Top tips to help your car pass its MOT
Probably one out of the most nerve racking tasks to accomplish is taking your car for its annual MOT inspection to ensure it is certifiable to drive on the road. It need not be a worrisome experience if you make a few basic preparations in advance, which will help to save on extra expenses as well as save on time.
Pre MOT preparation
Before taking your car for its MOT test you need to ensure that its exteriors and interiors are in fine condition so that it passes the inspection with ease. Take a look around the car and clear up any mess in time for the MOT. It may seem a trivial reason for some but it does add up when having the car inspected. Another important aspect to look into is to ensure that the number plate is clean so that its number if perfectly legible. It is a legal offence to have a mucky and unreadable number plate!
The Brakes
When driving, one of the most essential aspects is the brakes, which need to function properly. When you go in for your vehicle’s MOT, this aspect will be looked into carefully. Read this more in depth guide about checking your brakes. Also check the hand brake; to test functionality by pulling it right up. It should offer resistance and if it does not and pulls up relatively easily, then it needs to be adjusted.
ABS checks
Another area that needs to be checked thoroughly is the vehicle’s Anti Braking System (ABS) which can be checked by holding the steering wheel to the side when the engine is running and if it does not return to its original position, then there are issues with the ABS system which need to be resolved.
Vehicle exhaust
An area that also needs to be checked is the exhaust to verify it is in proper working condition. This plays a vital role in getting MOT certification to prove the car is roadworthy. A sure way of checking if there are leaks in the exhaust is by starting the engine and plugging its exhaust. If the engine stalls, then the exhaust pipe is working properly. Do not forget to check the lights on your car which need to be functioning properly too. These include the headlights, indicators, brake-lights, side-lights etc. Each of them has to function to pass the inspection. A few other areas to look into are wipers/washers, tread of the tyres, seat belts and horn. You can replace these yourself for very little money, but if you wait for it to be picked up by the MOT garage it is likely to cost you much more. Check out these other cheap MOT tricks.
MOT Failures
In the event that your car is pretty old and worn out and needs extensive repairs, it would be a more prudent idea to send it to be scrapped and pick up a newer model that has all of its parts in good shape. Selling an MOT failure can really make sense financially. If you need to spend a substantial sum on a car to have it in a proper condition for the MOT test, then a better option would be to invest in a used or new car that passes the test.