American Reacts to What's a MOT Test? - UK Vehicle Inspections
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ก.ย. 2023
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In this video I react to what a MOT test is and what happens during this procedure. As someone who lives in an area with no car inspections I'm shocked at just how much of the vehicle is inspected for both safety and emissions in an MOT. UK vehicle owners have to do this every single year!
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i do not understand how a country like America does not have annual vehicle inspections. There must be millions of cars in America which are dangerous and un-roadworthy - shocking!
Because in America, you have the right to individual liberty to make your own decisions. Not like here in Britain where daddy government has to know what you are up to & when. You can't drive here unless daddy government authorises you to do so.
Yes, it's just too bad when the government says you have to protect your own safety, that of your family and that of other road users.
@@Maddie_Madds So you think your right to drive a dangerous car, outwieghs the rights of every other road user & pedestrians to be safer from your lack of saftey.... what a selfish attitude
Plus in the US you need a official driving licence as well..... so your whole argument falls apart
@@Maddie_MaddsHave you ever been a passenger in a car being driven by an american in europe? I have. It was life threatening since the person had no clue what they were doing, nor did they even care. For that matter, have you ever driven in the US? It's pretty baffeling to see when people just overtake into oncoming traffic because they have no situational awerness. Thats the down side of letting everyone do whatever they want all the time.
@@Maddie_Madds It's not about individual liberty when you are driving a ton of metal at speed, that can easily kill or main other road users if your brakes fail, or your tires a bald, etc.
Am I the only one, who when Steve asks a question, actually replies out loud? 😁
Me TOOO........HaHa..
Me too. It's good to know that most vehicles on UK roads are road safe. @@ickleone33
ha ha I'm the same
Guilty
No!
I am suprised at some people not liking MOT's I like the fact that when it passes I know its safe to drive.
I like that it's Basically a car check-up giving peace of mind over its condition
Plus it applies to everyone so the road is overall much safer
Generally morons who believe they have a right to be a danger to everyone else.
I like the safety tests but the emission test is bullshit!
Many people don't like it just because it's an inconvenience to them. Of course it's an extra stress that no one needs and costs money. People with older vehicles can fear the cost of fixing the issues, especially if there's a problem on the chassis or emissions for example. I can understand it if money is tight and you need the vehicle in your everyday life. People have trouble seeing the bigger picture at times when it has a negative effect on their own life.
I can see some worrying they will have a road illegal vehicle and thus get screwed when it comes to working.
With the seat adjustment thing, beat in mind the MOT is applied to the car and stays with it for a year. If you sell it next week to someone taller or shorter than you, it won't be safe for them if they can't adjust the seat position.
exactly this .
The other aspect is egress in an emergency - for example if the body of the car has changed shape after an accident, moving the seat may be the only quick way to extract the driver and the front passenger.
@@phedders this. After my bad accident caused by another driver the air ambulance wanted me out asap.
The fire brigade wanted to cut me out.
They compromised by saying they will do one attempt at using the spinal board behind me, putting my seat as flat as possible and pushed the seat right back to get room to get me out and if that didn’t work without risk of injury they were cutting me out.
This was because air ambulance thought my pelvis was broken and my ex colleagues at the WD were already altered and waiting for me and had the external fixator ready and waiting to stabilise my pelvis and to do that surgery in the resus. The golden hour is important to meet in traumas
Not being able to adjust the seat is not a reason for failure. On manually adjusted seats, the adjusting mechanism is tested in a few positions to make sure it locks correctly and doesn't come loose and allow unexpected movement.
I do find it incredible that any country or state would have no regular inspection regime. Thats taking a massive risk with everyones lives on the public roads.
HI THERE IS ONE THING YOU ARE MISSING WEATHER IN THE USA THE WEATHER IS MUCH MORE SUNNY AND DRY NOT THE WET SALTY RAIN WE HAVE HERE
@@michael6692 Im not sure why that would mean no inspection regime is needed? You telling me stuff doesn't rust in the USA? Cos I've seen photos of Detroit...
@@michael6692 Have you never seen the rain in the Pacific Northwest? The tornados and hurricanes in the mid west and Gulf states, the four months of snow in the northern states, when it comes to weather, the UK ain't seen nothin'
salty rain haha, you might wanna google that one.@@michael6692
Welcome to America. The country where a frightening number of drivers seem to treat a red light as purely advisory rather than an absolute.
I just looked up the stats for fatal traffic accidents per 100,000 vehicles. The US is nearly 3 times higher than the UK, despite your roads being so wide! So it's either due to terrible driving, terrible safety standards, or a mix of both. Take your pick. 😅
Their driving "test" doesn't help.
Practically non existent.
@@101steel4Makes sense. The stat for India is 8 times higher than even the US, and I understand the test there involves little more than driving 100ft and safely coming to a stop. 🫤
It's 3 factors. Very poor standards of driving because of very superficial and poor quality driving education. Poor standards of vehicles, because vehicles lack the safety features required in Europe and Asia and because they don't have annual safety inspection checks. And very poor quality road and pedestrian infrastructure because the roads don't have any of the sophisticated traffic management and safety features that roads in first world Europe and Asia have as standard.
Also better emergency services I have been told.
@@Ozzpot I went to Delhi for a week and the driving there is insanity, that stat does not surprise me it's lower than I would expect tbh 😅
One of the good things about a MOT test is that it leaves a permanent record of your vehicle on a database that anyone can check.
This will show the pass/fail or pass with advisories, of the life of the vehicle. It also will show the mileage at each test, which is very important if you are buying a secondhand car, as it will show if the mileage has been tampered with.
The MOT status also shows up on police checks.
If you were in an accident Steve and your seat was already locked in position, they had to cut you out the car it’s more problematic. As someone who has had this happen, it’s pretty scary stuff.
A Jammed Seat could also be an indicator of a faulty mounting which could easily break in the event of a collision leading to severe injuries
I was honestly shocked to hear that there are places in the US with no safety checks.
Imagine a scenario approaching an intersection and you have your whole family in a car, your light's green so you're happily sailing through. The car approaching the red light has had no inspection, has dodgy brakes and bald tyres and suddenly can't stop. Suddenly due to no fault of your own, your family no longer exists because someone didn't have a legal responsibility to make sure their car was safe to be on the road.
The USA is backwards in so many different ways, it honestly doesn't surprise me. Every American I've ever met has always been very patriotic and arguably brainwashed into believing America is the greatest thing ever. They go on about "Freedom" as if we Brits have none, yet they have the highest percentage of their population incarcerated compared to any other country in the world... jaywalking is a crime, yet you can drive about in a dodgy vehicle that hasn't ever been inspected since it left the factory putting other people at risk.
I'm currently staying in Spain and Spain is also often considered less "Health and safety" than the UK and they have quite a laid back approach to things and life in general... with a "tomorrow" and "Don't worry about it" attitude. Yet even in Spain they have something called an ITV which is Spain's equivalent of an MOT. This is also conducted on an annual basis.
@@thefiestaguy8831 remember pimp my ride? some of the wrecks that came into that garage? And how they tried to do it here but the cars were in better nick and half the mods weren't allowed?
same thing.
@@astrothsknot I do recall that show, do you remember the TV show "Sweet 16"?
Always featured some pompous, spoilt American girl celebrating her 16th birthday and her parents throwing stupid amounts of money at it as per her demands, limousines, massive house party, house full of 15 and 16 year old boys and girls, her being presented with about 10k worth of gifts followed by a nice shiny new 4x4 or truck parked in the drive with a ribbon around it for her....
What a state America really is in if that's what they consider "Entertainment"....
It's not just the us, there are many countries that don't have safety checks like the middle east, parts of Africa and a few more in Europe
@@thefiestaguy8831...yea, as a Brit, I've never understood why 'jaywalking' is a criminal offence - it's nuts! It seems 'orwellian' to impose such a law. Germany also has this law...as do several other European countries.
