2 year MOT's

[+Steve]

Government is considering changing MOT to two years. Do you guys think this is a good idea?

[Jamesbelfast]

Well it would fall in line with our European cousins who dictate what checks should be made.

Personally I am against it - my main reason being that during these hard economic times many drivers will reduce their spending on maintenance so the once yearly routine at least forces them to maintain their car to a minimum safety standard.

[acetip]

Well it would fall in line with our European cousins who dictate what checks should be made.

Personally I am against it - my main reason being that during these hard economic times many drivers will reduce their spending on maintenance so the once yearly routine at least forces them to maintain their car to a minimum safety standard.

Have to agree,James.

[Lorna2]

What! Its the first I heard of it.MOT in Northern Ireland is when the car reaches its 4th year. Wanting to change the MOT to 2 years, its just to get themselves more money. Sure the cars aren't even out of warranty. They'll be making us get our cars MOT'd when they are a year old before they are finished.

[dangermooser]

I think every 2 years is a bad idea keep it as it is

[KPARRIS-JONES]

We are struggling to keep *****ers off the road as it is - take my GTi for example! - so keep it as it is, or even go to the 6th month mark. Cars should be looked after anyway, the fact people are allowed to buy these potentially dangerous machine without having any knowledge or obligation to obtain them is sickening. Keep it a year or shorten the time!

KP

[Parts-King]

This chestnut has been around for a long time in the industry. Personally, I think it would be disasterous. There are millions of people out there who spend the very least they can on maintenance, the only time they spend any money on the car is when they are forced to because of the MOT test. I can see a rise in serious road accidents due to faulty vehicles if the MOT is moved to two yearly. Nearly 60% of cars fail the MOT when they are 13 years old, imagine if those sheds went to two year intervals?

Stop interfeering Mr Hammond, leave it as it is and shuffle a few more papers around your desk to look busy

Kingo

[Jamesbelfast]

It would be nice to see the percentage of accidents related to poor maintenance in other European countries that opearate on the two year MOT cycle. As it is we have nothing to compare with. Maybe some member of the forum may be able to enlighten us.

In Northern Ireland the first MOT is at 4 years old but the test is far more stringent than the mainland UK. And they have no advisories - it either passes or fails.

[Daveyonthemove]

This chestnut has been around for a long time in the industry. Personally, I think it would be disasterous. There are millions of people out there who spend the very least they can on maintenance, the only time they spend any money on the car is when they are forced to because of the MOT test.

Kingo

You just described my Brother in that statement! haha

I have to agree though, there are too many cars on the road with bald tyres, cracked windscreen's, lights badly aligned or not working properly.

Giving some of these owners 24 months to let things get worse is asking for trouble. I'm quite happy to get mine done annually as it is an incentive to keep it in good condition in order to reduce a big bill every 12 months.

[Jamesbelfast]

There is the possibilty the EU may make the UK fall into line with other member countries such as Ireland.

[Leeky]

I think its a bad idea personally.

Firstly because there are enough cars on the road as it is which are in a shocking condition. If you double the frequency between MOT's you double the time that these heaps stay on the road potentially causing an accident.

Some could argue that MOT's were brought in years ago when cars were rubbish and that modern cars last a lot longer. But most MOT failures are simple owner lazyness/ignorance. Like tyres below the legal limit or brake pads which are on their last legs. The worst one i always hear about is engines using/leaking oil and rather that owners trying to get it fixed they just keep topping it up!

Secondly by doubling the time between MOT's the testing stations will suffer. I dont think their MOT work will half exactly if the government double the duration but it will certainly affect their business to a noticable degree. And in a recovering economy such as ours it would not help this country at all to relax the rules when there are plenty of negatives and no positives that i can see.

If you look after your car then it should always pass an MOT, so its only the MOT dodgers who i think will benefit from this and they really are the people who need MOT tests to keep them off the road.

[Uber_Luke]

We are struggling to keep ****ters off the road as it is - take my GTi for example! - so keep it as it is, or even go to the 6th month mark. Cars should be looked after anyway, the fact people are allowed to buy these potentially dangerous machine without having any knowledge or obligation to obtain them is sickening. Keep it a year or shorten the time!

KP

You wouldn't say that when your grand parents are getting ripped off twice a year instead of once!! lol

[+Steve]

Annual MoT tests could be a thing of the past, despite fears of an increased number of deaths and injuries, if a Government plan comes into force.

Under the new plan, new cars would need an MoT after four years; cars under ten years would only need an MoT every two years, with only vehicles over 10-years-old needing an annual check.

However, a study commissioned by the government appears to undermine this plan, saying that the move would be 'likely to have adverse road safety consequences.'

Vehicle defects account for three per cent of road accidents according to The Transport Research Laboratory, with motoring groups fearing that biannual checks will cause an extra 55 deaths on British roads every year.

With over 23 million MoT tests taking place each year, garages have also condemned this proposal, claiming jobs will be lost as repair work to get vehicles through the test will fall off.

Despite all the arguments against, apparently the Department for Transport is still keen to push ahead with these changes.

source: http://uk.autoblog.com/2011/08/23/government-to-relax-mot-rules-despite-concerns/

[balli hi]

I think this would have a disastrous effect on road safety, its bad enough as it is with some people ignoring car maintenance until the MOT is due, i know times are hard but safety should be put before all else, in the cab trade from next year all London Licensed Taxis will have to undergo two MOT's per annum as opposed to the yearly licensing inspection which is to be scrapped in favor of the twice yearly MOT.

[acetip]

I think this would have a disastrous effect on road safety, its bad enough as it is with some people ignoring car maintenance until the MOT is due, i know times are hard but safety should be put before all else, in the cab trade from next year all London Licensed Taxis will have to undergo two MOT's per annum as opposed to the yearly licensing inspection which is to be scrapped in favor of the twice yearly MOT.

Pity they dont do these safety inspections to mini cabs as well,but i dont suppose there is a way to know if they are being used for hire.lots of them in the big cities are not taxed or got any insurence or if the drivers have even got driving licences.

[De La Sol]

From a personal point of view, I can't say I wouldn't be pleased for the convenience of not having to deal with this annually, especially as I usually have more than one car to have to deal with. My work has never allowed me the convenience of being able to deal with these matters during the week, so it always becomes a saturday morning rush.

There are the obvious safety concerns though, and probably the simple fact that people are more likely to forget when they last had it done and when it is due - it's probably shocking how many people are unaware of when theirs is due and with a two year cycle it would be even harder for them to keep track.

[jirehn]

Will the government really implements it?I think that is really bad.