If you don’t properly prepare your car for the MOT then it is perfectly possible that it could fail. If your car does fail for something that you could have checked yourself beforehand then you will know never to let this happen again! It is extremely annoying but it is not the end of the world. If your vehicle has failed its MOT then you will have been given a time period in which to fix whatever is wrong with it before getting it retested.
Better prepared with an advantage
Now, when your vehicle fails its MOT, you are issued with a document which tells you exactly which faults need to be fixed in order for it to pass next time. This means that all you have to do is decide where to take your car to get it fixed and let them know what the problems are. This way, you can guarantee that once you have made the necessary repairs as stated on the document, your car will easily pass its next MOT. The document also gives you an easy way of explaining what is wrong with your car to a different garage, even if you do not personally understand exactly that the problems are.
Get the car fixed
The garage which performed your MOT will probably give you a quote to make the repairs and to re-test your vehicle. However, just because they carried out the MOT doesn’t mean that they need to make the repairs. If you don’t know whether the price they have given you is a fair quote, as you have no idea how much the repairs should cost, you can get local quotes here at Autobutler.
If you do choose another garage to carry out the repairs then you will need to make sure that they can fix the problems and re-test the car in the time you have been given. Bear in mind that you will need to pay a second MOT test fee to have your car re-tested after the repairs have been made. Some garages might offer to re-test the car for you for free if they are the ones to carry out the repairs but they might offer you a more expensive quote. Make sure that you take both elements into consideration when you are deciding who to choose to fix the vehicle.
Partial Retests
If you leave your car with the same garage which conducted the MOT in the first place to complete the repairs, they may be able to carry out a partial retest. This is where only the parts of the car which failed the initial MOT are tested again. This would have to be carried out within 10 working days of the first MOT.
Partial retests are often free or are charged at a fraction of the price of the full MOT, but cannot be carried out if you take your vehicle away from the garage before it has been retested. If your vehicle fails the partial retest then unfortunately it will have to be subjected to a full retest and this will require you to pay the whole fee again.
Retest in time
Remember that you cannot drive your vehicle legally if you do not have a valid MOT. You could be prosecuted if you are caught driving your car after it has failed an MOT test and before it has been repaired. You will be given a period of time in which you must get the repairs made once your vehicle has failed the test. Make sure that you do comply with this time restriction otherwise your vehicle will not be deemed roadworthy.
