Taking your car for an MOT is something all drivers have to do but isn’t necessarily something we all look forward to. We all want our car to pass its MOT, but it can be particularly frustrating when your car fails over something that could’ve easily been fixed beforehand – especially when you are forced to pay for repairs and a retest. Some problems can’t be fixed before an MOT, but there are a few things that you can check for yourself to help your car on its way to passing.
1. Window wipers
If your wipers are torn or damaged, they could be determined as inefficient at clearing your windscreen, which could be enough for your car to fail its MOT. If your wipers have seen better days, you can purchase new ones online and fit them easily yourself, or you could visit a store to purchase new wipers.
2. Your horn
A car horn that doesn’t work is one reason why your car could fail its MOT. Test your horn before you send your car for an MOT to make sure it sounds. If it doesn’t work, a mechanic will easily be able to take a look and see why – and perhaps fix it before your MOT.
3. Lights
Check that all of your car’s lights work – headlights, rear lights, brake lights, reversing lights and fog lights. If they’re not working as expected, they could cause your car to fail its MOT. Also, check that your car’s indicators work correctly and show as the correct colour. If they show clear or faint, the orange coated bulbs may need replacing.
4. Your washers and screen wash
Make sure your washers are angled correctly to wash the screen and are filled with screen wash. Broken washers could also make your car unsafe – if you can’t clear your windscreen, your visibility can be reduced - so always test these before an MOT.
5. Tyres
Ensure that your tyres aren’t damaged, flat or have dangerously worn treads. Most petrol stations have a facility for checking your tyre pressure, which you can do yourself before a MOT. You can also check the treads of your tyres at home using a 20p coin. Hold the coin into the tread grooves on your tyre - if you can still see the outer band of the coin, your tyres might be dangerously worn. By checking your tyres, you can make sure you fix any problems before you get that dreaded MOT fail.
6. Seatbelts
Seat belts are an important safety feature of all cars, so it’s not surprising a faulty seat belt can cause a failure on your MOT. Check that all of your seat belts work, can be plugged in, and aren’t trapped under any seats (in the back of the car).
Checking these simple things could stop your car from failing its MOT unnecessarily, and save you the hassle of repairs and retests. If your car does happen to fail its MOT, it’s not the end of the world… Just make sure you get any problems fixed as soon as possible and have it retested so you can get back on the road legally.
Correct at the time of publication. Information in this article has been gathered from various sources, therefore WiseDriving cannot be held responsible for any view or opinion expressed herein.