The individual should be responsible for their own safety when crossing the road. If they choose not to cross the road at a designated pedestrian crossing point, then that's entirely their business.
It's not the responsibility of the State to tell them where to cross the road. Brits have always jaywalked. They've done it practically since cars first appeared on our roads. Long may 'jaywalking' continue. Who's the 'land of the free' now then America, eh??!
I've driven in the US, EU and UK. The comparative poor condition of vehicles in the US really stands out. I still find it odd when I see major car parts that have fallen off vehicles when driving in the States. Vehicles in the UK are very safe. If you take care of the little things, the big things will never be a problem.
Me too. Scary.
Makes perfect sense to have your car checked its safe, if in the US a car that unsafe to drive and causes a accident is there a lot of sueing going on then? Or worse
Yeah especially when wheels go flying off since they wasnt bolted on properly!!
All vehicles in any part of the world are very safe safe if you take care of it.
@@uk-critz579 You are correct. The difference in the UK is that you are legally obliged to take care of your vehicle, or you can't have it on the road. There's a channel called 'Just Roll'd In' You'll see all the vehicles are in the US. None of them would have been able to get even close to the appalling conditions we see in their videos if they were in the UK.
The corrosion check is mainly aimed at structural components, especially where vehicles don't have a chassis, such as sills, roof pillars, crossmembers, firewall. Basically any area where a failure would weaken the vehicles structure.
Also checked are areas areas around mounting points for the suspension, axles and seat belts.
Hi Steve,
about failing the MOT because of rubbish (trash) in the vehicle - there are two reasons this might be a problem: 1) the trash itself is, or could cause, a direct safety hazard (for example, interfer with the vehicle controls) and 2) it gets in the way of the tester completing any of the tests (it's not their job to clear your stuff out of their way). Philosophically, I am also of the mind that a poorly cleaned vehicle might well also be a poorly maintained vehicle. It does't have to be spotless, just clear of debris.
As to the seat adjustment: 1) correct drivers seat adjustment is necessary for safe operation of the vehicle and besides, there is no way the tester can know that you are, and will always be, the only driver.
As to echo other comments, I have also seen a lot of vehicles on the roads of America that I can't understand how they are allowed to be driven - they are clearly deathtraps for the occupents and other road users.
It actually means the headlights, rearlights and number plates and number plate lights must be clean. I'll give nothing blocking the controls, but it really means the outside of the car.
If you are in a collision, the seat must be able to move (if not damaged in the accident) to make it easier to escape the vehicle.
Good point 😊
It doesn't seem to have been mentioned that the MOT history record is available to anyone free on line by putting in the registration number of the vehicle on the government website. This shows the dates of MOT's, mileage at that time, whether Pass or Fail and reasons for failure. Thus before you buy a vehicle you have a fair knowledge of the condition and what's happened previously.
It actually says that right at the start of the video.
It's actually mentioned at 1:58 ... Right at the start of the video...
Just had my MOT yesterday £215 with an oil and filter change (mini service). A lot of what is checked is to keep you and other people safe. For example rust near a seatbelt anchor could mean your seatbelt fails in an accident. Sharp edges could cause severe injury to a pedestrian even in a low speed accident.
My car passed, so in terms of time I dropped my car in just after 8am and walked home, at 9:40am I got a phone call to say it was all done. So I walked back had a chat as my springs were showing signs of rust, so they told me to bring it back after winter and they'd put it on the ramp and check them again for me (for free), my car is 23 years old and has been very well looked after. I paid my bill and was back home at 10am with that job done for another year. It can take longer depending where you go, my Dad has to take my parents motorhome to a bigger place in the next village that can lift it to get under it so somebody has to go with him to drive him home and then drive him back to collect the motorhome. So that takes a little bit longer. You cannot get road tax if you don't have a valid MOT so if the police catch up with you your car would be seized, and you'd get a fine from the car tax people and have to make your car roadworthy and pay police storage costs and car tax to be able to get it back. If you are renting a property a lot of landlords will not allow cars without a valid MOT on their land for fear you will dump the vehicle.
Driving without a valid MOT certificate immediately incurs a fine of £1000 and adds 6 points to your licence. It also immediately invalidates your car insurance which is mandatory so that is another £300 and another 6 points. (Note that 12 points within three years kills your licence for at least 6 months.) It also invalidates your road tax and that would be a fine of between £80-£2500. You would be discovered extremely quickly as ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) cameras are operated by both local police forces and the Highways Authority. They automatically check registration plates against databases held by both the police and the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency). So as your vehicle's MOT, insurance and tax records are in those databases - you would be automatically caught and possibly intercepted by police if it is determined that your vehicle is in a potentially dangerous condition.(Generally people get their MOT booked alongside their annual service so if anything needs fixing it'll be found and sorted on-site - provided you agree.) It may all seem harsh and potentially expensive, but there is little in the way of UK accidents caused by faulty vehicles - as a direct contrast to places without annual safety checks and professional maintenance.
Hi. Another interesting reaction video. I think the fact that we have to do this shows the difference in attitude in that in the USA it’s about your individual freedoms but we also have to think about our collective responsibilities to the community, as well as protect our individual freedoms.
100%
Its got nothing to do with Community it was a TAX created by the Government. It was created to raise TAXES nothing else. In 1960 it was brought in for every 10years then in 1967 it was changed to cars over 3 years. I know I was around at the time.
Yes, they'd rather a child killed than have freedoms infringed.
Guns and school shootings being a prime example.
You'd think as a father that his or anyone's main concern would be the safety of their children above personal 'freedoms'. It's strange to me how so many US-Americans value their own freedom to do xyz but they seem to have such little concern for other people's freedom to live their lives without being harmed by others. It's a very selfish outlook which often seems to have no real thought behind it. They just seem to automatically have that self centred mind set. Must be a cultural thing.
Is a fine balance, but if it makes sense for the greater good of the community then it should be done. Within reason lol.
Steve, the next time you are driving down a road, look at the cars around you and ask yourself this question. Does the car in front of me have effective brakes or will the car to the side of me suddenly veer into me because the steering is faulty? Is that rust bucket going to break in two when that piece of wood holding it together snaps? Mandatory yearly vehicle inspections can save lives.
one of my favourite youtube video types to watch are channels like "just rolled in" or " mechanical mayhem" they show the condition on most american cars when they get into a garage, and most times i'm shocked by the customer refusing to get work done and just driving out with half the car hanging off lol
hahah, sounds pretty entertaining! I've had lots of suggestions for that channel--I'll have to give it a watch
Spain here, we have ITV, state run, full rolling road, brakes, underneath, lights, emissions, everything down to water in the washers, we drive the car through the testing line while the mechanic checks it, a new car has its first one at 4 years then every two years until ten years, then every year. Depending on vehicle size it costs between 38€ to 140€. You shouldn't drive here without your ITV, technically means your insurance is invalid, plus BIG fines. Also if you fail, you go to your own mechanic get it fixed come back, but the re- test is free and only on the fail bits.
That is very similar to the MOT test apart from the testing interval. Your insurance is void with out one and you can’t get new insurance without an MOT, You can’t even lie and say you have it because insurance have access to the national MOT data base.
@@RoadkillbunnyUKyeah very similar to the UK indeed. It’s good to hear that we have a certain standard of safety requirements in other parts of Europe. I’ve driven, my own car, in France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy. It’s good to know the cars on the road with me when abroad, are similarly inspected for safety.
I never new that but we'll done it's good to see that you're doing it over there.
@@RoadkillbunnyUK Though you can drive without an MOT but only between your home and the nearest MOT testing garage and only if you have a pre arranged appointment.
