Last MOT

[Paul Dawson]

My Viva passed its MOT today - with a clean sheet as always. The MOT chap said it's the last one it will ever need but he is finding that cars previously exempt are being presented for an annual check as a requirement of the insurance.

I guess we'll find out in due course what insurers will make of this change, it makes sense for them to require some form of annual inspection. But I wonder how they will determine what sort of documentation to accept?

[Fred Dukes]

I took my 1800 Estate - Peggy - a while ago for the "last" MOT and my man said he would still do the test for me but it would not be a legal requirement.
Taking my other Estate - Humpy - tomorrow for his last formal MOT.
The 2300 Saloon - Alfie - is well overdue - must get him his last right

[1972nail]

My Firenza has only ever had 3 MOT's. It was 'scrapped' before the first one was due in 1979 just before I bought it and only went through it's first in 2014 when I finally got the rebuild finished!

[rizzo]

I will still be taking mine for the mot so it maintains a good paper trail more than anything, and a second pair of eyes on it, not that it needs it, although i think its worth it for a brake test report and emissions/ mixture check if nothing else.

[Colin]

Mine are overdue at the moment (the cars are safely locked away), but I will be getting them MOTd very soon.

Past experience has identified life endangering faults that I hadn't picked up - such as the severely perished steering coupling on Walter - the white GT - the year before last. My last journey could have been into a tree! (or a lorry coming the other way!)

[GAV]

Perhaps repeating myself here but I do not like the garage near here and go to the one in Manningtree where I used to live.
All seemed well with the Viva ( well it wasnt running that smoothly but have sorted that), however the tester came into the portacabin where I was waiting and said he started to do the rear brake test and the left one locked on and he couldnt release it.
A couple behind me,in the test queue,were very nice about it so the manager told the tester to try and carry on releaseing it, but to no avail, however I did manage to get it home stopping every couple of miles to make sure the drum wasnt overheating/ about 10 miles on that road.
I was about to go on motorbike tours of Ireland and Scotland and a very good friend saw some new brake pistons on EBay, 16.50 inc p&p so agreed to have them delivered to him.
I did get the errant brake freed off so that weekend and went to a local show,gave my friend his money.
It was the earliest date the car could be tested to preserve its aniversary so I had by then a couple weeks grace.I decided to not go straight to Scotland and forfeited some money but that was as I had an off from the bike otherwise I might have.
After getting home fitted the new pistons rebooked the car, and it was MOTd as from May.

That coincides with the exhemption date but i wil still get it tested, however at least one wont have to worry if maybe next year,I say went to the Ireland Northwest 200 again and maybe extend that and go directly to The IOM for the TT , then at least if necessary it wont be an offence if The MOT hasnt been done by then,as the car has to sit outside on the road but considering that rear wheel could have caused a loss of control, on the road from here,that is a bit of a rollercoaster from here alongside the River Stour, i will still be MOT ing the Viva.

[Paul Dawson]

This popped up on my Facebook page this morning - shared from another car club - I can't vouch for how factual it is but I see no reason for someone to make it up....

It may interest members to know that if you decide to continue submitting your car for an MOT once it has been registered as 'Historic', you could end up loosing this status and have to reapply. The reason I say this is that when my friend Ian Macaulay purchased the Mayflower that I have subsequently bought from him, he requested the specialist Classic supplier he bought the car from, to submit the car for an MOT. The car passed with no advisories which was very nice but when Ian took delivery of the car and tried to apply for the free Annual Road Fund License, the free status had fern resinded. It appears the DVLA system can not cope with the owner of an 'Historic' class vehicle that is also MOT exempt, submitting their vehicle for an official MOT test. Ian had to reapply to get the 'Historic' status reinstated. This seems a daft way of doing things to me. Surely, if an owner of an MOT exempt vehicle still wishes to submit that vehicle to an official test, they should be able to do so without encountering bureaucratic idiocy. When I took over ownership of Mildred, I had my local garage carry out a safety inspection but not an official MOT. I was told that had the car been submitted to an MOT using the criteria that applies to a vehicle of her age, she would have passed with no advisories which is great news but I find it ridiculous that I can not submit the car to an official MOT without its 'Historic' classification being rescinded.

[droopsnoot]

Perhaps that is a temporary "glitch" - after all, the MOT exemption has existed for pre-1960 cars for some time and I've heard several reports of people still taking them for tests, and no reports of them having historic status removed. It is also possible, however, that these people are taking them for MOT-like tests, rather than sending them through the system, which is probably my own intention.

I've always had fun getting the Firenza through the emissions test, which it requires only because it was registered later than mot, and I won't miss that part. I do like the brake roller test, and having someone point out stuff I didn't see, and my MOT man has said that they'll do something, though at the time I asked him the testing stations hadn't had any official notification of the change.

[1972nail]

,I say went to the Ireland Northwest 200 again

Gav, if you do come to N Ireland for the NW200 next year give me a shout, I live about 10 miles from the course and we usually do a drive around the circuit with a few friends from other Vauxhall/Opel clubs on one of the nights during race week, you will be very welcome to join us, MOT'ed or not!