Renault Clio - Mot Major failure

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Sat 14 Jan 2023 22:40
Renault Clio - Mot Major failure - malct

I think i know the answer to this , But on the off chance that i am wrong , its worth asking

my car failed its MOT today (saturday) due to the drivers side Ball joint worn away.

My current MOT is up to 31st Jan but i believe that i am only about to drive the car from the MOT Station/Garage to home and then to the place off repair which i have explained to my wife who needs the car for work.... So the question is , Is she allowed to drive the car under the old MOT? I say No...

On another note

The car was booked in for a MOT/Service at 9am at a major Garage/tyre retailer and the car was supposed to be ready for 12pm , But informed that due to staff shortage , the car would be ready at 3pm...

I received a phone call to tell me a bout the failure and very possible that they would not be able to complete the job by closing time and that the cost would be £180

The mechanic started to replace the ball joint only to find out that he wasn't able to complete the job and he would need an extra 2 hours and the price would be more closer to £400.

I was then informed that the next available appointment was in 10 days time and they offered me the chance to take the car home and look for another garage to do the Ball joint.

I decided to try ATS which was next door and they quoted me £150 to replace the ball joint and told me that included the time that it would take and quoted me 3 hours to do the work. So shocking that i would have been charged nearly £400 if they were able to compete the job today.

The car is booked in to get its MOT done at the original garage of the first MOT after getting the car back from ATS.

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Sat 14 Jan 2023 23:03
Renault Clio - Mot Major failure - Adampr

You can continue to drive under the current MOT if the fault is identified as 'Major'. If it is 'Dangerous', you can't.

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Sun 15 Jan 2023 10:17
Renault Clio - Mot Major failure - malct

Thank you for your reply , The law is a bit of a gray area and it seems that they allow you up to 10 days to get the car repaired or it becomes illegal to drive it.

The Guy at the ATS center told me that i could only drive the car back home and then back for the repair and if you call in to tescos, Then you could be breaking the law.

However , I have found this on the net.... and i was issued with a VT30 form and BTW, The garage decided to do the MOT before the service, If the service was done first, Then the garage could have told me that the car would fail and maybe give me the option of getting the car repaired before the test

Can I Still Drive My Vehicle After a Failed MOT?

Usually, no. If a mechanic finds a major or dangerous fault and issues a VT30 form, your car is no longer fit for the road. Even if you have an issue with the MOT failure, you can't drive as normal while you wait for the appeal process. Driving without a valid MOT is a criminal offence and carries a £1000 fine if you're stopped by the police.

What's more, if they find the 'refusal' certificate in the car's documents, there's an additional £2,500 fine for driving an unroadworthy vehicle. You might also face a driving ban or three points on your licence.

There are two exceptions to this rule.

If your previous MOT certificate is still valid because you booked your test early, you can still drive your vehicle. However, we strongly discourage this. An MOT failure means the car isn't safe for the road and driving it would endanger yourself and others. Get your vehicle fixed early, retested and pass the MOT before driving it again.

The only other time you can drive a vehicle after an MOT failure is if your MOT fails on the same day as your previous certificate expires, but only if you're driving to a garage for repairs or a pre-arranged MOT appointment. There are some council-run MOT test centres, but these can't complete repairs on site. If your vehicle fails here, you can't leave until you book an appointment with a local garage and can get your vehicle there immediately. Else, you will need to book a tow truck to move your vehicle.

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Sun 15 Jan 2023 11:01
Renault Clio - Mot Major failure - Brit_in_Germany

Not sure if that link was intentional but this is the more appropriate one:

www.gov.uk/getting-an-mot/after-the-test

You can take your vehicle away if:

  • your current MOT certificate is still valid
  • no ‘dangerous’ problems were listed in the MOT

Otherwise, you’ll need to get it repaired before you can drive.

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