Advice needed regarding car failing its MOT please

[SequinsandStiIettos]

Afternoon,

I have a car - 30k miles on the clock - battery was flat earlier in the year and needed jump starting. A few weeks later, the airbag light came on and could neither be reset by the local garage nor the dealership.
Was told nearly 3 months ago needed a new airbag ECU (electronics).
Dealership have on order from Korea but none have arrived.
Other parts have been on order since May allegedly, also not arrived.
No ECUs available in the UK for this make of car, according to the dealership and they will not fit a second-hand one, even if I were to find one.
So car's MOT booked shortly has to be cancelled as it will fail. It is due start of November.
My questions:

1. Can a car without MOT sit parked on the roadside next to my house with no issues?
2. Can I transfer my current insurance and green flag to another car?
3. If the ECU ever does arrive, how can I drive my car to the workshop if no MOT or do I take my chances? Would the dealership store my car until the part arrives and how much do you think that would cost?
4. Should I part exchange my car without a new ECU/due to fail its MOT to the dealership or local garage or private sale, or would you hang tight?
5. Would you go onto using the bus in the meantime (might be doable but going to cause stress because single mum/swim with my two/have to be at work at 8.15/would need all shopping with slots) or use a hire car or buy a second, cheap run around to tide me over (if cheap, might have a myriad of problems)
6. How long can a car go unused without battery going flat?

What would you do Jodie Picoult?!

Thanks in advance

Get to the scrappy and see if you can get the part you need, why are you sitting on this with the dealership for an 8 year old car?

Alternatively see another garage, your third guy sounds as useless as the rest of he makes you get the parts for him

I am sitting on it cos I am ostriching, you are right. I did see some ECUs on ebay but as I know bugger all about cars, was happy to pay a dealership 500 quid (I know) for a brand new ECU they would fit and recode...so a) I had some comeback b) it would pass c) problem goes away and car is as good as new.
It is eight years old but only has 30k miles on it - I was expecting a good few more years out of her yet!!!

Third guy was doing me a favour and mates rates, I guess. The fact that it didn't work out with the part I got was disappointing but also why I didn't trust myself going to a scrappy or resorting to ebay as I haven't a clue what I am doing and have rube plastered all over me.

Hi, on my old car there was a light on the dash that we couldn't get rid of (I can't remember the fault but it was fixed but a sensor wouldn't let the light go off) - my garage very kindly took the dashboard apart and removed the bulb for me!!

Also aren't airbag lights being on often due to a dodgy connection under the seats (there's a little terminal normally where the wires can join together?) I'd be checking that out also

I'll ring Kia Stockport on Monday and see if they say the same as Duki.
There is another local garage I could ask.
The first local garage I do trust though - this is the one doing my MOT for the second time and who do my service - they said a second hand part was risky and told me to go to Kia as they didn't want me chucking money away.

I think you do need to worry about being caught - you don't need anyone to grass you up as the system now automatically identifies any cars which should be SORN and are not. So you will be committing an offence either to leave it on the road without an MOT, or to swear a SORN and leave it on the road. This changed quite a few years ago now.

rider the local garage checked the seat but to no avail. They tried to fix the problem twice, charged the first time - got rid of it - but then when I collected it, it came back on straight away. They then tried a second time for free before saying it needed a dealership. Dealership diagnosed an ECU fault, I assume from messages they got from the attempted reset.
The bulb could be taken out for sure...but will not pass the MOT iirc as the airbag light comes on and then off when you put the key into a normal functioning car; if it doesn't it will fail?

My partner's car had a similar problem with a light that just wouldn't go off on the dashboard. It was caused by the belt being changed, it had many visits to both the dealership and non dealership garages. Occasionally used to turn itself off and then back on again. We didn't worry about it and just ignored it. I assume you've checked that the the light is actually part of the MOT? The list of things they check really is quite limited.

www.halfords.com/mot/advice/whats-checked-in-an-mot.html

As others have said a car needs an MOT, tax and insurance to be on the road.

