h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This ia a reply to Duncans Post.
Tell me what country you live in, I find it amazing that your country has only just started vehicle testing. We have had a vehicle test here for about 25 years. I will add that I am a vehicle tester, I check the condition of automobiles to make sure they are roadworthy. The vehicle check is commonly known as the The MOT test, MOT is an abreviation of Ministry Of Transport

(butting in here)
This is a serious question, even though it sounds flippant: Do you get people trying to bribe/threaten you to pass their vehicles? I ask because I think in some places here it's getting to be a bit of a problem, amongst (how to say it in a PC way) certain ethnic groups.

In Ireland, the vehicle test has just been introduced this last year (or so). It only applies tyo pre 1980 vehicles, but this is being advanced by 2 years per year (I think) until it will match the UK style with all cars > 3 years old needing testing. However, as with all things automobile in Ireland, the system suffers from a lack of testing centres so there is a significant backlog of cars to be tested....but this is as nothing to the 2 years people can wait for a driving test!
This is merely of passing interest to me, of course, as my gearbox is not connected up, new brakes are on order, clutch needs to be replaced and the car is only half resprayed...but when all that's done I'll most likley get the car MOT tested in England (for it is there taht she is registered) and thus put of the long wait by a year

Personally I haven't had any one try to bribe or threaten me to ensure a pass certificate. This is probably because that would be considered a worse offence than not having an MOT certificate. The fine for not having an MOT varies from 50 to 1000 pounds depending on your income,

I will also add that I think the vast majority of people want to know that there vehicle is roadworty, would you want to be driving a car that the front wheel might fall off.

eerrmm....I live in Alabama, US. We don't have, and never have had, vehicle testing. If it runs.....it's legal!

They have discussed doing emissions testing here in the Birmingham area, but it will only apply to vehicles 1975 and newer. It also will not address roadworthyness.

I guess we'll catch up with the rest of you out there someday!

NM

I'm not convinced that an annual or bi-annual check necessarily ensures that the cars on the road are really safe. Still, I'm happy if the car I'm following along the Autobahn isn't dropping bits in my path. But having said that, some sort of check is necessary, or else the real old bangers will be really, really dangerous instead of just really dangerous.

An annual check has the added benefit of forcing people to put their cars into a garage at least once per year. Often some quite serious safety issues can arise which are not noticeable until they reach too critical a stage to fix (chasis rust being a common example) but the MOT should help to point this out - if the person doing the MOT is as helpful as they tend to be at my (UK) local garage.

One thing which worries me (and I'm a girly, so I know nothing!) is that I take my (otherwise ok) car in for a check (the TÜV here) and the garage then give me a list of stuf which needs fixing. I need my car everyday, so it's easier to say "OK" and pay through gritted teeth than schlep around garages and compare prices. But then, this isn't an MOT issue, it's a girly issue
I actually (don't all throw things at me) think that (in general) taxing cars according to emissions is a Good Thing..... but I have a list of qualifiers to that as long as my arm.

I would tend to agree - again with qualifiers etc. After all, how else does one tax cars? One price for all? or by cost? or per mile? There's no way to satisfy everyone on this issue, I'm afraid.

As for being overcharged by MOT garages, there is an independent watchdog (I think) who oversee such matters and most consumer advice organisations will chase up the worst offenders...if you are charged for work on a car which hasn't been done then that is fraud.

However, as with Doctors and Accountants - the trick is in finding someone you can trust and then be loyal to them. I would still much rather have my car serviced at "Shacklocks" in Caistor than just about anywhere - although the fact that I'm now about 300 miles away and the car is a long way from mobile does mean I may have to get someone closer involved, at least initially

I moved here about 3 andahalf years ago and at the time had a cabrio mini, which needed lots of work - as minis do. No cash - nothing strange there - and found a garage who would do the work and let me just pay them monthly. The mini is now residing elsewhere, but the garage are brilliant (I still owe them a ton - but they just did a load more work on my car)
Are you building your own car? While it's in pieces how are you getting around?

I'm not building a car from scratch (though that might be a quicker enterprise ) but rather 'restoring' my Triumph GT6 (see http://www.h2g2.com/A307144 ).
I'm able to do this at a somewhat leisurely pace as I don't actually need a car for my day to day life - as I commute to/from work via the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transport) but the fact that the car is not garaged and that it is, on occaision, known to rain in Ireland means that the working on the car can sometimes seem like painting the Forth bridge .

I dont know what other countries do but I Can tell you that Our system of testing {if carried properly} is fair, Because it is the goverment that brings in the legistion they have to think very carefully about what has to checked on the test, There are some things that fail the MOT test that muight seem unimportant to the owner of car Like windscreen wipers. When I test a car that has windscreen wipers that are worn out I will issue a pass certificate but advise the owneer that thry should peplace the wipers ASAP

I can assure you, I do my own very thourough inspections( I commute by Dart as well....Dodge Dart, 360 cubic inch, 275 Horse....nothing to do with Dublin)

I build as a hobby, my cars are safe and well cared for(in spite of their being 30+ years old!)....but I see autos on the road everyday that I do my best not to be around! They are death traps that should be scraped. Only trouble is, it's their owners' only means of transport...and in this country that can mean food for the family or not. Sometimes you do what you have to!

NM

That is exactly the problem. Food for the family. Perhaps some caring sharing govt. might like to aid people on low incomes to get to work (IE. interest free loans to repair the cars, or buy something safe in the first place. But that wouldn't work. Actually I'm convinced that the only way to go ahead is to re-nationalise all forms of public transport, and make sure that it is clean, efficient etc. etc. I know it's a pain in the neck as a car driver not to be able to drive into towns (Sheffield is a good example of this) but at least the transport is good. Although it's very expensive.
And to Paul the Brake, that's good that you don't fail people just because of windscreen wiper blades. Although that is one of the very few things about my car that I can (and do) look after myself.

The government didn;t introduse the MOT test to make money or add an extra tax, It is just a test to try and make sure that vehicles are safe, and if you could see some of the cars I have to test you would be glad that there is an MOT test

So, who are the worst offenders when it comes to cars which are death-traps (age/sex group). My guess would be men with no family (ie. kids) who are aged between 20 and 30.

I don't know who who the worst offenders are cause I only see people that want there car chechrd

I don't know how it is where you folks are, but in my work I see a lot of dangerous cars on the road......most seem to be owned by young men....18 to 24.

I'd guess they are young married...got a kid, possibly, and that car is all they can afford....and then just barely!

I say this because that was me at that age! It's nice to sit back when we are older and state that this cannot be acceptable..it's unsafe!...we can afford to fix it now.....could we when we were that age?.....I doubt it!

Yes, those autos need repaired....but the family needs food and shelter, as well. Anyone care to guess where my money would go?

NM

Worse offenders.. I don't think there are any worse offenders, geneally most people just want their car to pass the MOT test and if it fails the test they just want the problems rectified.