pre 1960 mot's

[stuvy]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18146326

any one else seen this?

Il be honest i think its actually a bad idea as rust is a nightmare as we all know on older cars is a PITA! plus poorly maintained cars... need i continue?

 

[keithski122]

Crap idea.I think my beetle just misses this being built late 1960.I think I keep things maintained to a high standard but still a good idea to have an official check.If mine was mot exempt I think I would still get an mot done anyway and I'm a mechanic.

 

[rtbcomp]

A lot of people who own classics know how to polish it and that's it.

I think this is a daft idea too. I hate MOT time, but having an impartial check on the car gives me some peace of mind.

If they want to help classic car owners then bring back the rolling tax-free status.

 

[Shox Dr]

What a load of ********.

QuoteThe vehicles make up about 0.6% of the total number of licensed vehicles in Britain.....

Mr Penning said the government was committed to cutting out red tape which cost motorists money "without providing significant overall benefits".


30quid for a MOT that's really going to save the hard done by motorist besides, I'd like to see an insurance Co, willing to offer you insurance without one.


Clearly they have worked out 1960 is the latest they can set it at before too many would be covered.


Just like the 1973 cut off for road tax

 

[tigler]

Up will go the price of pre 1960 stuff then ! I only have a couple of pre 60 bikes, bgugre !!

 

[madkayaker]

It will be even easier to swap plates off a 1960 piece of scrap onto something newer now!

 

[the snooper]

most people that have classic cars are enthusiasts and do maintain them well, but there will always be he exception to the rule like joe bloggs that just wants to save 30 quid and the haasle of the test

 

[Drains]

I notice MP Greg Knight who led the bill said "the majority of owners are meticulous in keeping their vehicles in good condition".

Which is probably true of most car owners anyway. And what about the minority who are not?

Dangerous Nonsense.

 

[breezer]

The problem is most MOT centres are not set up to deal with older stuff.

I have a couple of 60's scooters and the testers are frightened to death of kick starting them for fear of breaking something, taking panels off for fear of scratching paint etc.

I also have a pre-60 BSA and how many test centres have whitworth spanners...

The last MOT I had (on a modern bike) I was given an advisory on the brake pads. You can't see the brake pads unless you remove a cover, but rather than do that and check whether they were ok or not I got an advisory notice. How's that worth £30, or even peace of mind?

 

[the snooper]

I also have a pre-60 BSA and how many test centres have whitworth spanners...

they dont actually need any as legally they arnt allowed to use them

 

[Gritineye]

Heavy Goods vehicles over 3500kg gross like mine have been MOT exempt since the MOT was first introduced, mainly because of the difficult in testing them to current standards.

I would have thought the statistical safety record of them was taken into consideration when debating this change, however, they do not tend to rust in hidden places like cars do!

 

[down the shed]

I do not think it is a bad idea - I do not see the argument at all about 'Barry wanting to save himself £30 a year' - any classic that is roadworth will have an MOT when it is sold - if it is from a dealer, a dealer will MOT it because if they do not and it is involved in an accident due to the state of the car, they would get hammered by their insurance company and could be up on a manslaughter charge.

Likewise, I do not think anyone would spend the money on a <1960's car to get out of an MOT privately - tax exempt pre 1973 cars already atract a premium and this will be more so the case with <1960 stuff.

Think about <1960 cars - how long would it work with no maintainance? Not very long - setting carbs, greasing the many grease nipples, changing plugs, condensers - you would be lucky to get away spending £300 a year just so the thing starts, never mind stops so I cannot see people buying pre 1960 to save £30 a year.

I would also say the vast majority of drivers of modern metal no nothing about how a car works other than they put fuel in it and turn the key and the only time any work gets done on a lot of +5 year old cars is when it either wont start or fails an MOT.

Everyone I have spoken to and who have voiced an opinion in classic magazines, forums and face to face have said they would get the car MOT'ed anyway.

I big problem is many MOT stations do not know or understand classics - play in a wheel bearing on a 7 year old Honda accord would be a fail while the same play on a series 1 or 2 Landy would be perfectly normal, but older cars get fails on these and similar.

The law also states the car must be in a roadworthy condition and as is now, police can issue a prohibition notice against using something that is unfit for use.

In short, any unloved pre 1960's car is unlikely to be on the road and for the pre 1960's cars that are, people have payed good money for them as they have been restored normally to an exent - an MOT is a protection of investment.

I have lost count of how many times drivers of modern cars have asked me why the break warning light comes on - this is basic stuff. These people scare me a lot more than the chance that some ones MG T is going to crumble in front of me.

 

[MattF]

I do not think it is a bad idea

Same here. At the end of the day, a lot of stuff of that vintage has always been in a bit of a grey area, (the ability to declare it as MOT exempt, then just risk having to argue the toss if one gets called on it), so in all honesty, it'll make little if any difference.

 

[malcolm]

We had the same discussion on the Renault 4 forum when the idea was proposed and agreed that not having an MOT every year for classics is sensible as they don't get the use of modern cars, but one every 5 years would be a good safeguard.

The French have recently changed their collectors cars rules from MOT exempt to an MOT every 5 or so years. The standard of work on MOT exempt cars I've bought over there has been terrible and they've needed rebuilding (though a lot of that is down to the pragmatic French style of mechanicing).

 

[breezer]

they dont actually need any as legally they arnt allowed to use them

Fair point, I was trying to make the point that they just don't understand them. The point about play in bearings on a new honda compared to an old landy probably did it better.

The other thing I tend to notice is that most old vehicle enthusiasts have more than 1 vehicle, and tend to be in a constant cycle of one (or more) running and one (or more) being worked on.

You tend to know your vehicle better as you'e generally had it in bits plenty of times, and if you know something is wrong you want to get it fixed sharpish before it ends up doing more damage.

Appreciate not every old vehicle owner fits into this category.

 

[piman]

Hello Drains,

"Which is probably true of most car owners anyway."

You have to be joking, the average motorist checks nothing on their cars, and probably doesn't know anything about them anyway.

Alec

 

[the snooper]

Fair point, I was trying to make the point that they just don't understand them.

youre probably right, if they cant plug diagnostics in they dont have a clue and loads of the younger people dont know what a distributor is or how the cylinders are fired, good old engines if they broke down get your emery paper out clean and re adjust the points and away you go, always carry a spare condesor the good old days

 

[hotrodder]

Hopefully it's just me being super cynical but i'm wondering if this sort of thing could be a precursor to restricted use which was being banded about a while ago... http://www.classic-car-buyer.co.uk/news/news-archive/112-eu-classic-definition

 

[the snooper]

there are too many rules and regulations eminating from brussels its about time we got the uk back

 

[breezer]

BRING BACK POUNDS SHILLINGS AND PENCE!




Or just LSD...