Few things are more crucial to car ownership than making sure your vehicle is safe to drive as well as roadworthy. A Ministry of Transportation (MOT) test conducted annually is one approach to be sure of this. In the UK, a MOT test is legally required and serves the purpose of ensuring that your car satisfies the federal government’s minimum safety requirements. This post will discuss how to get your car ready to go through a MOT test. Larger vehicles, including trucks, minibuses, and vans, are the focus of Class 7 MOT centres, which also perform vehicle inspections and testing to make sure they meet safety and environmental regulations.
What Makes A MOT Test Crucial?
Let’s briefly review the significance of the MOT test before delving into the specifics of how to get your automobile ready for one. First of all, it is legally required, and not having a current MOT certificate can cost you up to £1,000. Second, the test’s purpose is to determine whether your car is safe to drive as well as roadworthy. You are helping to keep other drivers and passengers safe as well as yourself when you make sure your vehicle satisfies the minimal safety requirements.
Look For Warning Lights on Your Dashboard
Although you shouldn’t disregard the notifications on your dashboard, we recognize the fact that it’s not always feasible to fix them right immediately. All alert indicators should be attended to as immediately achievable, but if you have been pushing them off, right now is the perfect opportunity to have them carefully investigated.
Warning lights are a severe malfunction that will be identified during your MOT test, therefore it’s critical to have them looked into in advance to save a potentially deadly issue from getting worse.
Tyres
Examine the tyres by walking around the car. Ensure that:
- Nothing is lodged beneath the tread, no scratches or bulges on the sidewalls.
- The rim of a 20-penny piece or a tread depth measure can be used. Place this in the tire’s circumferential grooves. The pneumatic tyres need to be replaced if the coin’s rim is protruding.
- Verify the size and manufacturing type of each tyre to ensure they complement opposite ones on the same axle.
- The unused spare tyre on the car needs to be road-legal as well.
Brake Lights
Have a friend verify that pressing the brake pedal activates all of the rear brake lights, including optional braking strip signals. Use your car’s mirrors to check your vision if you are working alone. Then, cautiously drive up to a reflecting surface like a wall, garage entrance or window.
Inspect Your Brakes
As one of your car’s most crucial safety components, it’s critical to ensure that the braking systems are operating properly. Make sure that the brake fluid has been topped off to the proper level and inspect your brake pads as well as the disc’s overall wear and tear.
Verify The Tread And Tyre Pressure
It’s critical to make sure that the tyres are in excellent shape because damaged tyres may shorten the distance that you can stop. The minimum tread required by law is 1.6mm. You risk paying a citation of up to £2,500 including three-point penalties for each tyre if you are found driving on the roadway with tyres that are smaller than this. Your tires’ tread can be checked at home. It is advisable to have your deteriorated tyres replaced by someone with experience beforehand passing MOT.
Physique
All of the doors on the vehicle must be accessible and able to be opened from the interior as well as the outdoors, and in addition, there shouldn’t be any jagged edges that could harm pedestrians. The bumpers need to be tight.
Examine The Mirrors And Windscreen
Make sure nothing is obstructing your view and that there aren’t no cracks in your windscreen as this is a typical explanation for MOT failure. You also need to have both of your required mirrors in working order to complete your MOT.
Make That The Wipers Are Operating Properly
If the blades on your wipers break and are unable to adequately clear off the windscreen, the windscreen could experience damage and eventually collapse. It’s simple to change wiper blades on your own, or if you stop by The Foundry Garage, we can take care of this for you.
Verify The Information On Your License Plate
Make sure your license plate is readable and in excellent shape because it is a crucial component of your vehicle. An MOT failure may occur if your license plate is broken or unreadable.
Verify The Levels Of Your Oil And Fuel
Make sure your automobile has enough oil and petrol before bringing it in for a MOT test. A failure could occur if the motor vehicle runs out of oil or petrol through the test.
Final words
To sum up, getting your automobile ready for a MOT test is a necessary aspect of being a car owner. You may make arrangements to ensure your automobile is ready for examination and that it satisfies the federal government’s minimal safety requirements by using the advice provided in this article.
Also, read this: Keeping Your Vehicle Safe and Secure – A Driver’s Guide
