Spare tyre is not, and never has been, part of the test. You can present without, or with flat, bald, chopped to pieces etc. If it's visible and obviously unserviceable the tester might point it out, but you won't get a fail. Of course, if the spare tyre is fitted it must conform - so a space saver will result in a fail!
--
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
|
|
99% sure you're wrong there Richard. As said before, if you have a spare wheel in the car, it must be road legal.
|
Although everything I can find on the 'net agrees with you.
In the past I've only ever heard that if there is one, it should be checked.
Maybe it has changed?
|
|
Put it the other way round, if you think the spare is illegal/unsafe, why mess about? A new tyre for a Clio suitable as a spare is only going to cost £25-£30, surely? Bear in mimd that the MoT req for tyre safety has been said by some experts to be too low.
|
I agree - spare tyre not and never has been tested
The only thing that a spare tyre could fail on would be if it was an undermounted one and the mounting was insecure.
www.motuk.co.uk/manual_410.htm
This inspection applies to
Tyres fitted to the road wheels only. The vehicle presenter should be informed when it is noticed that there is a defective tyre on a spare wheel.
|
|
|
<< A new tyre for aClio suitable as a spare is only going to cost £25-£30, surely?
I like my spare to be as safe as the other tyres, and preferably to match the other tyres. For this reason I specified a full width spare as an optional extra on my current car.
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
|
|
|
|
spare wheel has never been part of the test.
here is the official word;
www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/carlgvowners/mottesting/carco...m
Wheels and Tyres
Condition, security, tyre size/type and tread depth. Spare tyres are not inspected.
|
Thanks for the replies, seems to be quite clear then that the spare is noty covered by the MOT. On another point made above, I can't see how a space saver is illegal, I have one in the boot of my Mondeo and the tester certainly looked at that when it had it's first MOT in May.
By the way, the spare in the Clio's boot is brand new unused, it was just that the guy opened the boot though did not lift the cover so as to even see if there was a spare wheel there.
|
|
I suspect he only opened the boot to check the latch was working correctly.
|
From the manual (at motuk.co.uk):
On all the tyres fitted, check the
1. Nominal size and aspect ratio.
Reasons for rejection:
1a. One tyre is of a different nominal size or aspect ratio to any other on the same axle.
b. Special lightweight or space saving wheels and tyres fitted as road wheels
So even if the spare is, say, 165 vs normal tyres of 175 (A Citroen favourite) it should fail if the spare is fitted. Presumably there is a grace period in the Const & Use regs for using an undersized spare as an emergency measure.
--
RichardW
Is it illogical? It must be Citroen....
|
|
|
The boot area is checked for any possible signs of crash damage that may affect the vehicle's overall condition.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
Stuart,
Where did you get that information from?
Number_Cruncher
|
When I had my Bora tested last November. I asked the tester the reason for examining the boot area as I was aware the spare tyre played no part in the test.
He explained that it was to check for possible damage or damage repair (presumably from a rear end shunt or similar) that might affect the vehicle's roadworthiness.
Incidentally the tester was a former VAG franchised dealer technician and passed on some interesting tips and tricks about VW models whilst conducting the test.
In return I gave him the URL of this website as he was looking for a new Golf TDi at the best possible price....:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
----8<------
He explained that it was to check for possible damage or damage repair (presumably from a rear end shunt or similar) that might affect the vehicle's roadworthiness.
----8<------
IIRC, testers can't remove carpet trim, or take off things like hub caps and covers. So I don't see what can realistically be inspected inside the boot which can't be seen from below.
Does the boot even need to open to pass the MOT. i.e., if you welded it shut, would your car fail?
Number_Cruncher
|
>>Does the boot even need to open to pass the MOT. i.e., if you welded it shut, would your car fail?
I would think it would fail.As it has to open to check the latch is working correctly-but thats the only reason it is opened
--
Steve
|
I don't make it up as I go along...:-)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
|
Other than as a nervous customer hoping for an easy, cheap, pass, my, peripheral, involvement in MOT testing is now 15 years out of date. As the MOT has been tightened up significantly during that time, I am curious about what, exactly, is tested nowadays.
Having had a quick look at the testers manual which is frequently linked to from posts in threads like this, it appears that a welded up boot lid is a reason to refuse to test - so, not a fail, but not a pass either!
Number_Cruncher
|
not a fail, but not a pass either!
Just proves it has to work.Or no MOT
As for a spare wheel.never known them to be looked at..But I thought law said carrying one that is illegal is with intent to use -meaning if you get caught your nicked
--
Steve
|
As for a spare wheel.never known them to be looked at..But I thought law said carrying one that is illegal is with intent to use -meaning if you get caught your nicked
But a counter arguement would surely be that the tyre will be changed before the wheel is used again, officer.
For example, you go into a tyre depot to have your tyres checked and they identify the problem with the nsf or whatever. But they don't have your size/brand in stock, so safest thing to do is change it for the good spare, and come back when they have one in stock.
H
|
But a counter arguement would surely be that the tyre will be changed before the wheel is used again, officer.
Illegal tyre to my knowledge is not illegal to carry.Only use- So if someone already changed a puncture for spare thats below limit.They are driving on an illegal tyre..Again not certain on the law.But think it should be made illegal to carry a tyre not fit for road use.Which should also be part of MOT/would make it clearer to most people then
--
Steve
|
In my days as a tester, the only reason for opening a boot was to check for corrosion, especially around the damper mounts.
If you can't check 'em you can't test the vehicle.
|
There are no legal issues with spare wheels except for the fact that if you choose to carry one it must be secured.
If it were to be made a legal requirement for a spare wheel to be roadworthy, compact or space saver wheels would be illegal to start with. As would cars with different front to rear sizes - not uncommon.
Now consider - you get a puncture, so you put on your nice new shiny legal spare - what the hell do you do with your now unroadworthy punctured one - you can't put it in the boot because it's illegal!
|
|
|
|
|
|
