Is your MOT coming up soon? Do you have plans for the rest of summer? Perhaps visiting some of the UK’s must-see sites, or just puttering around your local area – whichever you decide to do, make sure you take care of your MOT before you explore the surroundings of major UK areas like London, Essex or even Basildon on your travels. The Wat Tyler Centre will be so much more appreciated without the delays and inconvenience of a breakdown! Let’s have a look at five things every driver should know about their upcoming MOT.
The Checklist Changes Every So Often
Be aware that as vehicles change along with our understanding of the world around us and our impact on it, new items are added to the checklist. In time, it is probable that some items will come off the list – for example, emissions might fall away once we’ve moved far away enough from ICE (internal combustion engines) vehicles to EVs (electric vehicles). But those days are some way off, and everything on the list is still a requirement of roadworthiness.
It’s a Legal Requirement
Your MOT is not just a way for your mechanic to make a little profit: it is a legally mandated vehicle check that must be undertaken on every vehicle of the appropriate age (three years from the date of registration, in most of the UK). Without a valid MOT, your car should not only not be on the roads, it should not even be parked on your driveway or on the road outside your house. If you aren’t sure about your MOT status, it is much better to bite the bullet and book a test sooner, rather than later. Let’s say if you are someone looking to book MOT in Basildon, visit Elite Direct today.
There’s No Grace Period
The expiry date on your current MOT certificate (or the third anniversary date) is a hard expiry. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a persistent rumour that there was a two-week grace period on the certificate’s expiry date: this was never true! It is true that during the first lockdown, those people who’s MOTs fell due were given a six-month grace period because travelling for non-essential reasons was forbidden. But this one-off waiver has long since expired and there is nothing to replace it. If your MOT certificate’s date is looming, book your MOT test as soon as possible
You Can Help Your Car to Pass MOT
You might not be a qualified mechanic, but you can still perform a number of small tasks that will all help your car to sail through its MOT test. Little things like making sure the car is clean and not cluttered; ensuring mirrors and the number plate are firmly affixed; and ensuring that your tyres are in great shape too (fully inflated, good tread depth, and properly fitted) can all help to clock up lots of little passes that could be the difference between a pass and a fail.
For Best Results: Team It With a Service
For the more mechanically intensive tasks, why not book a service to occur immediately before your MOT test? This way, the mechanics can make sure that your car is in as good a condition as possible, before they put it into the hands of the MOT inspector.
Your MOT can be an inconvenience, but they are designed to help make the UK’s roads safer for everyone who uses them, so it is worth doing everything you can to help your car stay in excellent roadworthy condition throughout the year – that way, you’ll sail through your MOT effortlessly.
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