Affiliate links in this post will be clearly marked with a *. Clicking one of these links means I earn a discount or receive payment.
AD. Today I want to talk to you about quick wins to help your car pass its MOT. These are little things that you can do yourself or have done cheaply elsewhere, to try to help your car pass its MOT.
Running a car is an expensive business. Even though I’m not a fan of driving myself I help my husband with contributions towards his car. The main reason for this is because he drives me around, anywhere I want to go, and I never have to pay towards petrol or insurance.
Recently our car had £750 of repairs (ouch!) and in just a few months we have the MOT coming up again!
Now there is no guarantee that there won’t be larger work that needs doing to your car, but if you know you’re going to be forced to pay for repairs, as you can’t afford a new car, then these steps may help you reduce the overall cost of any work come MOT time.
I hope that by sharing these quick wins with you that you can feel more prepared for your MOT. Also, if you notice a small problem then hopefully you’ll have the time to fix it yourself or pay someone else to do so.
For example, if your windscreen wiper isn’t working correctly it’s only a few pounds to buy a new one and either fix it yourself or ask a knowledgeable friend to do so.
This can save £10s compared to having the garage fit it come MOT time.
Quick wins to help your car pass its MOT
- Beep your horn. Make sure it makes a sound!
- Check your windscreen wipers are working. Check the blades are not loose and do not have any damage. Replacement blades can start from as low as just a few pounds. Especially if you have time to *order replacement wiper blades online and wait for delivery.
- Check your windscreen washer is spraying out correctly and is topped up.
- Ensure seatbelts are not damaged and click into place properly. Check all seatbelts. Tug on the belt to check it locks in place.
- Make sure all of your light bulbs are working. If you don’t have someone to help you check then you can use the reflection in a window to check rear lights. Test indicators and fog lights too. While checking your lightbulbs ensure the bulb housing is free of damage and is not exceptionally dirty. A film can build up on these lenses so regular cleaning is essential for the best visibility at night. Also, make sure your numberplate is illuminated correctly. Whether you have a Private number plate or otherwise.
- Check the tread on your tyres. They need to be at least 1.6mm deep. You can *buy a tread depth guage, or use a 20p to check. Look at the tyres for bulges, cuts or damage. Also, check for items stuck within the tread. When I checked ours there was a large stone!
- Be sure to check your spare tyre too, if you have one, as this also needs to be of a minimum 1.6mm tread depth.
- Check your bumper is securely fixed to your car. This should be fairly obvious.
- Check all of your doors and windows open entirely.
- Look at your windscreen for cracks and chips. Small stone chips may lead to an MOT failure but the area that your windscreen wipers cover should have no cracks or chips. While checking this make sure that there are no toys, stickers or air fresheners that could restrict your view.
- Make sure your wing mirrors are fixed on to your car securely. Check your rear-view mirror can be adjusted correctly.
- Check your brake fluid is between the minimum and maximum markings on the reservoir.
Help your car pass its MOT
Personally, when our car goes for an MOT, we like to book a service also. This year, as we are planning on scrapping our car in the next six months, I doubt we will bother.
The reason we tend to book a service and MOT together is there are often deals on for this type of thing. If you want to help your car pass its MOT hopefully these tips will help you.
We don’t want to drive our child around in a car that is a pile of crap. For this reason, we like to make sure we have the servicing done regularly, and we always have recommended work done at MOT time, as well as essential work.
We sometimes go on long journeys, and I want to know that my family is as safe as possible. We’ll be buying a new car soon. Previously I wanted to buy a car from survey earnings, but the money was used for something else. I’m back saving up now and hoping to have a new car in the next few months.
If you enjoyed this post I’d love it if you could pin it on Pinterest!
