Mot Due - Few Qs

[ChrisXL]

First year of being a driver and my MOT was meant to be done a couple of weeks ago. I've finally got a bit of time to do it and I have a few Qs regarding whether my car would get through its' MOT:

- Passanger side wing mirror was knocked off some time ago. It's been securely taped on with gaffa tape ever since. Would it be best to completely remove it for its' MOT or leave it securely on?

- Front right headlight - A plastic mount to hold the headlight in place was accidently broken off a week or two ago when changing a bulb. The lamp isn't too lose but it has about 3cm of play in it when wiggled by hand. If I can prop it up with some industrial black tak or something, would this be noticed?

- Also I have a slight leak on an exhaust joint. A friend said it just needs a sealent on it. Does this need to be done before the MOT? The leak is pretty small but don't want to risk it.

What do you all think? Any info will be appreciated!

On a side note - My car has a cooling issue which I hope is going to be solved by replacing the temperature solanoid (as there's steam leaking from the hose connectors), does anyone have a tip for getting the clamps off of the hoses? Will a pair of pliers do it? I would try it myself but am up at Uni and don't have a pair and would probably have to buy some - money is tiiiiight!!

THANKS

[jeebowhite]

First year of being a driver and my MOT was meant to be done a couple of weeks ago. I've finally got a bit of time to do it and I have a few Qs regarding whether my car would get through its' MOT:

Be careful, if you get pulled by the police, you will be prosecuted, driving a car that is not certified for road use.

- Passanger side wing mirror was knocked off some time ago. It's been securely taped on with gaffa tape ever since. Would it be best to completely remove it for its' MOT or leave it securely on?

It is always best to ensure it is fully secured. you are meant to have vision to a minimum of 2 out of 3 mirrors (side and rear view). However having no sidemirror is frowned upon. if you are able to replace fully, or screw the unit together, its best to do so to ensure that there is no risk. At this time, it will be seen as the tape could fray and the part fall off, causing risk to other road users and or pedestrians, so you could well fail for this (even with tape).

- Front right headlight - A plastic mount to hold the headlight in place was accidently broken off a week or two ago when changing a bulb. The lamp isn't too lose but it has about 3cm of play in it when wiggled by hand. If I can prop it up with some industrial black tak or something, would this be noticed?

Overall the vehicle is checked for road worthiness. your lights, as long as they are functioning, are classed as a pass, if you can secure the lamp unit in place, that will be ok. The MOT tends to be the outside, and physical properties, they wont inspect it as thoroughly as you may think. they tend to check for loose parts that will cause problems, rusting that will risk the cars usability, Other than that they ensure that the likes of brakes / steering / general driveability of the care is of a safe standard for use on UK roads.

- Also I have a slight leak on an exhaust joint. A friend said it just needs a sealent on it. Does this need to be done before the MOT? The leak is pretty small but don't want to risk it.

This hole could affect the exhaust emissions readings, and should be sealed. If they cannot get a true reading of what your emissions are (i.e. they cant say for definite that hole is NOT causing a change in your emissions) then your car will fail. As long as its sealed correctly, then that will not be a problem.

What do you all think? Any info will be appreciated!

On a side note - My car has a cooling issue which I hope is going to be solved by replacing the temperature solanoid (as there's steam leaking from the hose connectors), does anyone have a tip for getting the clamps off of the hoses? Will a pair of pliers do it? I would try it myself but am up at Uni and don't have a pair and would probably have to buy some - money is tiiiiight!!

THANKS

99p store or poundland can get you some cheap hardware! pliers will help you get them off, just be careful not to damage those clips, they wont be overly expensive to replace, but can cause a few problems until you have done!

[ChrisXL]

thanks for the reply, don't worry the car has been parked away for a couple of weeks now, not driving it!

Thanks for all the info and in regards to the wing mirror, I need to get the car done this wednesday ideally, and probably wont be able to get a replacement fitted in time. Can I not just take it off and say to the guy that some kid knocked it off? The MOT says that only an inside mirror and drivers mirror are req. by law. Obviously its best to have three but moneeey is hard to come by these days.

Thanks again!

[jeebowhite]

thanks for the reply, don't worry the car has been parked away for a couple of weeks now, not driving it!

Thanks for all the info and in regards to the wing mirror, I need to get the car done this wednesday ideally, and probably wont be able to get a replacement fitted in time. Can I not just take it off and say to the guy that some kid knocked it off? The MOT says that only an inside mirror and drivers mirror are req. by law. Obviously its best to have three but moneeey is hard to come by these days.

Thanks again!

If it needs replacing anyway and you may get round to it one day, if you also screw it together along with the tape, then it would still pass. However if you want to remove it, then your right you could still pass the MOT, as long as there are no other issues with the other two mirrors (i.e. clean, and damage free!) then you should be ok :)

[ChrisXL]

Ahh completely forgot!!

I have two front fog lights that's bulbs need replacing. When I was attempting to replace the bulbs I realised that the glass had actually cracked, and when I took out the casing, the glass just fell to pieces. What do you reccomend I do about these lights? They're not req. in an MOT so is it best just to take them out for the MOT? or maybe gaffa tape over them??

Any suggestions?

[jeebowhite]

Ahh completely forgot!!

I have two front fog lights that's bulbs need replacing. When I was attempting to replace the bulbs I realised that the glass had actually cracked, and when I took out the casing, the glass just fell to pieces. What do you reccomend I do about these lights? They're not req. in an MOT so is it best just to take them out for the MOT? or maybe gaffa tape over them??

Any suggestions?

Technically the glass isnt even required, so I am sure that you could go in with two bulbs in place, however if your concerned, then you can just disconnect the leads, and pull the full housing out of both, and leave them as a gap?

[Sprunghub]

I would remove anything that is damaged and NOT needed, alot of the mot is up to the tester, ie wheel bearing wear, or rust on brake pipes and if you go in with something looking iffey or tatty it will as it were make the tester wonder just how good the rest is? I'm not saying he'd pass something with obvious faults but as said "in his opinion" same with police stopping cars "if he can't be bothered to clean it he won't be maintaining it"

[simpledan]

this is what i do...

go to a garage, say you want a premot check up. if they think its okay than go for the actual mot. if there are major things that need replacing, fix them first. this way no bad records are set on the mot papers and it passes first time. like the above post, mots can actually depend on the person carrying it out, so worth hunting around for a good garage that is willing to do a pre mot check. just words of advice