These tests are over most of Europe, not only the UK. The "intensity" of the test, the time between tests, things like that vary from country to country, but most of us do it. And when I see some videos of vehicles on US roads, I'm goad the test exists!!
uk has the longest vehicle safety check scheme europe copied us
Americans are just very ignorant about the state of lots of things, including their cars, saw video's where the customer saws the suspension in half, and then glues it together with superglue
That is why it is safe to travel across borders in our cars. ,❤
Seriously! I can't believe the USA don't have something like a MOT Test.
Ukraine does have it either.
My brief sting in Michigan was a mind blower. We get so much better cars for the money in 2nd hand sales due to the minimum standard set by the mot. Seeing what I could buy for $1000.00 in 2008 was traumatising. We settled on a car with no floor just to get to work which as a brit was an apauling reality check
How can you get insurance for your car if its not road worthy.
@@mikepxg6406 insurers provide the policy on the basis the vehicle certificate is maintained. They usually withdraw cover if the vehicle is without mot or VEL (tags in US equivalence) in an incident or claim
When you say no floor do you mean no carpet or you could see the road below?
@@seasuper3402 floorpan had rusted away completely..it was a good job it was a bench seat model as the sils were what was left
@@mikepxg6406 The insurance agents usually don't inspect the vehicle.
I recently moved back to the UK after living in the US for a LONG time. We had annual vehicle inspections in Massachusetts and Arizona required emissions (only) - and cars 3+ years. I am totally on board with the MOT, and as long as you have it done BEFORE your current MOT certificate expires, you can drive out of the shop if you fail (he did mention that but not sure you heard). What you DO want to look for is the UK driving test.... OMG - I've been driving for (gulp) 50 years... I've driven across the US 8 times and felt pretty confident until I realised I'd have to take a written AND practical test here - within 1 year (you can only drive on a US license for 1 year, then it's considered invalid). See if you can find a video about it if you haven't already - it was HARROWING! Apparently very few people pass (both) on the first try (and every testing centre is different - so you need to know which is the 'good' and 'bad' one!). I think you'll find it interesting. BTW - Indiana drivers? Some of the craziest drivers I've seen!!!!!! 🤣😂🤣
You might have been able to drive out with a failed mot if you still had a valid one before, but I'm pretty sure that if you fail now then that takes priority over your previous test, so you cant. Or at least shouldn't
@@eepykami Ooh - good to know! I'll def check next year!
@@eepykami this. Back when I started driving in the 90’s we could drive a failed MOT car home the 2miles as our local garage knew our dad did all the work he could on our cars and the mechanics only did things dad couldn’t do. I remember the days of trailing round scrap yards finding the same car to see if we could get parts off written off cars that weren’t damaged in that area 😂
But it’s been several years since they don’t allow you to drive a failed MOT car home and dad now says modern cars are much harder to fix yourself unless you have the computers etc to plug in.
Once upon a time dad could do nearly every part of what a car needed for repairs
If your car fails the MOT you can’t renew your car insurance (they check when you renew) and if the Police stop your car and find out there’s no current MOT you can be fined and the car seized.
Distopian level 100%
You will also be prosecuted for no insurance (much worse) as it is invalid if you have no current MOT test pass.
@@Maddie_Maddswe get it... You hate safety.
Car gets seized ?? Thats crazy in Northland Ireland you just get a fine
A big part of it is making sure other people are safe … as well as yourself if you are involved in an incident.
Right, Steves a great guy but american culture is all very "me me me" with little thought for other people
You can test up to 1 month before and you are allowed to leave if your car fails you can take it to another garage to get it fixed.
I've been enjoying your transport 'journey'. It's been fascinating to find out what America doesn't have compared to us in the UK. For things like an MOT, it's pretty shocking you don't have this. We just don't have 'beat up' cars here cos they wouldn't pass the MOT.
I'm really surprised that you don't have a similar system in the US.
Corrosion can lead to failure of structural integrity of vehicle which can be dangerous to you and other vehicles. Also mounting points for transmission, engine, steering, seat belts etc...could be compromised so its extremely important 👍
Yep. Most modern cars include the body as part of the overall structure, if they're damaged, the whole vehicle suffers.
Mini's the older types were monocoque where the chassis and body were integrated so corrosion/rust could be a serious problem structurally.
Definitely the best idea ever. It makes you focus on the road worthiness of your car, which means it's not only safe for you on the road, but for other drivers, your passengers and even pedestrians. Driving tests should be treated the same way, maybe with a re-test every five years.
About 5 years ago I had to get rid of a perfectly good car because one of the rear doors couldn't be opened from the outside and thus would have failed the M.O.T. In case of an accident the rescuers couldn't get access to the rear to rescue people. It would have cost almost as much as the car was worth to have the door dismantled and repaired.
Having watched 'Just Rolled In' and 'Customer States' on TH-cam, I am amazed that there is no similar safety checks in the US, which keeps unsafe vehicles off the road.
What I find amazing from the 'Customer States' videos is the level of some DIY car repairs from people who shouldn't be left near a screwdriver..!
funny i wanted to make same comment after seeing this video, as it seems from those videos that alot of american are driving in a deathtrap and even ingnore any common sense of safety as long its can move
@@marmite1076 By people who know "just enough" no doubt.
The MOT is an effective and relatively cheap way of keeping tabs on all the essential bits of your car. I put mine in for a test 2 weeks ago and was told that although it passed, I would need to change both the rear tyres/tires and brake pads within the next 12 months.
I concur with your point of it being "good value". Each time I take mine in for a service, the engineer lists future points of concern, where it may lead to a fail, and we either address them there or make a future (before MOT) appointment.
as long as you do not live in NI where a test can take up to 8 months to get forcing drivers of the road, terrible flawed system.
@@georgebarnes8163wow I book mine a week in advance, my garage has set up an online system so you just go on there and look up the free slots.
With the emissions test, they rev the engine hard. This can be a problem for diesel engines that are only ever run at low speed, because you can get a build-up of soot and muck, which can then cause damage if you suddenly blast the engine. If you drive a diesel and most of your driving is around town, it's a good idea to make sure you give it a good run at speed every now and then so that the engine cleans itself out rather than allowing to much gunk to build up.
Yes, most garages that carry out MOT tests will also do servicing and repairs. A lot of faults can be fixed straight away, and if they do that themselves then you don't have to pay for a re-test. Some people prefer to go to a garage that _doesn't_ do repairs but just carries out the test, because they think the garage is less likely to fail the test for spurious reasons if they can't charge you extra for fixing them, and while I'm sure there are _some_ garages that do that I do think it is far less widespread that it may have been in the past (but perhaps the ones offering a discount on the test fee are ones to watch out for here!).
You _can_ drive your car away if it has failed the test as long as (a) it is still within the date of the previous test pass, _and_ (2) it hasn't failed on anything classed as immediately dangerous.
I've never had a car fail because it was dirty (and I really don't keep my car clean!), it would have to be full of junk for that to happen!
In Italy we have the "revisione" (review/inspection). For a new car is after 4 years, then every 2 years. We check: braking system, visibility, steering effectiveness, electrical system, tires and suspension, chassis integrity, license plate and chassis, exhaust emissions and noise pollution and other things such as seat belts, airbags, horn... It cost 46€ at the Motorizzazione Civile (State vehicle registration), €79 at authorized private car workshop
In Jamaica it's every 2 years and it's called fitness test with similar checks as the UK 😊
Great video man :)
Im in the UK. A few points that I would make/ guess:-
1) Corrosion is more to do the vehicles sub frame.
2) Sharp edges are to do with preventing injurys, if you strike someone with your vehicle.
3) I believe the adjustable seat is not only to do with driver postion, but may also be essential in a crash, if you are pushed up against the sterring wheel, with it unable to move back.
