What is Pre-MOT Inspection & How It Works?

by Ritz Garage Car Repair and MOT Centre Birmingham

If you own a vehicle, you have some fixed annual expenses you need to bear, the MOT check is one of them. MOT costs money and time no what happens, but if your vehicle fails its MOT, will amount to time and money will increase. There are things you can do to increase the chance of passing your vehicle MOT test. If you are looking for MOT Shirley then you can come to us. We have the best certified MOT testers available.

What Is A Pre-MOT Inspection?

A pre-MOT inspection means inspection of your vehicle before its MOT test. The MOT test is the annual inspection that decides the overall condition of your vehicle and whether it’s roadworthy for driving on roads. It is mandatory to have valid MOT certification of the vehicle in the UK.

How To Do Pre-Inspection of Your Vehicle?

You can do your vehicle pre-MOT inspection at any garage in the UK. It is not mandatory to do your Pre-MOT inspection where your vehicle MOT test will be conducted. This gives you the option to look around and find the most suitable according to your needs and the price you want.

The MOT is a legal and standardised test so every garage will follow the same process of inspecting a vehicle. This means whichever garage you choose for pre-MOT inspection you should be sure enough there will be no issues on your MOT test day.

If you have some time, you can save the cost completely and do the pre-MOT inspection of your vehicle by yourself. It usually takes around 12 to 15 minutes and highlights any obvious issue of concern your MOT tester will pick up.

What Are Parts Check in Pre-MOT Inspection?

Lights and Indicators

The mechanic will inspect the lights and indicators by turning on the ignition. They check all your vehicle lights are working properly including brake lights, fog lights and indicators. This way the mechanic will check for any cracked foggy lens that may impact light effectiveness.

Fuel and Filler Cap

They check the fuel filler cap and look for any damages such as leakage and holes. The mechanic will also advise you to fill enough fuel to ensure your vehicle emissions test will also be completed. They will also check if the fuel gauge is working correctly.

Steering and Suspension

The mechanic will press both front wings of your vehicle and if there they feel any bounce instead of returning to the correct position you may have worn shocks. They will also hear any weird noises when driving and if they hear any weird noise from your vehicle they will find the issue.

Wheels and Tyres

They will check the tyre tread using a tyre tread gauge to accurately measure the depth of the tread. The legal tyre tread depth limit is 1.6mm but if your tyres soon reach the legal limit the MOT test will issue an advisory notice for the vehicle. The mechanic will also look for any signs of cuts and bald spots or any kind of damage or degradation.

If you have insurance coverage for your tyres then it is a great time to use it, as it can help you to save on the cost of buying new tyres for your vehicle.

Registration Number Plate

The machine will check both front and rear number plates are visible and don’t have any cracks or missing fonts. They the lights above the rear number plate working properly or not? The number plate must be clearly visible from 20 meters away.

Windscreen and Mirrors

They will check the windscreen and look for any cracks or chips that can block the view of the driver while driving the car. If they found any chip in more than 10mm or any crack is more than 40mm then the mechanic will advise you to replace the windscreen using your vehicle coverage.

Take A Short Drive To Check the Vehicle

When all the components check done, then the mechanic will take your vehicle for a short drive to check for any issues when driving the vehicle. They will check minor details such as the seatbelts are in good condition and when releasing goes it original place. They check the wipers for perishing blades and use fluid to check if it generates enough pressure to clear the windscreen.

They push the brake to check if it makes any noises such as squeaking or juddering. They also hear other components noises such as the gearbox, engine or steering.

What Happens If Your Vehicle Fails its MOT?

Your vehicle can fail its MOT if it comes under the major or dangerous fault category. Keep in mind minor faults will not result in MOT failure. If your vehicle fails its MOT test you can repair or replace the damaged components before applying the MOT retest.