should be moved only by a recovery truck.
If for some reason, you don’t want the garage to do the work, the best thing to do is get it recovered. If you don’t and the police stop you, then you have a big issue. Potentially points on your license or even losing your license depending on how many issues your car has.
Can You Prevent an MOT Failure?
Yes! An MOT failure can be prevented. It’s very easy, all you need to do is book a pre-mot. This is when a mechanic looks over your car like an MOT but doesn’t log on and do the test. A basic inspection and it can tell you exactly what will fail. Then you can get the work done before your MOT is due.