Corrosion will fail if it's within a seat belt anchorage point too, so floor pan, sills, wheel arches as well as subframes
@@davidwbuckRusty bodywork will just get an advisory.
Also re driver seat being adjustable: I’m the only person who drives my car. The tester doesn’t know me. Does he/she believe me? Tests don’t come down to trust.
Most get a pre-mot test with your own mechanic, he will fix stuff so it passes and get your certificate, its all done in one day mostly, or less if its going to pass anyway. Ite always good to know your car is up to standard. Some garages get known to do dodgy mots if you slip them extra, only really hard up people need to cheat the system, who doesnt want a car thats okay! I never heard that rubbish causes a failure, i guess if it was bad enough to cause rodents ( i did have a mouse move in to my old renault once when i was very young... it was really beat up). Cars used to get really corroded and then in an accident may not be able to protect you as well as it should, if the subframe is weak you could be a hazard on the road
And rust to inner and outer seals. I had a massive MOT failure on rust to seals. Cost £1500 to fix. 😮 and also because it wasn't fixed before the 14 day free retest period I had to pay a full coat again for the test. Another £50
I was an MOT assistant, so helped the tester perform his duties, things like steering and braking while he inspected underneath (play in the rack, condition of gaitors, calipers working etc.). There are a lot of exceptions and variables because the vehicle is only tested to the standard of it's construction and not retrospective e.g. a 1995 car does not have to have some safety features if they are introduced in law later than that, such as safety cells, warning lights. A 1992 car does not have to have a catalytic converter as that was introduced in law in 1993. Really old cars' emissions are 'smoke test' - is there visible smoke? After that, Carbon monoxide and Nitrogen dioxide are measured in ppm, with decreasing limits the later a car becomes. e.g. a 1986 car has a limit of 1200ppm, a 2005 has a limit of 200ppm, and smoke should be invisible to pass.
Cars used as taxis also have to be tested from 1 year old instead of 3 that general public use.
Corrosion inspection is not as bad as it sounds. Surface rust is generally fine. They're checking for things like holes in the chassis that are structural defects. Anything within 12" of a 'prescribed area'. Prescribed areas are seat belt mounting points, A-pillars (including door mounts), suspension and engine mounts etc, which due to the size of vehicles is effectively the whole car. This includes inside the boot which forms part of the structure of the car. If the boot is full or has too much in it to inspect, it fails because it is not inspectable. The inspector cannot remove anything from the car to inspect further e.g. hub caps (for wheels, nuts, steering and brakes), anything in the boot, carpets attached to the body. Boot carpets can be lifted to inspect the metal of the floor when it is empty.
I saw a 4-year old van have an engine blown during test. They get tested at 'fast idle' for emissions and braking - around 2000rpm. Sometimes the timing belts break and or there is an oil leak that bursts a gasket during the test, preventing the engine from running to name but 2.
40 year old cars are exempt from testing. MOT centres can repair simple things on the day such as bulbs, washer fluid level. Much bigger things like brakes can be longer. Overall, about 150 items are checked. I am surprised there is no mention of suspension in the original video.
Brilliant!
The US is a death trap. The country I live in you can actually drive a car stuck together with gaffer tape. But the paper work must confirm it is registered to you as the owner and the engine number is correct.
before the age mot exemption my local motor museum used to get an MOT on their 1902 car... essentially the only applicable test was a brake gyro test.
I am amazed you don’t have a yearly test on your cars, some must be very dangerous ❤️❤️❤️
You should look at some of the "Just drove in" style TH-camrs. Scary.
We don't have an annual test here in Oz, but we should.
It actually depends on the state. Some do.
I know I’m late and I don’t know if anyone has said it yet, but for the seats not being able to be moved, sometimes emergency services will push the seats back so it’s easier to lean in or to manoeuvre someone out of the vehicle without hurting the patient more. This probably isn’t the reason they do the checks but I still think it’s important 🤷♀️
Having been to different parts of the USA for holidays, I can say that alot of the vehicles you see on the roads would definitely be scrap cars here
My English cousin lives in Florida and couldn't believe the state of some of the cars on the roads, when he first moved there. Literally scrap yard condition according to him .
He was also amazed when his wife's car needed new rear tyres. They took off the worn rear tyres and put them on the front of the car 😂
The Top Gear America special where they bought cars for under $1000 (IIRC) in Florida showed how bad they could get.
It was like that in Britain in the 1950s, before the MoT was introduced. USA is like a 3rd world country in many ways.
And consider the driving test requirements for a 16 year driver. It's possible to have an inexperienced 16 year old whose test was carried out in a carpark driving a scrapper on the freeway.
@@frankmitchell3594 yes no lessons either, just drive about with mum for a bit.
@@frankmitchell3594 In some US States they can drive at 15!
I always pay for an MOT pre service check - often referred to as a full service, this obviously costs more but ensures a pass.
The results of previous MOT tests are available online, so potential buyers can check the 'MOT history' of the vehicle they are thinking of buying , seeing any failures and importantly the mileage at each MOT test is there, so you can check if vehicle has had the mileage altered. The MOT test is very comprehensive, basically checks everything on the vehicle.
It's worth to say that you've got advisory as well. Your vehicle passes the mot, but there is a note saying that for example your tyre is close to legal limit, so before next mot you want to be sure that you've sorted it out.
The advisory is for when it's safe now but is comprimised to the point that it will be unsafe before the next mot
Steve, if your wife had to take you to the er, and the seat couldnt move, unless she is exactly the same height and leg length as you, it would be difficult for her to drive the car and reach the wheel, brake pedal etc...
Or if you sell the car on. Is the buyer the same size?
Or if your seat is stuck in one position - why? It is clearly defective in some way and potentially unsafe.
The main reason is if you need cutting out the fire brigade will flatten the seat to get the spine board in to lift you out.
Or move back to give a bigger space to work in round the legs if front is smashed in bad
the reason why having rusty body panels even if it's not the chassis is something you should worry about @ReactingToMyRoots is that they should protect you in a crash and if they are corroded then they won't protect you, also adjusting seat is if you were to sell your car, the new buyer relies on a valid MOT to tell them that the car they want to buy is safe to drive.
In my experience, it's not just normal mess, if your car is so dirty or cluttered that either it might obscure your vision, or impede your driving, or that the MOT tester can't access parts of the vehicle to test certain things required, like seatbelts.
This is why I find it incredulous that the US doesn't have annual safety inspections. I know a few states employ an annual emissions test but that's really a bare minimum and doesn't cover a lot of safety issues. There must be so many dangerous vehicles on the road in America.
There is. Dangerous drivers too.
Yes, Britain is not unusual in having these inspections, USA is unusual in not having them! Germany has much stricter vehicle inspections than Britain.
Virginia has a state inspection much along the lines of the MOT test
@@Phiyedough Yeah but Germany's are every two years aren't they? So you could say they need to be a bit more stringent due to the time in between checks?
When the government pays for your health care, they seem to care for your health more.
As an mot tester tester this is what i do every single day!
Welcome to my world 😂
Most places offer a Service and MOT as a package so you get oil, filters etc changed at the same time
I had an MOT failure due to rear seatbelt not working. Being in NI it was at an offical test centre, but the inspector said to me, if you can get it working in the next 15mins I will pass it. So I pulled into the car park and raised and lowered the rear seat a few times and got it working. Saving me a re-test.
The statement of you cant drive a failed car away from the test centre is incorrect. Without MOT you are permitted to drive to and from a test centre.
