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New MOT Rules

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 8:23 pm
by MJJamieson
Major changes to the MOT test on 20th of May 2018
Some of you may have already heard that there are big changes coming to the MOT test this May. Here are just a few of the biggest changes that are most likely to affect you. Please take these with a pinch of salt as nothing will be finalised until the end of April and will probably still be subject to change after that date. Remember it will take your MOT tester time to get up to speed with these too!
So...
Advisories are being replaced with minor fails. These are all pre written & approved by DVSA. You will still get a pass but they will be noted on your test certificate. Manual advisories are still being worked out but may disappear completely.
Those of you who have changed your standard headlight bulbs for HID's will now get a major fail even if the aim is correct. It has always been an offence to fit HID bulbs to halogen headlamps so the MOT is now in line with that.
Reverse lights are now part of the MOT for any car registered from 1st September 2009 (59 plate onwards). Daytime running lamps (DRL's) & front fog lamps must work on vehicles registered from March 2018 (18 plate onwards).
Engine Management Light is now a major fail. It must come on with the ignition and then turn off when the engine is started.
Brake pad warning lights are a major fail
Handbrake with excessive travel is now a major fail. Before it would only a fail if there was no reserve travel.
Contaminated (dirty) brake fluid is a major fail. Not sure how that will work as the MOT tester isn't allowed to remove the fluid cap.
Oil leaks (engine, gearbox etc.) can be a major failure if they are deemed large enough.
It seems they have removed the failure for tyres not being fitted according to sidewall instructions. Inner/outer or rotation incorrect.
Any modifications/removal to emissions related devices, this includes DPF'S and EGR's is now a major fail.
Where a DPF canister has clearly been cut open and re-welded, it will now fail.
A vehicle fitted with a DPF that emits any kind of visible smoke during the metered test will now fail
Emissions limits for diesels registered on or after 1st of January 2014 have been reduced. All diesels will now need to pass the limit that was set by the manufacturer when the car was new. This can be found on the VIN plate. For example the current limit for your diesel car may be 1.50. That could change to as low as 0.30 with the new rules.
These are just some of the bigger changes to the MOT test the average motorist is likely to be affected by. There are dozens, perhaps even over 100 changes to the actual MOT test and to the way testers record tests on the MOT computer. Please remember these are all subject to change in the coming months and remember spare a thought for your MOT tester before you say...
"Well it passed like that last year!"
Source - https://www.gov.uk/…/mot-special-notice ... pection-ma

New MOT Rules

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 8:43 pm
by RickRob
The MOT month is always a fun time - not!

The one about the tyres being fitted "inside out" being OK strikes me as strange.

Good luck everyone!

New MOT Rules

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:45 pm
by ph001
The brake fluid one made me chuckle!

New MOT Rules

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:59 pm
by buzyg
Always baffled me that you could pass with an engine management fault.

New MOT Rules

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:20 pm
by bluespit
and 40 plus year old cars no longer need an MOT at all - so my 1974 stag will not need to be mot'd ever again. Crazy!

New MOT Rules

Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:38 pm
by Paulr
If you have a VW, the emissions stated are now proven to be fraudulent. How are owners going to manage to get the emissions back to the figure on the VIN plate if it was falsified in the first instance?

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 1:26 am
by Nick_in_Suffolk
bluespit wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:20 pmand 40 plus year old cars no longer need an MOT at all - so my 1974 stag will not need to be mot'd ever again. Crazy!
Slightly mad, I agree. Our two classics will benefit from this but they neither travel much more than 1k a year and always get a full service every year.

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 4:49 am
by Smartbear
Paulr wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:38 pmIf you have a VW, the emissions stated are now proven to be fraudulent. How are owners going to manage to get the emissions back to the figure on the VIN plate if it was falsified in the first instance?
I thought vw was recalling every effected car to remap back to oe spec?
Rob

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:34 am
by ScoobyR1
Re. The emissions test, adds further weight behind the political shift by the government away from diesel engine cars. Great way to remove them from the road without having punitive legislation to be a "vote loser".

Cynical? Moi!? :poke:

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:44 pm
by firebobby
bluespit wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:20 pmand 40 plus year old cars no longer need an MOT at all - so my 1974 stag will not need to be mot'd ever again. Crazy!
I know they were looking into this, so they have confirmed it will be happening ?. As it stands, pre 1960's vehicles are exempt.

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 5:12 pm
by Ducklakeview
Can at last see the muppets in corsas and the like with badly installed HID kits having some action taken against them, always wonder why the plod don't stop them as it's blatantly obvious when someone behind you has a set fitted. The glare some of them give off is downright danferous.

