Is your annual MOT imminent and you are beginning to worry about whether your car will pass or not? Here are six simple tips that can help you sail through your MOT when it is due.
Read The Checklist
The MOT checklist is freely available online. It is often updated as the regulations are changed, added and tightened up, so make sure you use a live link rather than a downloaded copy from a few years ago to see what has been added that you should be aware of. Some of the latest changes include more stringent particulate readings for diesel cars as well as a revamp of the scoring system from pass/ fail to a pass/ advisory (pass)/ minor fail/ major fail/ dangerous fail system. Knowing what the inspector will be looking for will help you to get your car into tip-top shape for its MOT. (Although, do bear in mind your car should always be in a condition that would pass an MOT: it is the base level for roadworthiness, not an especially high bar.)
Keep An Eye On Your Tyres
Your tyres are checked in several ways during the MOT: the tread depth must be at least 1.6mm over the central three-quarters of the contact surface; the tyres must be well-fitted, in matching pairs, and in good general condition as well as being properly inflated to within the recommended range according to the manufacturer.
Light Up Your Life
Light fails are the most common reason for MOT fails by a large factor. Get a friend, parent or partner to help you check your lights every so often, with one of you sitting in the driver’s seat, pressing buttons and flicking switches, while the other checks that the lights illuminate correctly and evenly, without any flickering or dimness. Sometimes light bulbs just need to be tightened in place, at other times they will need replacing. But replacement light bulbs are relatively cheap and this is a small price to pay compared with the inconvenience of an MOT fail.
See And Be Seen
Visibility while driving is key: yours and other drivers. For this reason you should make sure your mirrors and windows are free from damage and properly positioned for maximum lines of sight all around you, as well as ensuring that your lights – including brakes and hazard lights – are working well, so you can be seen should you experience a breakdown or other emergency. Once you have given your vehicle a seeing to, let your MOT inspector run a thorough examination. MOT experts can help you overcome any probable road troubles. In order to get your MOT in Pontefract – you can book online at Reg Greenwood’s website and they will make sure your car is safe to drive.
Horn And Numberplate
In the further interests of being seen, you can include being heard and even being easily identified. Ensure your numberplate is firmly attached, in a suitably reflective material and with an easily legible font – the DVSA will be able to advise you on acceptable fonts for numberplates that will not interfere with ANPR systems without access to numberplate recognition, you are likely to be flagged and stopped at every roadblock you encounter! Sound your horn, making sure you are in a safe place first, testing it to ensure it responds to a fast press as well as a more measured, lengthy press: you never know how you will be pressing the horn in an emergency!
Clean And Clear
Make sure the inside and outside of your car is as clean and tidy as you can make it before your MOT – and, in fact, at all times. Having a cluttered, untidy or dirty vehicle can raise the suspicions of law enforcement, and can encourage an MOT inspector to be especially rigorous with their testing and strict with their results – and the vehicle’s ‘general condition’ is examined at several points in the test anyway. In worst case scenarios, MOT inspectors are within their rights to refuse to inspect a car that is too unkempt or messy for their liking.