If the fault is serious the vehicle can be impounded at the test centre in NI
Couple of things that might help you - there are categories of faults (major and minor), some minor things may be fixed on the spot (dead bulb, screenwash, etc.), more major faults have to be fixed before a retest - most places offer a free retest if returned within 14 days (you do NOT have to get them repaired by the testing garage - some centres are test ONLY). Serious faults that make the car dangerous - it will not be allowed to be driven away, if not being fixed there it will need towing or a recovery truck to move it. The warning lights - you can't cheat by taking the bulb out, as they check that they ALL work when ignition is turned on! Some items will not be a 'fail' but an 'advisory' - these are things like low tread on tyres, low brake pads - stuff that will need attention soon, but not an immediate concern. The registration or 'number plates' in the UK have to meet strict rules on font, spacing, size of letters, etc. - ours are permanent, so have to be secure, we don't have 'vanity' plates, although you can have a 'personalised' registration which includes your initials, for example - these can be worth more than the vehicle they are attached to (you have to buy these seperately), and can be transferred to another vehicle if you sell or scrap the vehicle. As others have said, from watching 'Just Rolled In' or other videos - you really need a federal standard in the US..!
Car registration work differently too, we don't have to pay annually to register and the plate is linked to the vehicle not the owner so it's easier to find out the car's history
Technically the plate is linked to the person too. A car will be registered to a person or company, and police can run a search on the plate to discover who the registered keeper (owner) is and the names of anyone insured to drive it. I've done this numerous times (no prizes for guessing my job).
What mark of Fiesta do you own?@@thefiestaguy8831
@@thefiestaguy8831 well yes, I mean that’s a given surely that that would have to exist. But it’s different to how it works in the US where plates are much more variable
@@thefiestaguy8831 The "registered keeper" and the "owner" can be 2 seperate people/entities. The registered keeper is not neccessarily the legal owner of the vehicle.
@@bob521i It is for the purposes of the road traffic act. The terms "Registered keeper" and "Registered owner" are used interchangeably. Yes, someone could be the registered keeper of a car but not own it in the sense of that they didn't buy it, but they are responsible for taxing it and insuring the vehicle.
The seat check is making sure their retaining bolts wont rip out of a rusted floor pan. The exhaust test is for emissions, and just running rich will get you a fail, so the advice to warm up the engine well before testing is good. I had a car a few years back that would be borderline every year for emissions, so I would drive it around for an hour and get it up to temp before taking it in.
Rust on the body likely isn't a fail for the MOT unless its on the chassis making the vehicle dangerous. You don't want the axle falling off on the motorway ( freeway/highway). As for the seat, its checked because if it isn't working properly it can be dangerous. If you can't adjust the seat to the proper position it can make driving the car harder and more dangerous.
Excessive rust on bodywork or sills can be an issue and compromise the integrity of the vehicle as well. Rusted panels etc can totally disintegrate in an impact. If the impact involves a pedestrian or cyclist there is a greater risk more severe injury as they will go through the bodywork rather than bounce off. The skin of a badly rusted bonnet can also be ripped off at speed.
it always amazes me that there is no annual MOT test in America and the state of some of the vehicles I have seen in mechanic shops on videos is quite frankly so dangerous its scary.
depends on the state. some have a inspection.
Crazy isn’t it
If you drive the vehicle without a valid MOT it also invalidates your insurance so you wouldn’t be insured either (unless you’re driving it to a test centre)
Not forgetting that you need a current MOT to pay the annual road tax!
This is false. It may invalidate your own at-fault cover (if expressly written in the policy) but third party cover is a legal requirement and your insurance company can't wriggle out of paying £1,000,000's after you wiped out a whole family when driving back from a failed test.
What normally happens is the lack of an MOT will lower the value of the vehicle so the payout for a write off is less.
. @drewdastardly5438 Sorry, but breaking a condition of your policy makes it voidable at the insurers discretion and therefore they can wriggle out of a claim technically leaving the driver liable. The fact is that the claim would probably be met by the MIB (Motor Insurance Bureau set up specifically to pay out in the event of uninsured drivers). My knowledge of this comes from 40 years of working in the insurance industry.
@@keithparker5125 Yeah, as far as I knew they'll always pay out the third party but can refuse to pay you out if you're not complying with the insurance agreement (which obviously includes keeping your vehicle roadworthy). So for example if you had an obviously bald tyre and had an accident, and the police (if they're called) determined also that your braking was impaired because of it, they could refuse to pay you out.
Lack of MOT does not invalidate the insurance, that myth was outed years ago.
there are cameras everywhere on the roads called ANPR (automatic numberplate recognition) it scans licence plates and checks if the car has valid insurance,MOT and road tax) if you haven't your car could be towed away and you'll receive a court summons where you will get penalty points on your licence and a big fine, as well as paying for your car to be released from the impound lot but only when you have rectified the original reason for it being towed away
I drive a taxi. Our cars have to have an MOT every 6 months and a further Local Council test within 3 days of the MOT.
Hi Steve. A brand new car does not require an MOT test until it is 3 years old, unless it is used as a taxi. Then it must be tested each year from new. The MOT test is basically a safety test Steve. Cars older than 3 years, then require the test each year..... the test is carried out by appointed certified testers, who normally work as mechanics any other time. If your car fails the MOT test, you have to get the necessary repairs or adjustments done prior to the car being used on the roads. The doors and seats have to operate correctly, and be properly fixed, and not loose. Any serious heavy corrosion in or around suspension mountings would cause a failure. As would shock absorbers not operating correctly..... Any excessive play in the steering feel or action, would also result in a failure. Your registration plates must also be clean, with your windscreen washers and wipers being fully functional. All lighting equipment must be fully functional.....And yes Steve, if your windscreen was exceptionally dirty, and the tester's line of sight was obscured or impeded, it would be a fail. A crack or chip in the windscreen inside a pre-designated area on the screen, would also be a fail. A serious oil or fuel leak would mean a fail, as would exhaust emissions in excess of a designated amount.....
One trick that someone used to get around his windscreen having a chip in it (that would have failed the test) was to remove the windscreen as the test says nothing about having to have one. No windscreen=no chip=no fail. Genius!
@@EscapeMCP And would he refit the original chipped screen back in, rendering his car unfit for the road (because it was not presented for test with the illegal screen) or would he put a new screen in? Personally, I'd just get a new screen rather than eat bluebottles and bees while I drove along.... A pedantic MOT tester might argue the car is not to standard factory specification, so may refuse to test it if the screen was missing. Also, some cars now rely on the windscreen to bodyshell bond for structural integrity of the bodyshell......but perhaps Mr No Screen likes to live on the edge?
@@EscapeMCP The MOT test only certifies the car for THE DAY of the test, if you refitted a chipped screen, you COULD be stopped and the car taken off the road on the next day.
@@terryhayward7905 Those were my thoughts too...... Passing the MOT test means your vehicle met the test criteria *on the day of the test* although the issued certificate is normally valid for a year from the date of the test. Of course things can break, fail or become unsafe before the next MOT test is due, and you can be stopped by the police if necessary, who can order the vehicle to be taken off the road until the necessary repairs are carried out....
You’re pronouncing it correctly, saying the letters individually. Crazy to me that a country like USA wouldn’t have something like this.
You can take a vehicle that fails a test to a place of repair. The tester has to give you the opportunity to take the vehicle for repair elsewhere. You can obviously see the chance for dishonest behaviour here - "Yeah! Your vehicle needs a new giggle pin fitting to the laughter shaft!", then not bothering.
The garage that I use, will call me and state that something or other is at fault and offer to do it with a quote. Given the okay, the repar will be done at a known cost. I am pretty sure that this is common practice, apart from at a dedicated MOT Test Station (having never used one of those, I cannot say). I use the garage mentioned above for the last twenty years, or so.
Of course, the fact that you findit amazing that annual tests are a thing, reminds me of a comment made to me,by my Canadian cousin. He asked me when he first visited the UK, why it was that every car on the road was brand new. I told him, of course, that they were not and explained the MOT Test system which, over the years, has become more stringent. They can be quite violent with hammers and pokey things to prove that corrosion has not compromised the integrity of load bearing members of the structure of the vehicle, for instance. That was not a thing, when I started driving some forty years ago.
