MOT free Motor Vehicles

[brightspark]

there was a test centre round our way cheaper than anyone called little bills apparently most cars failed on brake pipes and they did a roaring trade till someone went out the back and found loads of brake pipes that were ok there not doing tests now and out of business

 

[armalites]

I think the current regulations are at best a fudge ... and goes back to don’t ask , don’t tell ... for example

I have a 79 MGB GT I’m restoring ... now before the regs came in I was legally planning an engine swap out to a rover vvc 1.8 , any approved mods need to be min 30 yrs old .... with the knowledge in mind it would be exempt one day .

so I could still fit the engine and argue the exemption under the 30 yr rule (hey officer it was there when I bought it , as the vvc engine was released in 88 if I remember so just squeezes in ) .

Malc

Approved mods do not not need to be 30yrs old, if the changes are made for safety of efficiency then they could be brand new today. That doesn't apply to engines though.With regards to the engine it's a bit woolly in your case, below is what the government page says with regard to engines. The Land Rover Series 2 club counts a 200tdi as a valid conversion under these rules. The bit that is arguable is "same basic engine" does that mean 4cyl inline of does it mean the same physical block. In your case the engine comes from the same stable, is a 4cyl and the same capacity.

Engine
Alternative cubic capacities of the same basic engine and alternative original equipment engines do not count as a substantial change.

If the number of cylinders in an engine is different from the original, it’s likely to be, but not necessarily, the case that the current engine is not alternative original equipment.


On all the forums I belong every thread about the MOT exemption has been full of "My mate said", "I've heard" etc. This is the official government page that trumps all of our mates

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...toric-classic-vehicles-mot-exemption-criteria

I've said this in every thread and it's already been said all an engine swap outside the rules is going to trigger is an MOT and that's only if you don't declare VHI

This isn't aimed you but I've never seem such a big deal made out of paying for an MOT.

 

[slimjim]

Try telling that to a Coroner
Once the brown stuff hits the fan
For a quid a week

I don’t think producing a MOT will get you your freedom, if the car was unroadworthy it was unroadworthy MOT or not, your car is required to be roadworthy 365 days a year, but only needs a MOT on one of those days,

You have a choice, pay someone to check it for you, or check it thoroughly yourself, if you have the skills, though I suspect that the skills will get rarer, even at mot stations, with the increased emphasis on electronics.

 

[slimjim]

I charge £ 45
About the average around these parts
Personally, I think the price should be fixed
In theory, you are getting the same job at every testing facility

£45 is a good price,

There is a main dealer around our way that charges £30 for a car mot,
I woukd never advise getting one done there, they seem to invent work.

 

[Nell#2]

Just to muddle things up my log book on my van says it's a historic vehicle its taxed and insured but now saying it has no MOT history on the dvla site.
And I cannot rember if it's MOTed or not Or when it ran out.
Now do I just drive it and be fine or will it flag as no MOT ?? it's very road worthy and not been meddled with too much and what has been done is within the DVLA guidelines

 

[zx9]

Engine
Alternative cubic capacities of the same basic engine and alternative original equipment engines do not count as a substantial change.

Oooo the Rover V8 came in much more powerful versions than the low compression one in my Rangie, my bank account wishes I had not read that.

 

[keithski122]

I used to be a mechanic and could never understand why people would get me to do a pre mot, for the same price you can get a proper mot.In my 30 years I've worked on all sorts the last 15 years mainly on what people would consider classics (I don't do mechanical work now though).The idea of a classic car owner seems to be seen as an old duffer who is constantly fixing his car to a better than factory spec, however lots are not.I had an austin healey in the other day that the transmission tunnel was barely attached and the handbrake lever moved all over the place when applied.Then there was the cortina that the owner must have had a hot glue gun for xmas as everything was held together with hot glue.
As an ex mechanic I will still be getting my 57 year old beetle mot'd (not prechecked), though hopefully they won't pick up on the headlight alignment!

 

[Nell#2]

So I've found my mot it ran out in April I'm still non the wiser. I'm thinking I don't need to mot it.
I will be taking it in July for one as I know I've got one even if I don't need one. I would like to thank the DVLA for making it so clear on the transition process

 

[Rannsachair]

I am in the sticks £54.85 for a car mot and usually need to book at least a week in advance. I always give a £5 tip, my dad was a mechanic and always said you appreciated the few customers who tipped as it is not the best paid of jobs.

Bike MOT is almost a 2 hour round trip to my nearest station and having 6 bikes is a hassle I did once have a failure for no rear reflector (reflector is built into the tail light) and I was charged a pound for a stick on bicycle one to pass..... I go to the same place every year in Oban (not the ones who failed me on the reflector) and always give a tip. I now have 4 mot exempt bikes, 3 that I use regularly, I know the bikes well, but will still get an mot for a bike I have fully rebuilt just to give it an extra check in case I have missed something. Oban is a nice trip for me, but i invested in a trailer to save time...

