Author Topic: End of MOT Testing - For cars more than 40 years old  (Read 2390 times)

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ChrisRLewis

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End of MOT Testing - For cars more than 40 years old
« on: January 03, 2018, 11:21:45 PM »
The Department for Transport has announced that classic cars more than 40 years old will be exempt from MOT testing, with owners voluntarily electing for an MOT if they feel their car needs one.

I think that the cut off date is 1978 so there maybe a few club members 126's that this will apply to  :)

126blackbird

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Re: End of MOT Testing - For cars more than 40 years old
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2018, 11:46:01 PM »
For me I would opt for having an MOT on my car, better to be safe than sorry. I did read on another forum that some insurance companies insist on you having an MOT even if you car is exempt.

Club1n

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Re: End of MOT Testing - For cars more than 40 years old
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2018, 12:04:16 AM »
My car will be MOT exempt, I'll MOT her when i've completed the build, and then just book it into my local garage for a "pre MOT" yearly and then fix anything they find wrong with it.  ;D

                                     1978 Works Fiat 126 Rep.
                          

drcdb15

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Re: End of MOT Testing - For cars more than 40 years old
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2018, 12:07:57 AM »
As you might imagine, this situation has been being monitored quite closely by other marque clubs for some time, and as you might further imagine, the situation is not quite as simple as 'over 40, no MoT'.

Concise summary of conditions here: http://fbhvc.co.uk/about-us/news/_article/125/government-publishes-definition-of-vehicle-of-historic-interest/ with link to primary government guidance (5 pages of A4).

It will remain the case that the user of a vehicle, regardless of its age, on public roads must ensure the vehicle is roadworthy. Of course, one easy way to do that is to get an MoT test. However, one might ask, suppose a vehicle which does not legally *need* an MoT is submitted for the test anyway, and fails, can the vehicle be used regardless? The answer is "no", because the failure result will be recorded automatically with DVLA by the MoT test station. That will officially record the vehicle as unroadworthy, hence invalidating your insurance.

Some argue that this will encourage people *not* to get their cars tested at all, not even an unofficial safety check by the local garage, leading to dangerous cars being allowed to continue on the roads. Time will tell.

One point raised on another forum I've seen cites the example of an MoT failed by a trivial fault, such as a blown brake light. This is the only fault rendering the vehicle not roadworthy. The owner, knowing this is easily fixed, changes the bulb, thereby making the vehicle *in fact*, roadworthy. However, legally it remains recorded at DVLA as UNroadworthy. Where does that leave the owner's insurance position?

Is this a can of worms in the making? Very likely ! So don't be too keen to abandon the MoT test just yet, it might be prudent to see how things work out in practice for a year or so. And then of course, there's the impact on this pan-European legislation of Brexit ....

 :P




drcdb15

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Re: End of MOT Testing - For cars more than 40 years old
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2018, 12:18:44 AM »
One of the reasons behind the changes is the recognition that many MoT test stations are set up to test modern cars, and either cannot test old vehicles because they don't have suitable equipment, or the results of a test on an old car simply don't make sense in the context of a modern car - allowable play in the steering rack is one such example, where an old set up which complies with the as-then manufactured specification not only falls outside modern limits, but it is physically impossible to get it to fit withIN them.

Again, how things are sorted out going forward remains to be seen, but FBHVC publishes a list of MoT test centres which are sympathetic to the particular needs of older cars: http://fbhvc.co.uk/legislation-and-fuels/historic-vehicle-friendly-mot-stations/