For every car being driven on UK roads there MUST be three essential documents available. 1) Driver must have a current valid driving licence. 2) The driver must have current valid insurance certificate that covers the vehicle being driven. 3) The vehicle must either be new (up to 3 years in Great Britain) or, have a current MOT certificate. If your vehicle fails an MOT can mean that you receive a fine of £2,500 and three points on your licence and receive a ban if it is driven on the road (other than going to or from the MOT station with an appointment) - if it goes to court, because you argue the case, then the penalty can be an unlimited fine and disqualification from driving.. Simply not having a valid MOT and the car is not in a dangerous condition then the fine is £1,000. Failure to have valid insurance attracts a fine of £300 and 6 penalty points.
Corrosion can be a safety issue because, well, you don't want key functional parts of the car to fall apart while driving! Which can happen... You also want the structure as a whole to hold together, including in an accident.
Maybe you fly through the windscreen when break hard because your seat was anchored to rust rather than steel. :)
Also the corrosion can cause significant injury to a pedestrian depending on the location on the vehicle
Yes i think the rules on this are reasonable, some rust areas are not a fail but many cars are dipped so corrosion is a factor on cars over 15 years I think.
My first ever car died from corrosion in the end. 24 years it lasted.
@@UtterlyUseless
I remember seeing an Australian 'police' programme were a person was pulled over for driving a car which had no insurance or MOT etc. and on the outside some 'trim' was loose (similar to a knights 'lance') and the police officer said (paraphrasing) "... and imagine if you swerved into a pedestrian, you would skewer them like a kebab...!". I have never forgotten the image and why you need to check for 'sharp edges' etc.
Think this was one I recommended, as I'm sure others did. I have seen cars in unbelievable states on the road in the US, it's dangerous for everyone else on the road - probably one reason why there are more road deaths per capita in the US sadly, or more broadly because the country is now so dependent on cars everything is geared towards getting people on the road quickly, few minimum maintenance requirements on cars allowing them to be sold cheaper second hand and generally very basic driving tests. Safety seems to be less of a priority.
Crap all over the roads that have fallen off cars. Blown tyres too😂
@@101steel4 I’ve never seen so many shredded tyres at the side of the road
Body corrosion. Don't forget most modern (ie not US trucks) cars are monocoque designs so something like a rusty sill changes how a car will behave in a crash. The sharp edges is so in an accident pedestrians, cyclists and horses aren't injured exessively.
Emissions. They test the gases coming out of the exhaust at a specific temperature and revs. This is different for different cars and fuels. Newer cars were designed to a higher standard and have to pass a stricter test. The very oldest cars are only tested for excess visible smoke.
Age. Over a certain age cars don't have to be tested at all. This is because it would be silly testing a 1907 Steam powered car doing 50 miles a year to a standard it was never designed to meet.
A few weeks ago it took me three goes to pass (retests within 2 weeks are legally allowed to be free) and it only failed on loose nuts allowing excessive play on a joint. The most annoying thing to fail on is a damaged or corroded rubber gaiter because you're going to have to get really dirty (or pay something to get really dirty) to change it and sometimes you have to change a whole part but as these are normally protecting steering and suspension parts it's better safe than sorrry.
One thing to be aware of in the UK is things like "I'm the only one driving it" aren't considered a valid defence, because people always say that but then circumstances mean someone else needs to drive the vehicle and if they can't adjust the seat it's not legal and safe. The car must be ABLE to be driven safely.
The other thing is that cars, and homes for that matter, must be safe for authorised personnel to enter, for example the emergency services. If something would present a hazard to them doing their jobs, you are liable for it, in a preventative fashion rather than after-the-fact. It's a fairly different mentality to the US in that regard where the concept of private space is held to be a lot more "sacred" for lack of a better term.
For the rubbish in the boot, it probably means if there's sufficient junk in there that the garage is unable to safely or hygienically perform the necessary test then it means it's an automatic fail for that test. Stops people from trying to game the system, but the flip side is that some lazy garages will take one look at there being 4 items in your boot and be "we can't move that, we can't test, fail".
We have a very similar system in Sweden. Cars are to be tested yearly. Exhausts are measured for emission and sound levels. Basically everything that affects safety on the road is checked. Surface rust is ok, but if there is corrosion that affects stability or may cause injury then it will not pass. If your car doesn't pass tests you are not allowed to use the car on the road until those things are fixed.
I think EU countries aligned in many ways over the years but I think for example my mother in France didnt have to MOT every year.
All of the EU and Schengen Area have something, they were somewhat unified to make sure cars were legal when crossing border. Some are 2 years and such, but there is some inspection.
You have one month to repair the faults and you can drive the car in the meantime. My car is 35 years old and it only needs an inspection every other year.
@@tompas11A3n52KkX In the UK you get 10 working days to repair and return for a retest. You can take as long as you want of course, but after 10 working days has elapsed you'd have to pay for a new MOT again (whereas retests are free in most garages). And technically if your car fails then you shouldn't drive it in the meantime (unless it's to or from a place to get it fixed) as once it's failed you no longer have a valid MOT (which, as far as I know, can also invalidate your insurance if you were to have an accident, especially if it's proven to have been caused by a vehicle defect), even if you took it in early with a still valid MOT.
@@sierraboney1394 Thanks for the info.
If you don’t you’re MOT up to date.
It’s flagged on the police national computer.
The next time you drive past a police that has automatic number plate recognition.
The police will pull you over.
Give you a ticket saying you have 1 month to get your MOT.
If you fail to get your MOT After this.
The police will simply declare your vehicle to be unsafe and tow your car away.
You also need a valid MOT to enquire valid insurance and valid road tax.
you can drive the car away as long as it has MOT remaining, you can submit your car for MOT 1 month before expiry
As an owner of a small independent garage and MOT test station I feel qualified to answer some of your questions. Though sorry if this is a bit long.
Aside from the emissions check and vehicle identification the MOT is all about safety. Things like doors are checked to make sure they are operating correctly and can be opened from both sides in the event occupants of the vehicle need to get out in an emergency or emergency services need access to trapped occupants. There is a reason behind every part of the MOT, you don't have to agree but it is what it is.
Corrosion is not as big an issue as you seemed to think it is or the video made it sound. Yes, a car can fail due to Corrosion, but this is typically severe Corrosion where a vehicles chassis, subframe, axle, body or suspension arm etc is so badly corroded that holes are appearing in the metal or can easily be made with finger pressure or light tapping. A bit of rust is not an issue, but when the metals more like tissue paper than steel it is. One of my vehicles is 18 years old and has some body rust, but it's mechanically strong and sound where it matters and the body rust has no sharp or petruding edges that could be deemed "dangerous".
2 in 5 vehicles fail...this depends, but as an average its probably not far off the mark. However, many cars fail on the simplest things such as a light out or washers not working. Things that can typically be rectified or repaired in minutes and that any good garage will do. Just pop a new bulb in or top the screen wash up and good to go. Of the repairs that aren't as quick easy, most are still very straightforward, with most vehicles simply needing new tyres, brake pads or a spring or something similar. Of cars that fail an MOT id say 90-95% can still be repaired and driven away with an MOT pass the same day after some basic repair work.