 

[Peloquin]

Read what I wrote again. MOT your MOT exempt vehicle and they will try and charge you for VED​

My land Rover has been tax exempt for years but always MOT'd and I've never had a problem with them trying to charge me. Is this a new thing?

 

[130]

^ I'm no longer a member of the car club the affected person is on so unfortunately can't get the specifics now.

 

[wookie]

Engine
Alternative cubic capacities of the same basic engine and alternative original equipment engines do not count as a substantial change.

If the number of cylinders in an engine is different from the original, it’s likely to be, but not necessarily, the case that the current engine is not alternative original equipment.

Okay I have a Triumph TR7 with a Rover V8 under the bonnet, it originally had a 2 litre 4 cylinder engine but back in the day Triumph did do a version of that car with the Rover V8 (it was called the TR8) so does that count as a modification or not ? In my opinion it shouldn't.

 

[130]

IIRC the TR8 was never type approved and sold in the UK?? I think the MG guy at the start would have a much easier argument.

EDIT:
I take is back, only a few by the looks.

 

[earthman]

I don’t think producing a MOT will get you your freedom, if the car was unroadworthy it was unroadworthy MOT or not, your car is required to be roadworthy 365 days a year, but only needs a MOT on one of those days,

You have a choice, pay someone to check it for you, or check it thoroughly yourself, if you have the skills, though I suspect that the skills will get rarer, even at mot stations, with the increased emphasis on electronics.

I totally agree, once you leave that MOT station that piece of paper doesn't count for much really, it's certainly no guarantee that that vehicle remains in a roadworthy condition.

 

[130]

I totally agree, once you leave that MOT station that piece of paper doesn't count for much really, it's certainly no guarantee that that vehicle remains in a roadworthy condition.

What it does do is show you have had an independent inspection to verify road worthiness after you worked on it, or a pattern of doing so.

 

[armalites]

Okay I have a Triumph TR7 with a Rover V8 under the bonnet, it originally had a 2 litre 4 cylinder engine but back in the day Triumph did do a version of that car with the Rover V8 (it was called the TR8) so does that count as a modification or not ? In my opinion it shouldn't.

That should be fine as that engine was an available option during the production run

 

[supaimpy]

So I've found my mot it ran out in April I'm still non the wiser. I'm thinking I don't need to mot it.
I will be taking it in July for one as I know I've got one even if I don't need one. I would like to thank the DVLA for making it so clear on the transition process

no MOT required until you re-tax it, then you will be asked to declare as VHI to continue to be exempt , ALL 40 year vehicles (unless used commercially) are MOT exempt until they need taxing , then you make the declaration

 

[wookie]

IIRC the TR8 was never type approved and sold in the UK?? I think the MG guy at the start would have a much easier argument.

EDIT:
I take is back, only a few by the looks.

Correct, there was a few right hand drive TR8's sold in the UK, I dare say some of the more knowledgeable members of the TR Drivers club will be able to quote exact numbers, me I just know that a few were sold.I know they used the TR8/TR7 with a V8 for rallying so perhaps they sold the road going versions for homologation purposes

That should be fine as that engine was an available option during the production run

That is gonna be my argument with DVLA/VOSA when it's old enough to qualify.

Personally I have no problems taking it for an MOT, but I'm happy I can maintain it to a good standard and as with all my vehicles I keep a book that I write down any work I do to them including part numbers used and services done. Firstly it's a record I can use if necessary to show that I am maintaining it, secondly (and most importantly) I can keep track of what I did to which and when, it's easy to convince yourself you've done something to one vehicle and actually you've done it to another.

 

[armalites]

no MOT required until you re-tax it, then you will be asked to declare as VHI to continue to be exempt , ALL 40 year vehicles (unless used commercially) are MOT exempt until they need taxing , then you make the declaration

This is the one bit that doesn't seem to be 100% clear. If you have a vehicle that is already Historic tax that you renewed in January for example then you MOT ran out on 1st June then technically the vehicle is not MOT exempt until you have declared VHI with a V112 from so you still need to get an MOT. So to me the obvious fix is to SORN the vehicle then re-tax and declare.

 

[supaimpy]

This is the one bit that doesn't seem to be 100% clear. If you have a vehicle that is already Historic tax that you renewed in January for example then you MOT ran out on 1st Ju
ne then technically the vehicle is not MOT exempt until you have declared VHI with a V112 from so you still need to get an MOT. So to me the obvious fix is to SORN the vehicle then re-tax and declare.

no need to declare VHI until you tax it, this was cleared up by the FBHVC got this cleared

Keepers of VHIs claiming an exemption from the MoT test should make a declaration when renewing their vehicle tax.