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| Photo by Sten Rademaker on Unsplash |
{This is a collaborative post}
So come on, hands up, who knew that MOT stood for Ministry of Transport? I certainly didn't, it is one of those acronyms that is so embedded in everyday life that you never even stop to question what it means. The Ministry of Transport test was introduced in 1960, and those first tests were voluntary, conducted on cars older than ten years and only checked brakes, steering and the lights. Despite this, more than half of the first vehicles tested failed their tests! You can see why they felt it eas necessary to introduce this new measure.
Here are five things you should know about your MOT -
Three Year Rule
Instead of ten years, vehicles in much of the UK
must be subject to an MOT test when they turn three years old. In fact, my car has just had its first test a couple of weeks ago and I'm pleased to report, it passed with flying colours. Some vintage cars are
exempt because they do not have modern technology inside them and because they
tend to be used sparingly for specialist vintage events, which means they are very carefully
looked after the rest of the time. In Ireland, it's slightly different and cars must have an MOT after they
turn four years old.
Twenty Checklist
Rather than just brakes, steering and lights, an MOT now thoroughly examines a car, checking everything from the wheels and tyres to the suspension, to the electronics and emissions. Every aspect of the car that could potentially render the driver or other road users unsafe is checked, and just one item failing will result in a fail for the overall MOT. Many people like to book a service concurrent with the MOT test so that the mechanic can fix any issues as he does the service, leaving the car even more MOT ready than before.