You could however put your car on a trailer/transporter (some are literally the size of a car) and leave that in its usual space on the road as long as none of the car touches the road). You would however still need insurance and the appropriate driving license for the trailer and an insured, taxed, mot’d car so those plates can go on the trailer. This is how I got a van home with no mot, tax etc and it remained on the trailer for about a week before it was taken to the garage.

www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

MOT is not mentioned above.
If it is not driven until actually going to a test and it remains insured (not taxed because the model is tax exempt but has been registered this year anyway) why can it not just sit outside my home?

Ignore me - I see you've answered that question in an earlier reply. It is very frustrating when there is an electrical fault rather than a real problem. Have you tried things like disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it? A bit like turning it off and on again. And have you looked on forums for kias to see if it's a common problem? I've found a lot of useful info on those forums.

@Leftbutcameback

My partner's car had a similar problem with a light that just wouldn't go off on the dashboard. It was caused by the belt being changed, it had many visits to both the dealership and non dealership garages. Occasionally used to turn itself off and then back on again. We didn't worry about it and just ignored it. I assume you've checked that the the light is actually part of the MOT? The list of things they check really is quite limited.

Yes it is

7.1.6. Supplementary restraint system (SRS)

DEFECT CATEGORY Major
(a) An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction

@SequinsandStiIettos

www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

MOT is not mentioned above.
If it is not driven until actually going to a test and it remains insured (not taxed because the model is tax exempt but has been registered this year anyway) why can it not just sit outside my home?

A car that is SORN does not require an MOT as it isn’t being driven and it isn’t on a public road.

It can’t sit on the public road because it doesn’t meet the legal requirements to do so.

www.mot-coventry.com/is-the-airbag-light-or-srs-on-a-mot-failure/

My garage had said it was an automatic fail. Could not see it on the Halford list but seems to be confirmed above

What about seeing if you can rent a garage in a block for a few weeks? It would keep it nice and dry and then you could drive it to the MOT? Or even get it towed there if there was a battery issue. I'm sure people used to rent out their garages

X-post, Simon's stated the same defect category.
Thanks simon, now, anyone know where I can get a trailer?!
Okay, am going to drown my sorrows in cider, chocolate and Strictly.
Will have another think but I am on a sticky wicket by all accounts.

you could get one of those gagdets that over rides the problem...?...i think ebay has them....its a temp fix...speak to one of the mechanics...annoying problem for you....

That's an idea left
Have just been on to Your Parking Space.
It mentions car parks at Premier lodge and supermarkets for long term parking?? Would a long term space in a car park be considered SORN? [clutching at straws]

DH suggests you get an auto electrician come round to your house (cost approx £70) and get him to check the fault because he says it's rare for an ecu to go, more likely a loose connection which the electrician will fix.

If he confirms a new ECU is needed, find a non main dealer garage who will often fit a secondhand one.

You have just short of 4 weeks. Use google, buy a part, have a mechanic for said part, get your MOT. You seem determined to complicate things with SORN and insurance when realistically this can be sorted before the MOT expires

@SequinsandStiIettos

That's an idea left Have just been on to Your Parking Space. It mentions car parks at Premier lodge and supermarkets for long term parking?? Would a long term space in a car park be considered SORN? [clutching at straws]

No, it would have to be both private land and you would need permission from the owner of the land. Do you know anyone with an empty drive, garage etc?

On the insurance, I think you could only leave it uninsured if it is off the road. But of course it can still be stolen and you'd lose the full value.

Once it is off the road you can also file a SORN and reclaim any remaining car tax.

On the battery, the best bet is to disconnect it if you really aren't going to use it for a while. Then you don't have a car alarm, but it's the best immobiliser! I use an isolator switch like this from Amazon so you can't just connect the battery up and drive off. I leave my car for up to 3 months at a time and it always starts first time. Was a bit more of a problem when I left it 18 months!

I don't quite understand your reticence to engage Kia direct, not just the dealer network.

@SequinsandStiIettos

Kia Picanto 2013

30k in 9 years?! Criminal.

Cars don’t like sitting around.