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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Expired MOT - fuuuuuuuck!

62 replies

Gryffindor · 27/06/2014 09:40

Somehow, DH and I have both forgotten to take our car in for service/MOT and it is now TWO MONTHS overdue. No idea how this happened, other than the garage usually sends a reminder but didn't, and we have been ridiculously busy. Not that either of those is a good enough excuse.

Luckily the garage has squeezed us in today, but I am seriously panicking. Is this likely to be a problem in the future?

Shock
OP posts:
TheIronGnome · 27/06/2014 09:44

Nope! I had it a few years ago when I didn't know about MOTs (first car, bit naive) unless you are caught at the time it's fine.

rubadubstylee · 27/06/2014 09:48

Agree with irongnome that if anything was going to happen you'd know about it. I think MOT details are now held centrally so if you'd caught the attention of one of those number plate recognition things you might have had a problem. I'm pretty sure though if you had it'd have been dealt with there and then, not like speeding where you got something through the post a few weeks later although I might be completely wrong

glasgowstevenagain · 27/06/2014 09:49

Will it not flag up that the car had no MOT and was not SORNd

If you had had a crash at the time you would not have been insured...

NigellasDealer · 27/06/2014 09:51

yes but that did not happen steven.
OP you will be fine - luckily

Stinkle · 27/06/2014 09:53

I don't think so

I've done similar a couple of years ago - I bought a car at the end of April with 12 months MOT.

Got the paperwork out at the end of March to book it in, to discover "just had its MOT" actually meant it had been done the end of February

Huge panic, but I've never heard anything from it.

My garage sends out reminders now

Joysmum · 27/06/2014 09:55

I've just had this with my motorbike.

Usually I set up a reminder on Outlook but for some reason I didn't this time.

The garage I take my car to sends out reminders but you can't trust the post. I noticed on my bike MOT that the government are now cashing in on this by offering a reminder text service which I think costs £1.50!

Original poster
Gryffindor · 27/06/2014 09:56

Phew, thank you so much everyone.

I am setting reminders on every phone, ipad and laptop in the house for next year! Grin

OP posts:
Freckletoes · 27/06/2014 09:57

I went four months over and only realised when I needed to renew my car tax-I couldn't because I didn't have a current MOT! Nothing happened.

softlysoftly · 27/06/2014 09:58

Nope I went 11 months over like an idiot. Just got lucky I didn't get pulled/have an accident in that time!

lobsterkiller · 27/06/2014 10:02

It's being sorted so I wouldn't worry about it. The garage I use was telling me that it's common that people forget but unless you're pulled there are no fines etc.

specialsubject · 27/06/2014 10:05

it isn't tracked in the same way as insurance - so as you haven't had an accident, there isn't a problem.

had you had an accident, you could have been uninsured.

yes, diary is the way to go in future! You can get the DVLA to text you a reminder but that costs money, diaries are free.

MaidOfStars · 27/06/2014 10:07

I did this (many years ago), when going to renew my car tax. I panicked and phoned my local police station for advice, as my car had been in use and parked on public roads for the couple of months.

They laughed at me.

"Sorry miss, have you actually been caught by DVLA with your car on the road? And you're telling us so we can report you or what? Get it done tomorrow and don't worry about it".

Then laughed some more.

bigdog888 · 27/06/2014 10:13

There should be no problem at all. If you had been involved in an accident you may have found that your car wasn't covered or had a much lower payout if written off. The third party element would have been fine. Not having an MOT is not really that serious - you could have had action taken against you if the car was in a dangerous condition but that could also apply if you had a valid MOT. The main thing is that you've realised and are getting it sorted.

ElizabethMedora · 27/06/2014 10:20

We've just done this. It was fine, no repercussions. But you've reminded me the tax is due this weekend!

dotty2 · 27/06/2014 10:29

I did this recently too (first time ever). I got the impression from the garage that it happens all the time. I was, however, extremely nervous driving the 5 minutes from my house to the garage and convinced I was going to have an accident on the way...

CarmineRose1978 · 27/06/2014 10:35

I was a couple of weeks late last time... The garage said not a thing about it. I really wouldn't worry about it now, just make sure you remember next time because as others have mentioned, your insurance isn't valid if your car isn't MOT'd, I believe.

I'm ashamed to admit I did mine late on purpose last year. My bonus is paid annually about two weeks AFTER my MOT was always due, and it's so much easier to have it paid just before I have to shell out on the car.

NoodleOodle · 27/06/2014 10:46

I understood that it was legal to drive to a booked mot without a valid mot, otherwise you wouldn't be able to get any overdue car done, so I don't think you have to worry in those circumstances dotty.

dotty2 · 27/06/2014 11:01

Well that was worry wasted, NoodleOodle...

mumtobetothree · 27/06/2014 11:14

Noodle's right Dotty, you're absolutely fine driving to an MOT centre if it's booked in, then home again if it fails. It doesn't need a current Tax Disc driving to an MOT centre either, well, at least that's what a policeman told me, and I like to think he was giving me accurate advice lol

I think, as others have said, lack of MOT would only have been an issue had you either been clocked by one of the ANPR systems or had an accident.

Andrewofgg · 27/06/2014 11:43

Mumtobetothree It's true that you can drive without MOT for a pre-arranged test - but not without insurance and many insurance policies are void without MOT!

But OP you are in the clear once you get the MOT. Just don't do it again . . .

Glittertwins · 27/06/2014 12:12

This happened to me too. No over zealous reminders, bookings made by the garage at all. It ended up being done 6 weeks after expiring and I had been driving it / had it parked on the road. I think I would have still been insured since we have a second car with FC insurance but I have no idea how I didn't get picked up by the ANPR cameras around here.
Once the appt was made at the garage it was only driven there, nowhere else. Will not forget again!!

beccajoh · 27/06/2014 12:14

DHs motorbike was 6 months out of MOT when he happened to look at the paperwork Shock Blush He had it done the following day and it was all fine.

IrianofWay · 27/06/2014 12:16

No. You'll be fine. Years ago we did this. And I had an accident!

Had to go to the police station with our documents and confess that we had no current MOT. Police officer raised his eyebrows a bit but said nothing and there were no consequences.

That was a few years ago now.

GnomeDePlume · 27/06/2014 12:20

I did this a couple of months ago. So far as I am aware no repercussions.

normalishdude · 27/06/2014 12:35

the worst case scenario is if you got flashed by a speed camera. otherwise you'll be cool