MOT

the titanic was unsinkable. was being the operative word. the aim of an MOT is perfectly reasonable, and if my car fails fair enough, it means that its not safe to drive on the road, but sometimes its ridiculous.... i could get forged MOTs too, but again id rather drive a truly roadworthy car than trying to screw the system..the system isnt a sham the people that are involved with it are. if it was government run stations then it would be silly on a stupid level. look at the driving test precedures now! they think by making the test an absolute mission (what have they got 3 written tests now?) and making it really expensive, that they will make everyone who is on the road a good driver.. i think that they should re test everyone that has had their license for over 15 years with a less pedantic practical than they use now, then we will erase all the idiots that make our driving lives difficult

im sure that the utilisation of a swipe card will stop all the unscrupupous use of cards...... not. (in my experience, which is quite small) the only honest mechanics are the ones which are friends/family. i took my 86 e30 to a testing station and he ripped it to pieces. okay he was right about a lot of the stuff, but he threw in a couple of wildcards that would deter me from fixing it and testing it again. this was one

lower front control arm bushes worn out

i cant remember the others that didnt need doing but he missed out a bit of welding on it that did need doing! the problem with these people aside from the fact that they think they can screw you out of money is that they think that if a car is old than its not fit for the road.. my car is one of the best early 318i's i have seen around and even though its from SA, the paint and bodywork is still good. the drivetrain is excellent and the engine is pinsharp, with no knocks or clonks or smoke. everything that needed doing on it for the mot was stuff that had been neglected (some bushes) and i feel that as long as some idiot doesnt write my car off in an accident, it will last a long time.

that t**ser still said it was "f**ked" though, and when i asked him before he tested it, he said "its 17 years old anything could be wrong with it" i fart in his general direction. BMboy, the tests for MOT testers may be stringent now, but that doesnt change the fact that testers that are already out there are rubbish, they didnt have to sit that same test. unless i am mistaken and the test hasnt changed in 40 years....

Nigel wrote: Bm boy Are you sure about the spare ? My man tells me that rather stupidly it doesnt count until it is fitted to the car. This seems more like british legislation, although i do personally prefer yours.

EERRM NO ! i personally passed my testers exam when i was 19 !! the only reason i am not a tester now is becoz i no longer work in that side of the trade !!

 1st of all , with the spare , if u have one it has to have the legally required tread depth ! although it duznt have to be inflated , although in other parts of europe its a legal requirement !

 2ndly , when u work in the motor trade , for a garage owner  , if hes a  registered mot testing station , if he wants u as a tester  he will declare that you have worked for him or have known u to be in the trade  for however long  neccassary .  in my case it was a family friends premises.

 so please dont tell me what is involved ! 

 also if anybody thinks that the motortrade  has nothing but genuine traders in it , then u are very sadly mistaken !

 the mot testers test is a simple thing to pass , i would say at least 70 % of this forum could pass it easily !! it covers knowledge of the workings of a motor vehicle (which they teach u in the classes u have to attend) and basicly a lot of common sense questions, followed with a practical exam at the end ,

  Tell me , How many times have u gone to a testing station and thought to urself , that guy doing the tests looks like a genius ??  i doubt many of u have !!

  kinda says it all really !

 and bm boy , i dont really think any1 on here needed to be told whats involved in an mot test , as we all own cars or have owned cars that go for the test every year , hence the topic being posted !!

 CHEERS

Bm boy

I'm noy arguing with you, or disgreeing with what you say, its just that my mechanic says until the spare is fitted to the car it isnt covered by the mot.

Which seems far more likely of our legislation, than the "slightly" !! more sensible things you say.

You dont even have to have one !!!

 

Bm boy

Are you sure about the spare ?

My man tells me that rather stupidly it doesnt count until it is fitted to the car.

This seems more like british legislation, although i do personally prefer yours.

daddy cool wrote: The biggest problem with the whole M,O,T  test in the uk is , any ugly little 18 yr old can apply for his testers licence, which means the person testing ur car could be the thick one u sat next to at school , you know , the one that couldnt read or write  let alone tell u  if ur car is roadworthy or not .  if u can afford it and u dont mind the hassle  do as i did with my 3 yr old calibra  when it came to its 1st  mot , take it to ur local mot registered quick fit or similar  and see what happens .  if it fails take it to a local independant  and spot the difference .  the dozy little tw4t at quick fit failed it on headlight aim too high , and he reckond the springs had been CHOPPED !!  the independant used the electronic headlight adjuster on the dash  and was happy to accept the springs were proper spax items  which as the receipt showed  came from QUICK FIT , yes the place it failed at .   i then went straight down to the ministry of transport office and reported them , where the ministry did there own checks  on the car  and hastily went down to quick fit and revoked there testers  certificate  ,advising them  that untill a new tester replaces  the old one they are not allowed to carry out any more tests ,   REVENGE  aint it sweet . although im not really welcome at quick fit any more !!   oh well BOTHERD !!!!!!!!!!!

