Yesterday I was having a HUGE clear-out in the office, I could barely fit my new notebooks into the drawers because they were so full of paperwork, so I went through all the files and discarded all of the pointless bits of paper and checked that each of the family files had the relevant paperwork in them for each family member, with nine people in the house its hard to keep track of school trips, National Insurance Numbers, exam results etc, not to mention all the household bills and necessary paperwork.
We bought our latest 9 seater in July last year and it came with 6 months tax, so I knew I had that to set up, and whilst I was going through the paperwork I found the MOT and thought it didn’t look quite right, but after a quick search on google I found out that the MOT had in fact had some updates in May 2018, which I had somehow missed, one of them being a new look MOT test certificate, so, if like me, you have missed the latest MOT updates, here they are to refresh your memory (or brand new info!)
Defects Are Categorised Differently
Whenever you used to get the fail or pass certificate it would have the results and any advisories, now there are five categories – Dangerous, Major, Minor, Advisory and Pass. Dangerous and Major both result in a fail, whereas minor and advisory will result in a pass.
Stricter Rules For Diesel Car Emissions
This is the one I always dread because most of my giant cars are run on diesel, the new rules. There are stricter limits for emissions from diesel cars with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). You will get a major fault if any coloured smoke is seen coming out or the DPF has been tampered with.
New Inclusions on the MOT
Some new items are tested during the MOT.
They include checking:
- if tyres are obviously under inflated
- if the brake fluid has been contaminated
- for fluid leaks posing an environmental risk
- brake pad warning lights and if brake pads or discs are missing
- reversing lights on vehicles first used from 1 September 2009
- headlight washers on vehicles first used from 1 September 2009 (if they have them)
- daytime running lights on vehicles first used from 1 March 2018 (most of these vehicles will have their first MOT in 2021 when they’re 3 years old)
The Actual Test Certificate Has Changed
I knew that one! It now lists all the different categories mentioned above and it no longer has lots of little boxes, however it does look bigger writing, so less chance of losing it in the paperwork mountain!
When Your Car celebrates its Big 40 It won’t need an MOT
Previously any cars built before 1960 didn’t require an MOT but with years passing by at the speed of light, it is now any car that has celebrated its 40th birthday without being scrapped, crushed or destroyed can celebrate with no MOT!
So, there you have it, an easy and simple guide to the new MOT rules, how many did you know ?
The main thing my cars always fail their MOT on is the tyres, if i’m honest I always forget to check them unless its time for the MOT, so I am going to add it to my list of things to check monthly, if you are in the Northampton area Calmac Tyres Autocentre stores a wide variety of tyres in Northampton all under one roof. Visit their website to book your tyres for free! Then hopefully that will be one less item on the agenda to ensure your car doesn’t get a fail certificate.
this is a collaborative post