mot exempt morris - annual garage check?

[totalbeginner]

Evening, New user so excuse if this has been discussed before but I have recently bought a 1957 morris minor 1000 I have given it a good service checked brakes, lights, tyres, etc. In my opinion it is road worthy but how have you gone about getting a garage to double check so to speak? Do people generally do that, or get an mot done anyway? Or just maintain and know it's roadworthy?

Getting paranoid about the fact its last mot was in 2012 and if it were to be in an accident the insurance company would be looking for any excuse to not pay out?

[jagnut66]

Hi,
I believe that if you want you can still submit it for an MOT voluntarily.
However I am also led to believe that if it fails then, like any other newer car, you must rectify the faults and present it for a retest before you can legally drive it on the roads again.

Insurance companies are always looking for an excuse not to pay up!!

Best wishes,
Mike.

[dalebrignall]

if it was me i would feel safer if the car was tested .

[Trickydicky]

I too would have it tested. While a MOT only shows that when the car was tested it was roadworthy, a good inspector will advise you of any issues that will create problems in the future.
If it were mine regardless of the fact it is MOT exempt it would be tested every year.

[bmcecosse]

Take it to the garage and ask them to do the MOT checks - but NOT to log it in on the DVLA computer. This way - if there are any problems found - you are much less restrained as to when and how you get them sorted out...and nothing nasty is recorded against the car.

[totalbeginner]

Ok but if I did that (ask for mot but not logged) I wouldn't get anything on paper would i? And therefore nothing to evidence, unless they would list checks completed and pased?

I've nothing against getting mot done per se, but like as stated above, I'm concerned a failure would be logged and have to be rectified, but what if it maynot be rectifiable, as its an old car and things like brake performance or emissions etc whilst good for that car, would (i assume) fall short of modern standards?

I might give my local garage a ring and ask their advice I just want to do the right thing and be a responsible motorist but don't want to open a can of worms. Just wondering what others do it all seems a big grey area

[qwerty165]

Since things such as emissions became a concern after the car was manafactured they are not tested on the car and in other respects you can only expect a standard car to be as good as the day it left the factory in order to pass an MOT and so issues faced by modern cars and the level of requirment should be taken into account by any reasonable garage.

[jagnut66]

There are plenty of Minors out there still using their original drum brake set up, these are still passing the MOT, so I wouldn't worry about not passing on this, yours may need adjusting or at worst new drums, shoes and cylinders plus fresh brake fluid. All of which is readily available.
Also cars over a certain age are not tested for emissions, as long as it's not smoking it will be fine.

[bmcecosse]

Nothing to stop you printing off a list of the MOT test points - with 'tick' boxes -and ask them to complete the form and stamp it with their Company mark. And a receipt for 'Safety Check to MOT Standard' for your files.

[kennatt]

Hang on a bit ,if the car fails a voluntary mot,then it should be taken off the road until it is up to the standard that it will pass. The main reason for pre 60 cars not requiring an mot,was that on doing a survey dvla found that very few were failing,or only getting minor advisories,so not worth being included.comments like(I'm concerned a failure would be logged and have to be rectified,) just show why many were opposed to to the exemption in the first place. How many are now running with serious faults . Get it through an official mot,fix any faults,then you will know the car is road worthy.At the time of the exemption,I suggested and still do, that the exemption should be based on a mileage limit between compulory mot,s.

The cars were passing mots even with all the new regulations in place pre exemption,no reason why they shouldn't still do so.Many on here have extensive knowledge of minors and maintain to a standard much higher then modern owners.But others have no mechanical knowledge and have no idea that,the bit of a knock from the front could be a trunnion about to part company,or that bit of dampness on the inside of the tyre is a leaking brake cylinder.... Rant over

[totalbeginner]

Thanks again for replies. I am confident there are no serious faults but
I will probably end up.putting it through an mot anyway,


,

[IaininTenbury]

Probably best to go for an MOT. Its clear cut and less debatable than a 'Fred down the garage looked over it and said it was ok' scenario. My local MOT station do a discount for pre 60s cars now. Still very much a proper MOT test, logged on and everything but its an encouragement to get them tested and an acknowledgement on their part that the test won't take as long asa modern car.
If you've looked over the car yourself and it seems good the tester is unlikely to find anything that will keep it off the road beyond the 10 day free retest, and if he does find anything, then regardless of the law you don't really want to be driving it till its sorted anyway.
Simplest way is to just pretend that MOT exemption doesn't exist and just carry on as normal
Good luck

[alexmcguffie]

I guess a lot of it depends how mechanically competent you are and how you feel about your insurance company. Also if you do have an accident how would the third partys insurance comany view you not having an MOT? I'm surte they would use it to at least delay things.

Personally, given the running costs of a Minor are low then having the peace of mind of an MOT shouldn't break the bank. I'm also assuming its not an everyday car. If you have a friendly tester, see if he'll charge you trade prices given that there's less to test on a classic compared to a modern. Used to work for me.

Don't forget that a Minor can still fail its test on emissions if it blows visible smoke. There shouldn't be a probe up the exhaust test though.

[plastic_orange]

The law states you don't need an MOT, so why pay for something you don't need. What's next - 'I want to pay road tax'
Didn't think so
Of course, if you are unable to do the most basic check of your car's roadworthiness, then I guess you are paying for peace of mind, but what happens a week later?
Any old car enthusiast should really get themselves up to speed with how their car works, and how to keep it safe.

Pete

[kennatt]

Of course, if you are unable to do the most basic check of your car's roadworthiness, then I guess you are paying for peace of mind,

Thats is exactly,the point,less than £1 a week to save a life,no contest.

[plastic_orange]

I'd suggest that the MOT only checks that your car is roadworthy on the day of the test - It is up to the owner to maintain the vehicle in that condition for the remaining 364 days, or do you pay for an MOT every day for 'peace of mind' ? Of course, this doesn't just apply to owners of MOT exempt vehicles.
How hard can it be to check lights, tyres, shocks, wipers, brakes, suspension on a regular basis - this is something that just doesn't get done by the majority of folk. How many folk regularly grease the suspension on a minor?
What I'm saying in a nutshell is that if you are running an old vehicle (of any sort), you are saying you are an enthusiast, so get to know your car and it's maintenance.

Pete

[chickenjohn]

Just take it for an MOT to a "classic friendly garage", ask your local branch of the MMOC for such a garage.

[alexmcguffie]

I'd suggest that the MOT only checks that your car is roadworthy on the day of the test - It is up to the owner to maintain the vehicle in that condition for the remaining 364 days, or do you pay for an MOT every day for 'peace of mind' ? Of course, this doesn't just apply to owners of MOT exempt vehicles.
How hard can it be to check lights, tyres, shocks, wipers, brakes, suspension on a regular basis - this is something that just doesn't get done by the majority of folk. How many folk regularly grease the suspension on a minor?
What I'm saying in a nutshell is that if you are running an old vehicle (of any sort), you are saying you are an enthusiast, so get to know your car and it's maintenance.

Pete

I agree with you 100% but if you follow the forums there are quite a lot of classic car owners who aren't competent mechanics judging by the questions they ask. For them an MOT is money well spent.

[plastic_orange]

Agreed, but I despair about on-going maintenance.

Pete

[alexmcguffie]

Maintainance is on-going