Car seats and MOT

[ProtegeMoi]

Is it common knowledge that your supposed to take car seats out the car for the MOT or are my garage just being picky?

This is my first car, first MOT so had no clue, the garage did a pre-MOT the week before and said all was fine.

Took the car today and it passed, woohoo! But there is an advisory note saying they could not check the seatbelts due to the car seat fitted.

They never told me to remove me at the pre- MOT or when I turned up with the car, and the car seat is fitted via isofix so surely you can still check the seatbelt?

I know it dosnt really matter in the grand scheme of things was just wondering if I should have known this and if its common practice?

[Idocrazythings]

Wow we did well then! 3x car seats in car. All bolted in place through the back, and clipped in with the seatbelts; no isofix bars.

[ProtegeMoi]

Oh and thanks for the advise on checking the seatbelt, just worried me as a new car driver. I have only last week been taking the kids in the car as wanted to get more experience driving first so still nervous when it comes to safety.

[ProtegeMoi]

My car seat isn't strapped in so they technically could have checked the belt, its fitted with isofix. Just lucky they didn't fail it I suppose. With regards to the air freshner they said it obstructs the windscreen so they would have failed it.

I know for next time I suppose.

[RandallPinkFloyd]

Yeah, the pre-mot thing is definitely a con. Garages have to offer a free re-test within a week of the original rest anyway so there really is no benefit to a pre-test at all.

I have one MOT guy I will use, have never used anyone else and never will whilst he's still in business. He's local to my home village and only does MOT's, no repairs at all. That way you know he won't fail anything unless its necessary because there would be no benefit to him. But he also won't pass anything unless its 100% right.

When I bought my last car I took it to the manufacturer's garage for its first MOT, stupidly thinking they would be best. They failed it and gave me a list of over £400 worth of work that needed doing. I told them where to stick it and went to my normal my the next day. Passed first time with one minor advisory.
Big lesson learned for me.

[WMittens]

I can understand them not wanting to unstrap the seat as then they either need to remember to remind the parents its not done or need to strap it back in

Or leave it in the footwell/upside down on the seat, so it's obvious it's not attached.

[WMittens]

...as most garages are not authorised to remove and reinstall carseats.

They're explicitly instructed not to remove anything during an MOT - including plastic engines covers and whatnot.

[IneedAsockamnesty]

I had one of mine done last week, the advisory is normal and if you leave the seat in but not fitted they will also check the straps on the baby seat.

[Sirzy]

I think its standard procedure. I can understand them not wanting to unstrap the seat as then they either need to remember to remind the parents its not done or need to strap it back in themselves its easier to just jot down its not been tested.

[Fairyegg]

Never heard of such a thing as a pre mot and I think they saw you coming with the air freshener thing! My car seats have ever come out so we always get that note on our mot. Doesn't bother me though, especially as our seats are isofix.

[WMittens]

Oops, meant to add this link www.motuk.co.uk/manual_510.htm sections D, E and J are what you need.

[themindwonders]

mine just come back today with the same thing written on it - personally i think it the tester covering themselves, they saying it ob works as a seatbelt as it got a car seat in it but they were unable to test it

i didnt even think to take ours out cos i thought i would have to go getmy car with my 2 year old (but garage actually very kindly brought it home and parked it on my drive while in was on school run / drs)

[FeckOffCup]

I wouldn't be happy to leave the seat at the garage unsecured to the car in case someone dropped it while moving it or something and there could be damage that I didn't know about. I'll take my chances with it strapped in, it wasn't mentioned last year but that was a different garage.

[TheEasterBunnyVsTheKids]

Seatbelts note is a standard advisory as most garages are not authorised to remove and reinstall carseats.

Our camper failed an mot once for having a garland of Hawaiian flowers hung over rear view mirror. Mechanic was not allowed t remove them so had to fail the van, but it was a free retest and a pass once DH too the flowers down only to rehang them once the pass cert was in hand

[WMittens]

So do you think I should go back and have the seatbelts checked!

Test them at home:

• are seatbelts fitted? Yes/No
  
• are front seatbelts 3-point seatbelts, with inertia reels? Yes/No
  
• do the outer rear seats have have inertia reel 3 point belts, and the middle have a 3 point belt or lap belt? Yes/No
  
  If you can say yes to all three points, you've passed.
  
  
  Just clip the belts in and give them a hard tug to make sure the buckles and reels don't slip under a significant force.

[QuietNinjaTardis]

Fair enough! Stupid fat fingers

[QuietNinjaTardis]

Oh ok. At enough.

[RandallPinkFloyd]

Feck, it should be fine, if they really won't let you leave it in just shove it in the boot or leave it lying on the seat just not buckled it.

[poocatcherchampion]

Leave it at the garage?

[RandallPinkFloyd]

feebee that kind of thing is exactly what gives mechanics a bad name. I hate that kind of crap.

[FeckOffCup]

My car goes for it's MOT tomorrow, how am I meant to take the car seat out when I will have to walk 15 minutes home from the garage pushing my 2 year old in the buggy, I can't manage to lug a huge heavy seat too.

[RandallPinkFloyd]

Don't think it was mentioned on my last one but have this year's tomorrow so we'll see if it changes!

Cost wise, the maximum charge is set every year by VOSA, garages can charge whatever they want under that but can't charge over it. I can't remember exactly but I think is was £52 last year so £55 sounds about right.

I wouldn't worry about the seat belt though, all they do is a visual check and tug on it to test the tension, nothing you can't check yourself. I'm sure it's fine.

[WMittens]

Why would an air freshener cause the car to fail its mot?

Obstructing vision; sat nav/phone holders can cause similar advisories/failures depending where they're placed.

[QuietNinjaTardis]

Why would an air freshener cause the car to fail its mot?

[feebeecat]

You did well, our garage failed my MOT.
Wouldn't mind but dh was in the waiting room so could've removed the seats had they mentioned it (this was several years ago and first MOT once we moved onto fixed carseats).

[goldenlula]

I had that on my last mot, as dd's carseat was in the car. Never noticed it before though.