Latest MOT testers manual; https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... -draft.pdf

Mike

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:04 pm
by bluespit
firebobby wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:44 pm
bluespit wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:20 pmand 40 plus year old cars no longer need an MOT at all - so my 1974 stag will not need to be mot'd ever again. Crazy!
I know they were looking into this, so they have confirmed it will be happening ?. As it stands, pre 1960's vehicles are exempt.
Yes currently just pre 1960 but from May it’s rolling 40years. Thing is there is a huge difference between the two in terms of size, performance and complexity. Pre 1960, lots of cars still had cable or rod brakes, separate chassis, 50 bhp if you were lucky. The engineering boom of the 60-70s saw monocoque construction, multivalve fuel injected engines regularly giving 120 plus bhp, spilt circuit hydraulic brakes and a significant increase in weight.

Lots of classic chaps will get a classic friendly garage to so an annual safety check, a sort of period correct MOT. Itmwont be long before an accident occurs and the untested classic is found to be in an unroadworthy and dangerous condition. The safety check won’t stop the accident but at least it provides some sort of measure of maintenance. (At the time of testing obviously)

I don’t know of many classic owners who are in favour of scrapping the annual MoT in some form or other

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:11 pm
by Crazy Harry
bluespit wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:04 pm
firebobby wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:44 pm
bluespit wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:20 pmand 40 plus year old cars no longer need an MOT at all - so my 1974 stag will not need to be mot'd ever again. Crazy!
I know they were looking into this, so they have confirmed it will be happening ?. As it stands, pre 1960's vehicles are exempt.
Yes currently just pre 1960 but from May it’s rolling 40years. Thing is there is a huge difference between the two in terms of size, performance and complexity. Pre 1960, lots of cars still had cable or rod brakes, separate chassis, 50 bhp if you were lucky. The engineering boom of the 60-70s saw monocoque construction, multivalve fuel injected engines regularly giving 120 plus bhp, spilt circuit hydraulic brakes and a significant increase in weight.

Lots of classic chaps will get a classic friendly garage to so an annual safety check, a sort of period correct MOT. Itmwont be long before an accident occurs and the untested classic is found to be in an unroadworthy and dangerous condition. The safety check won’t stop the accident but at least it provides some sort of measure of maintenance. (At the time of testing obviously)

I don’t know of many classic owners who are in favour of scrapping the annual MoT in some form or other
I think we can expect a lot of classics getting a tug from the cops. My oldest car is 1938 so MOT exempt but my understanding is that should I be instructed to take it for test; or have it inspected at the roadside by VOSA then it should still be in condition where it would pass.

More worrying is that I have late 68 landrover and 71 mini which are under restoration and could now go back on the road with no checks at all - but if I built a kit car I would need a SVA

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:20 pm
by firebobby
Crazy Harry wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:11 pm
bluespit wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 6:04 pm
firebobby wrote: Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:44 pm I know they were looking into this, so they have confirmed it will be happening ?. As it stands, pre 1960's vehicles are exempt.
Yes currently just pre 1960 but from May it’s rolling 40years. Thing is there is a huge difference between the two in terms of size, performance and complexity. Pre 1960, lots of cars still had cable or rod brakes, separate chassis, 50 bhp if you were lucky. The engineering boom of the 60-70s saw monocoque construction, multivalve fuel injected engines regularly giving 120 plus bhp, spilt circuit hydraulic brakes and a significant increase in weight.

Lots of classic chaps will get a classic friendly garage to so an annual safety check, a sort of period correct MOT. Itmwont be long before an accident occurs and the untested classic is found to be in an unroadworthy and dangerous condition. The safety check won’t stop the accident but at least it provides some sort of measure of maintenance. (At the time of testing obviously)

I don’t know of many classic owners who are in favour of scrapping the annual MoT in some form or other
I think we can expect a lot of classics getting a tug from the cops. My oldest car is 1938 so MOT exempt but my understanding is that should I be instructed to take it for test; or have it inspected at the roadside by VOSA then it should still be in condition where it would pass.

More worrying is that I have late 68 landrover and 71 mini which are under restoration and could now go back on the road with no checks at all - but if I built a kit car I would need a SVA
Same here with my 1972 GT6, which has been off the road since 1988 :|

New MOT Rules

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:43 pm
by markalp
Finally they are going to do something about those blinding aftermarket HIDs.. Now they just need to educate other drivers to keep the OEM ones dipped low enough to not blind other drivers.