The price is set at £54.85, and this one really divides garages and ways of thinking. Yes, there are plenty garages that charge less for an MOT and get customers through the door because of it. BUT, you sometimes (more often that not) find these garages more likely to fail vehicles on things they really shouldn't be failing them on. This is as a result of trying to make some money back. The MOT might be £30, but then if they fail the vehicle and tell you it needs hundreds of pounds of work to pass, how much better of are you if some or even all that work didn't actually need doing. My garage, one I took over from my dad and is a family business, has always charged the full price. This is because we give a very fair MOT test and happily discuss and show any failed items with the customer. An MOT takes the best part of hour, our hourly rate is £50. Each MOT costs us an MOT test slot that we have to purchase at £2.05 each. We also have the MOT emissions tester, roller brake tester and lift to pay for upkeep and maintenance of as well as software updates for the emissions. On top of that there is annual training we have to undertake as MOT testers, which, you guessed it, costs us money. To put it simply, if we are not charging the full price of £54.85 for an MOT, we are loosing money. And more times than I can count have we tested a vehicle that has been failed at a "cheaper" MOT station only to find the vehicle to be absolutely fine.
Anyway, sorry for that long post if anyone read it, but this is literally my life 😂
A lot of cars in the UK are compact and only have three doors you have to pull a lever on the seat to fold it forward so back seat passengers can get out... The MOT test has to make sure this works and the seat slides on its rails.
The MOT can also note 'advisories', which tell you about things that are not currently a fail, but may be cause for concern in the near future, such as brake pads or tyre tread just above the wear limit.
I fully trust my garage with that, they've always been serious, and they understand me wanting to know absolutely everything about the car's health inside out. Prevention is better than being stuck for repairs.
No advisories in NI, the vehicle either passes a test or it does not. The test in GB is easy and usually carried out at a mates garage, not so in NI where the test is carried out by the government and it can take up to 8 months to get a test date. Most GB vehicles with a valid MOT test would fail the much stricter NI MOT test.
FYI
The ONLY reason you’re legally allowed to drive with an expired MOT is if you are taking to car to a testing centre to get an MOT exam done…
The corrosion assessment is solely about structural strength. They care about proximity to suspension mounting points, seat belt anchor points, towbars, and structurally that's basically it. The 'test' for corrosion is 'poke it hard with a stick' (not hit it to chip off paint). If your bodywork has rust holes with those surprisingly sharp jagged edges, it's deemed a hazard to passers by, and a fail, but duct-tape is a permitted fix.
The reason so many cars fail is simple psychology. The testers feel they need to find something to justify the test, (they're wrong as it's mandatory, but it eases their conscience) so they dig until they find something. There are so so many things they could closely look at and have a poor opinion of, you can never second guess them. 'Excessive corrosion' is the criteria, but opinions differ in the application of 'excessive'. Your best bet is, send it in, have it fail for a lightbulb, fix the bulb, get it passed.
Prices don't vary much from the mandated fee. Most testing stations won't do the work they find, unless it's a stupidly easy fix and the only fail, (ie bulb blown, washer fluid low). The exception is where the testing station is part of a wider garage or dealership.
The dirt he was referring to was if the windows were so dirty you can't see out of them, not inside the car. It can happen in early spring that the roads end up covered in black sludge from a whole winters load of debris and mud, and it coats everything for a while. You can't read a numberplate through it after a season, so yeah you can't see to drive either. However if your car is a pigsty, they can refuse to delve through a biohazard to check seatbelts etc.
The video wasn't a brilliant explanation, but it badly covered most of the basics. If you want to see an extreme MOT, check out the German and Japanese tests. The Germans check EVERYTHING works, and the Japanese have emissions requirements no car can pass, so they routinely have to export 3 year old cars as soon as they need an MOT (or at least they did have to, I may be out of date).
In Ireland we have a NCT test yearly. National car test. As of September 2023 it costs €55. It takes an hour. Tyres, lights, suspension, emissions, brakes etc etc etc. all aspects of safety. You won’t see a vehicle in Irish republic that’s damaged either. All safety related. I can’t believe the USA or your state has not got this. My cousin lives on the mainland in Germany. His test is even more stringent and costs over €100.
I think the seat adjustment is a similar reason that you have to be able to open the doors from the outside - it's so that emergency services can easily remove you from the car in the case of a crash.
Usually for minor things, the mechanics will just fix them because they don't want to go through the trouble of re-testing you. I once had a bulb that had gone in my headlight and the mechanic told me after the MOT that he'd just switched out the bulb for a new one while he was testing.
No, the seat adjustment is because you are legally required to sit in the correct position, so that you can see everything and reach all of the controls comfortably. Whilst it is possible that only one person drives the car and the position is correct for them, the regulations state it has to be adjustable in case anything changes or if anyone else has to drive the vehicle.
Just think of a house, after a period of time, wear and tear takes place and repairs will be necessary. A car is the same, so we in the UK feel secure having this yearly test to minimise putting our lives at risk and others too. It’s mandatory but I am so glad we have this in place. Our Government got this right. If it fails, then you are told what to fix, so the garage will fix it…pay for it of course !
Actually, someone trying to SELL their car, will often put it through the MOT process so they can use it as an ADDED incentive "Comes with full years MOT... BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!" - But ensuring the seat CAN be fully adjusted and ALL the seats are fitted securely (I.E. will NOT move in a collision etc.) - helps the prospective buyer feel confident in their purchase.
@@AzzedineBouleghlimatI share my car with my son he's 6ft 2 I'm 5ft when I get in it after him I'm nearly on the back seat lol
Having a clean car when you get your MOT isn't about safety, it's about common courtesy.
True, when I was a silly teenager the guys at the garage refuse to test my car because of the state of the interior. My car was so messy that even my own family refused to get in it. 😂😂
22:00 - Both - You have a noise limit on a vehicle which is tested to make sure the exhaust note isn't too loud and emissions. Generally you get a printout of what's been measured, and it checks for CO, CO2, NO2 as well as hydrocarbons. It's for different amounts depending on the rules that applied when the car was built but obviously is stricter for newer vehicles (and things like Catalytic Converter deletes aren't a thing here for just such a reason).
In New Zealand we have a similar inspection, called a Warrant of Fitness (WoF). Not only do we have to have the vehicles tested annually, if the police see at anytime it doesn’t meet WoF requirements, say tyres with insufficient tread depth, they will give you a ticket and may even forbid you from driving it until the tyres are replaced.
Same in the UK. MOT cert only states your vehicle reached the requirements on the day of inspection. Any faults occurring after that cause the car to be unsafe or illegal then you are open to prosecution.
In NZ, vehicles registered before 2000 have to be inspected every 6 months. With registration and Warrant of fitness I can drive my 1931 Riley 9 Tourer at any time on public roads. The ability to use a car of this age is not available in all countries, such as Australia. Same with motorbikes.
NCT here in Ireland. Though you will be done if you don't have tax and insurance some areas will ignore a missing NCT as long as the car doesn't appear to be dangerous - other places go the other way as well - but the downside to that is you only dare drive in the local town/area under that particular police station. They are more worried about other things than spending time on cars without the NCT/MOT/WOF which means lots of paperwork etc for them, but tax and insurance are definitely different. Missing them and you might lose your vehicle. It's usually rural areas where this applies as well, often in areas where there isn't a local test centre you can easily get to, you won't find it in cities. Works both ways and if you are in an accident then obviously you won't be able to claim on your insurance so it's a risk you take.
I remember when mum would take the cars for their WOF at the local centre, they were renown for failing most vehicles first time around, usually claiming headlights were either too high or too low. All you did was literally circle round and go down another lane, pay your fee (the reason you were failed in the first place) again and you'd be passed the second time. They were a standing joke, hope it's improved since then (late 1970s/early 1980s), must remember to ask my brother.
In the UK, sometimes the authorities will set up random test areas on roads and drivers will be flagged down for an inspection. Commercial vehicles can be stopped at any time and made to drive to a test centre for an inspection and to check the drivers hours.
If you don’t have a valid MOT certificate you can’t get car insurance. You are not allowed to drive the vehicle without insurance- you risk confiscation of the vehicle, loss of your license or a fine.
