IF YOU’RE going to drive a car on British roads, and it’s older than three years, then it’ll be legally required to have undergone an MOT test. This is a far-ranging examination of the vehicle, covering just about every component. Even the people carrying out the tests have to be tested to ensure their competence. Around 20,000 garages up and down the country are authorised to perform the test.
The MOT test first came about in the 1960s, but it’s been expanded and improved incrementally in the years since then. If you drive in a vehicle that hasn’t passed an MOT test, then you could face a substantial fine, and even be banned from driving entirely.
Lights
Around a fifth of all failures occur as a result of the lights not working properly. Your headlights, indicators, and brake lights all need to be functioning properly. This is something that you can look at and deal with before you even get to the testing centre. Make sure that you test each light in dark conditions. This applies especially during summer, when your lights might not have been used for a significant stretch of time.
Tyres
The tread on your tyres needs to be more than 1.6mm deep – which is about the thickness of the edge of a 20p piece. Having worn tyres could impact the performance of your car well before then, however, especially if you’re driving in wet conditions. You should look at the location of the wear, too, as this might indicate whether you have problems with inflation, or axle misalignment.
Brakes
Problems with your brakes are obviously grounds for failure. You might get an idea of whether your brakes are wearing by paying attention to the performance of the car, and keeping an ear out for squeaking sounds and other symptoms. You can extend the lifespan of your brakes by using them as sparingly as possible. Lowering your speed, and generally driving more smoothly, will reduce the wear.
Suspension
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Suspension is the second most common cause of failure, behind lights. Suspension problems tend to be among the more difficult to fix – which makes it doubly important to get your MOT booked in as early as possible, so that potentially issues can be identified and addressed.
Visibility
If you can’t see out of the windscreen, then you won’t be able to safely drive. The most common impediments to this are cracks and chips in the windscreen, especially those at eye level. In most cases, it’s worth getting problems of this sort fixed, sooner rather than later. Cracks have a tendency to spread. You might also fail on visibility grounds if the windscreen wipers aren’t working properly.