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You are so wrong in your statement about 'any 18 year-old becoming an MOT tester. You have to have been a mechanic for at least FOUR YEARS IN ORDER TO ATTEND THE MOT TESTERS' COURSE AND SIT YOUR TEST. I should know because my son wasn't permitted to do his test until he was 21 years old and had been working as a mechanic for FOUR YEARS.
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. What is the criteria to become an Nominated Tester?

To qualify to become an NT for any class of vehicle, an applicant must;

be sponsored by the AE of a VTS - in sponsoring a prospective NT the AE is not only stating that to the nest of the AEs belief the candidate has the necessary background, experience and integrity to carry out MOT testing but is also willing to provide the necessary facilities for the candidate to practice testing to be able to demonstrate to VI that they are competent before they are allowed to carry out actual MOT Tests;
be at least 20 years old;

have a full unrestricted UK driving licence for the vehicle class(es) they wish to test. Motor bicycles this means a full licence for all types and sizes of machine;
be a skilled mechanic with at least four years experience repairing the types of vehicle that they wish to test;

have no 'unspent' convictions, as defined in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, for criminal offences connected with the vehicle testing scheme or the motor trade, or involving acts of violence or intimidation; and, be otherwise of good repute.

In addition, anyone wishing to become an NT for classes III, IV, V or VII must either possess an acceptable vocational qualification or, in the absence of such qualification, they must pass VI's Nominated Tester Assessment examination NTT(a). This requirement does not apply to NTs who have previously tested vehicles of these classes at any time unless they are returning to testing following suspension for disciplinary reasons.
Overview

This is a two day mandatory course for prospective MOT Testers. It has been designed to develop the skills and knowledge necessary for those involved with the testing of vehicle which fall into test classes III, IV and VII.

Content

Supporting Legislation/Regulations
Reasons for refusing to start a test
Tools for the job
Corrosion
Standards and Procedures
Documentation   

Documentation

Candidates must be at least 20 years old, skilled mechanics with at least four years experience, hold a full, valid driving licence for the class(es) of vehicle they wish to test and be sponsored by an authorised MOT Test Station.

Additionally candidates must have one or more of the following vocational qualifications or have passed the Inspectorates NTT (A) Examination:

National Craft Certificate in Vehicle Maintenance & Electronic Systems
City & Guilds, Repair and Servicing of Road Vehicles (syllabus 381 or 383)
BTEC Vehicle Engineering Studies (National Certificate)
SCOTVEC Vehicle Mechanics and Systems Pts 1 to 3 (National Certificate)


Note

Candidates will not be able to conduct statutory MOT Testing of vehicles falling into one or more of the above classes until they have successfully completed this course and a workplace assessment. Should an existing tester feel they could benefit from this course they should apply directly to our booking section, in these cases a charge of £220 + VAT per delegate will be made.







Edited by BMBoy

 well done m8, there r some really good mot stations and some really bad one.

Take for instance a car i was going to buy until i saw the MOT Certificate.

I was after an escort estate (what was i thinking, must have been when i was insane) anyway, 3 tyre were all identical and one was a completely different size, the spare was as bald as kojak, which is illegal in itself. the break pads had well about 1.5 mm left on them.

Now the test certificate stated that it was MOT'ed the day before!!!!!

So i feel sorry for all those people out there who know jack about cars and think if the car has a full MOT that is a good thing.........buys beware

Based on the feedback here, the NCT in Ireland would seem to be better controlled. But I stil have heard of stories of cars that should fail passing and cars hat should pass failing.
The problem with this monopoly is the company concerned gets greedy and is, shall we say, 'overzealous' on certain test items with the result that alot of cars fail and have to pay the retest fee.
A big problem is the headlights test, its accuracy tolerances are extremely tight. Even the local BMW dealers setup can't match the accuracy specs for the NCT for the headlight beam test!
My own car is due for its NCT in January and I have a bad feeling they will drag me back in again on some minor point.

At least we make a neater job of ditch parking and back them in!!I love rear wheel drive,200bhp and slippery roads!!!