MOT Explained - DSA Autocentre Sheffield

MOT Explained DSA Autocentre

DSA Autocentre in Sheffield pride ourselves in helping our customers drive safely. We know that car maintenance can be a chore, but we have made it as convienient as possible by providing services that suit our customers lifestyles, including mobile servicing, mobile tyre fitting, mobile brake repair, mobile car battery fitting. At our Autocentre we also provide confortable facilities for you to enjoy whilst your car or van is being MOT tested. We ra e often asked about the reasoning behind MOTs so we have put together some details that will help you understand.

For more information on MOT Class and the test itself, visit our MOT service page

Why The Three Year Car MOT Is Necessary

Although it appeared on the news from time to time a while back, motorists can be forgiven for not having noticed the debate around the annual vehicle MOT test. The UK government had been consulting on extending the deadline of a car’s first MOT from three to four years ended.

The thinking was that the latest motors are better built, more robust and safer than ever before and thus should not require a MOT check so early on in their automotive existence. That’s not an unreasonable idea. Why not extend it out to four years and save motorists money? The trouble is that youth in a car does not necessarily mean it has been well treated during the first four years of motoring life.

Not all owners take the care that they should when it comes to vehicle maintenance. Thus, any resulting changes to the existing MOT system could have potentially serious safety repercussions for motorists. This is especially true when buying a used car.

Is It Really That Bad?

Imagine perhaps deciding to sell an old car to raise the capital needed to purchase a newer used motor that’s still under warranty. How would you feel if that pre-owned vehicle wasn’t all it appeared to be once you’d run it for a short while? This is why we have registered MOT garages; to save us from ourselves.

This is of real and genuine concern. The sad fact is that even in this day and age, according to the latest figures available, more than 400,000 cars fail the initial three-year MOT due to technical issues, including brakes and suspension, thus making them unsafe to drive. Extending the MOT deadline could mean that those same faulty vehicles could potentially spend an additional twelve months on our highways and byways without being checked. In time they could be sold to an unsuspecting new owner.

This has consequences for both motorists and the car industry. Concern was expressed that this proposed MOT period extension would result in an increased number of road accidents in the UK. If evidence of the value of this annual car check is needed then, in 2015, there were almost 100,000 fewer accidents recorded in the UK than 2005. This clearly highlights the benefits of the first three-year and then annual MOT.

It’s A Simple Matter Of Safety

Of course, a car can be checked at any time by a competent garage for safety faults, but an official report from 2011 pointed out the motorists’ tendency to wait until a car’s MOT test to check safety. This suggests that, while motorists could check to make sure their vehicle is operating at a standard that would pass the test, most do not until they are faced with the ultimate prospect failing the MOT. This is one good reason to always only buy a car that has a full service record, for example. At least then a buyer will know it has been inside a garage for a check over.

The delayed checking of mechanical parts on a car will lead inevitably to an increased cost for the unfortunate new owner. The longer a part is left to wear, the more expensive a repair will be. That’s just common sense.

Although we all complain endlessly about rising car costs and the like perhaps we should all give a thought for the people who work in the industry. Think about it, in the short term the short term at least, with over 29million MOT tests carried out every year, if new cars only got tested on a four-year cycle, jobs could be at risk. Whatever, the consultation is long over and we are left with the status quo. The government have made their decision and for once erred on the side of common sense which says that we should leave well enough alone.