As a car owner, you may know that there are some fixed yearly expenses you need to bear, such as car service, insurance and the MOT. If your car fails its MOT test Coventry, it costs you more money and time. Your car can fail the test for many reasons, a wide range of tests are performed across all areas of your car and it can fail in one of these areas to fail the whole MOT.

What Is A Pre-MOT Inspection?

The pre-MOT inspection is the process of inspecting your car before its MOT test. The MOT test is a yearly inspection of your car that determines the overall condition of your car and whether it is safe to drive on roads. It is illegal to drive a car on roads without having a valid MOT in the UK.

How To Perform Pre Inspection of Your Car?

It is not mandatory to have your Pre-MOT inspection in the same workshop where your MOT test will be conducted. This gives you the freedom to find the best or the nearest workshop at the best price. 

The MOT is a legal test made by the government so that all garages will follow the same process of inspecting a vehicle. This means you don’t need to worry about choosing the garage for the pre-MOT inspection and you will ensure no issues on your MOT test day.

If you have some spare time, you can perform a simple pre-MOT inspection of your car by yourself to save some money. It hardly takes around 15-20 minutes and you can find the obvious issue that can be picked up by the MOT tester. This means you don’t need to worry about choosing the garage for the pre-MOT inspection and you will ensure no issues on your MOT test day.

Parts That Are Checked in Pre MOT Inspection

Lights and Indicators

They will check the indicator lights and headlights by switching on the ignition. They will inspect all your car lights whether they are working or not including fog lights, brake lights and all indicators. They look for any cracks, foggy lenses or other issues that may impact the lights of your car. 

Fuel and Filler Cap

If there are any empty tanks of fluid, the mechanic will refill all the necessary fluids such as engine oil, windshield fluid, and other fluids. They check whether the fuel gauge works fine or not. They also recommend you fill in a sufficient amount of fuel to ensure your car can easily pass the emission test. 

Steering and Suspension System

To test the suspension system they will press both front wings of your car. If they notice any bounce instead of returning to their original position, chances are the shocks are worn out. They will also check for any weird noise while driving the car. If they hear any abnormal noise in your car they will find out the issue.

Wheels and Tyres

They will inspect the tyres by using a tyre tread gauge to measure if the tyres have sufficient tread depth. The legal tread limit for your car tyres must be 1.6mm but if your car tyres will soon reach that mark, you should replace the tyres otherwise you will get an advisory notice for your car from the MOT tester. They will look for any sign of damages in your tyres such as cuts and bald spots which may impact the scores of your car MOT.

Registration Number Plate

They will check both registration number plates and look for any visible damages such as cracks or scratches. Most of the time the MOT tester gives a negative marking due to the light above the rear plate not working. They also check if the number plate is visible from a distance of 20 meters.

Windscreen and Mirrors

The windscreen and mirrors will be inspected and they look for any chips and cracks that can hamper the visibility of the driver from inside the car. If they find any serious chip that is more than 10mm or cracks more than 40 mm they will advise you to replace the windscreen if you want to pass the MOT.

Take A Short Drive To Check the Car

As all the parts have been inspected by the mechanic, they take your car for a short drive to inspect for any problems while driving the car. They will check minor to major details like the steering control, braking distance and any abnormal noises. 

They also check whether safety components such as seatbelts are working properly and when releasing goes back to their correct position or not. The windshield wipers will be checked if the blades are cleaning the windshield propeller and there is sufficient amount available to check if it generates enough pressure to clean the windscreen.

Conclusion

Driving a car on the road that doesn’t have a valid MOT Coventry is an offence and if caught by police you need to face serious consequences. Book your MOT Test Coventry before your car's MOT certificate expires.