Ken,
The MOT Test is an annual roadworthiness test in the UK, and is pretty strict
compared to US standards - I remember being amazed when I bought an old
Skylark while travelling around the states and discovering that, as long as
emissions were OK, no-one cared about anything else. MOT actually stands for
Ministry of Transport, which has long since been re-named several times, but
the name for the test stuck.
A good tester can cover the car in about 20 minutes - they check lights and
horns, headlamp alignment, emissions (different standards depending on the age
of the car, but since Catalytic Converters only became compulsory about 5-6
years ago they are not too tough for a well-tuned older car), brake
effectiveness and side-to-side balance, tyre wear and condition, steering,
whether there is any play in the wheel bearings or mountings, brake pipes,
seat belts, number plates, exhaust condition, windscreen (no cracks or chips
larger than a certain size) plus wipers and washer, plus a structural check of
the car. Rust is permissible in some places, but certain areas may not have
any penetration (surface is OK) - anything significantly structural
(principally sills - and they won't accept that sill strength isn't crucial in
a car with a separate chassis), also within 1 foot of suspension mounting
points, chassis to tub mounting points, and seat belt mounting points.
There is a lot of stuff they don't check, as well, basically anything that
isn't directly a safety issue - so engine, gearbox etc. are not checked at all
(apart from emissions), speedo and other gauges not checked, fluid levels
(they don't check brake fluid, although I believe it would be a good idea if
they did), seat condition (as long as it's properly screwed down), body
condition where it is not structurally critical. There are some anomolies -
your spare tyre has to be in servicable condition, but you are allowed not to
have one at all (so if it's dodgy, you just remove it from the car before the
test!).
Basically, our beloved, caring, nurturing Government likes to be sure that not
only are our cars not a danger to others, but that they are not a danger to
ourselves. While I object to many of the nanny-like qualites of our
government, I don't really have a problem with this - if it were not for the
MOT I might well ignore any structural problems with my car until I fell
through the floor one day at 80 m.p.h., and there's many out there who either
care less about their car than me or, more crucially, wouldn't know how to
check it themselves, and could be driving round in an unsafe car totally
unaware. Since no-one works on my car but me, it's also nice to have an
annual second opinion on how she's doing.
It's a pain when it comes round once a year, but ultimately I think it is
probably a Good Thing!
Richard and Daffy (will sail through, as soon as I can get those sills welded!)
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