Keeping the car tidy prior to the test is a must since there will be things they have to inspect in the cabin. If there's loads of clutter they won't be able to do this properly, so it's a simple thing to do before you take the car in
Mines never tidy
And the structural integrity of the boot, which is under the carpet. You can't life the carpet with loads of crap on it.
Also would you really want to put your hands or face near a car full of crap. I used to work as a tyre fitter if we had a car full of crap we refused to touch it
If your car fails an MOT test, the garage will lend you a car, either paid out of pocket of through insurance, while they're working on yours.
Safety,safety for passengers, safety for others,safety for pedestrians ( sharp bodywork)
Most people get it done a few weeks before it runs out. Because if it fails you have 7 days to get it fixed and retested. You don't have to use the same company to do it.
Don't you have 10 working days to get it retested? So 14 days really with weekends. I know mine took longer to get sorted this year as I needed a new rear subframe which took a while to arrive and didn't have to get a full new test done, the MOT place just fitted it for me and gave me the pass
It can depend when it fails and when the m.o.t. runs out. Also if it's going to be longer you have to inform the DVLA to take it of the road.
There have been deaths caused by drinks bottles and cans getting stuck behind the break peddle - stopping the driver from being able to break - do a clean cabin floor is VERY important.
Yeah I remember a few years ago taking my dog out somewhere for a walk and she had dropped her tennis ball which rolled under the clutch pedal, luckily noticed it as if it had rolled under the brake pedal it could've been a bit dodgy!
@@sierraboney1394 I actually had it happen once where I needed to brake (reasonably heavily, but not an "emergency" slam the brakes on stop), and an item had rolled under the brake. I ended up pushing down even harder than I'd normally have done and the force I applied crushed the item behind the pedal, I think it was an empty bottle of water so it gave way, it did require a lot more force than it would have otherwise done and isn't the nicest surprise when you suddenly need to break heavily!
Brake not break
Most places offer the option to book an appointment so you can wait or you can leave it with them first thing in the morning and then go collect it later in the day. I work just around the corner from the place I get mine done so I can drop it off, go to work and then pick it up later. It’s actually quite flexible 😊
trash in a vehicle is classed as a "fire hazard" hence the failure
I live in a rural area and use the same garage (have done for years). There are no pavements so when I take my car to the garage they take me home (a couple of miles) and will bring my car back to me. Wonderful people.
In the 60's and 70's there were a lot of rustbuckets on the roads in the UK and they were so dangerous when I think about it now. I even had a few of them. I am glad the MOT is a lot stricter now and I'm surprised the US doesn't adopt this. It would make your roads safer and imagine the boost it would give your car industry.
Those are now exempt. Classics now.
@@vickywilliams8320 I still had to take my classic car for an MOT, they just checked fewer things but bodywork, brakes, steering etc all had to meet the standards required. It was more seatbelts and headrests that were excempt.
@@ABC1701A If its over 40 years old then you don't have to take it for an MOT
I visited Canada many years ago. My friend and I couldn’t believe the state of some of the cats. That was a long time ago and I expect their testing is more stringent now.
My son is a mechanic. He's said many times that some cars are kept in a really nasty, dirty state inside - including brand new cars.
We have the same test in rep of Ireland its called an NCT test. A few years ago it was reported in a local newspaper that one car failed the test because the tester refused to sit in the car and drive the car to the test area because there were dog hairs in the car. I will try to find the article in the newspaper and add a link for it. Found it, it was reported in quite a few newspapers here, this is from the Irish mirror newspaper and this is a segment of the article.........Woman 'failed NCT because car was covered in dog hairs', Dail hears
Sinn Fein TD Dessie Ellis slammed high failure rates and need to re-test for minor issues
I used to work in a garage assisting with MOTs amongst other things. The rust thing is structural integrity. If the tester sees rust on the chassis they have a hammer to bang it to see if it is still solid or just surface rust. If it goes through it fails the test. The most common places are the sills of the car or wheel arches.
They cut out the rusty bit and fabricate a metal plate to go over the hole and weld it in place, then treat it with a protective coating called Schutz
Decades back, Britain had shockingly rusted out vehicles on its roads. Bottoms of doors rusted through. Many will remember sills needing replacement, hopefully with strong welds. You can't weld onto rust!
My dad once had a Austin Princess (the leading standard of safe vehicles) he went round a corner and my door in the back came open and that's before rear seat belts were a thing
Hang on............. what makes you specify BRITAIN..... every country which had rain had rusty cars!!,
I had a 4x4 i used for horses. I folded the rear seats down to put stuff in . After dropping off for mot and continuing to work, i had a phone call to come and clear it out and put the seats up so they can check the seat belts.
I think the failing of the car if it’s dirty or cluttered is in fairly extreme cases, clutter in the boot would be a fail as it’s preventing the testers getting to the spare wheel area, which they also have to check. Clutter on the seats can prevent them testing the seatbelts quickly and easily
Loose items in a vehicle can also pose a safety risk. If an object rolls underneath one of the pedals while the vehicle is in motion it can interfere with the correct operation of the pedal and in the event of a crash loose items can also become dangerous projectiles.
I have personal experience with having something roll under my brake pedal while I was driving but luckily I noticed and was able correct the issue before it caused a serious problem. My cousin, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He was a passenger in a car that was involved in a collision with another vehicle. He got hit in the head by a bottle of water that was on the back seat and ended up with severe brain damage. He's now confined to a wheelchair and has difficulty speaking.
When I was a silly teenager the guys at the garage refuse to even test my car because of the state of the interior. My car was so messy that even my own family refused to get in it. 😂😂
There is not actually a Ministry of Transport anymore, but they kept the name MOT for the certificate as people kept calling it that!
There is still a ministry of transport, it's just that it's now called the Department for Transport.
When it was no longer the Ministry of Transport (VOSA, now DVSA), the MOT became the "Motor Ordinance Test", you know, to test that a _motor_ (vehicle) is in good _ordinance_ .
@@jerry2357 Ok, I should have said that the government agency called the Ministry of Transport no longer exists, but that a differently named successor agency exists. But yes, the initials MOT were eventually restored to the official name of the test because everybody kept calling it the MOT!
The MOT (Ministry of Transport) test is an annual safety check on the vehicle, which includes things like the brakes, steering, exhaust emissions, airbags and suspension components. I've just had my car MOT'd, and thankfully it passed, with a couple of advisories (advice on parts of the car to keep an eye on). Without an MOT you can't drive the car unless you are driving to an MOT test, or taking it for MOT repairs.
With the seats, you have to remember that this is a generalised test, one size fits all. The test centre does not know - and the owner cannot prove - that only one person operates the vehicle, thus the drivers seat must be adjustable for the vehicle to be safely operated by anyone (edit: and as others point out, can be extremely useful in an accident). With rust and corrosion, there is some grace - small amounts on non-structural areas will get an advisory note: a note that tells you to keep an eye on it; rust and corrosion on critical parts will get a fail, rust that makes the body unsafe (sharp etc) will fail.
With rubbish/clutter, this is more that if the car is full of crap, it's going to double or triple the time it could take them to perform the test, impacting the business. They'll just say "Can't test this. Fail." and in that case you'll likely end up paying for another test. It's also just plain rude, if I'm asking someone to work on my vehicle, the least I can do is hand it to them in a state where they can just get straight to work. Usually, the retest after any work is performed is free, basically them assuring you of the quality of the work ('I fixed this and it passed the test').
Test results will list advisories and failures. Failures must be addressed before the vehicle can be legally operated, advisories are just things where they spotted minor issues that don't reach the failure criteria, but you should keep an eye on.
It's also worth noting that cars older than 40 years are exempt.
You can see the MOT test manual that shows all items required to be inspected and the requirements on the UK government website