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Original poster

please help..I've just discovered I've got no MOT

47 replies

donotpassgo · 04/12/2008 18:27

...after I bumped into someone on a roundabout

The car is taxed and fully comp.insured, but on checking the paperwork, I discovered that I was supposed to have MOT it in Novemeber. I (genuinely) thought it was only due it's final service (the car is 3 years old)

I don't know what to do, I feel sick to my stomach as I would never knowingly allow this to happen.

What is going to happen??? What do I need to do? I informed the insurance after the accident, and at that point hadn't gone through my car docs. [panic sign]

OP posts:

sparklestickchick · 04/12/2008 20:19

of course the insurance company will want to see all the documents including the MOT they need everything so its 100% above board.

sparklestickchick · 04/12/2008 20:21

What if the op went to get the mot tomorrow and something was wrong?? the brakes or the handbrake was failing?? (playing devils advocate here)-thats why i think she should settle it personally.

blushingm · 04/12/2008 20:22

don't worry!!!!

you aren't strictly speaking legal but your insurance should cover you - you'd be surprised how many people forget as theres no reminder like you get with tax. even if your car was total loss they'd proably take off a percentage of the value

honestly don't worry - if they ask be honest but they prob won't find out if it's repairable

ps i work in motor claims for large insurer

robinpud · 04/12/2008 20:25

My insurers didn't ask for any documentation when I bumped into someone recently. They just dealt with it.

roundcornvirgin · 04/12/2008 20:25

Something like this happened to me. If police weren't called to the scene they are very unlikely to become involved. Insurance company probably won't pay out. You will most likely just end up paying for the other parties damages.

beanieb · 04/12/2008 20:29

I love how the yahoo answers page has one person stating very firmly that the insurance will not be invalid and then a whole load of people disputing it.

duckyfuzz · 04/12/2008 20:29

they needn;t ask for documentation - MOTs are computerised not aren't they? they will be able to check it without needing a piece of paper

Reindeerhabbit · 04/12/2008 20:30

Insurance companies do not always ask for the MOT certficate - I've had 2 accidents, and I have not been asked to produce them.

However, your saving grace, may actually be your cars age. Our car was 3 years old at the end of October, and asked the DVLA when it needed to be MOT'd by. Was informed that I had a few days leeway from the date of registration.

Also, if the bloke seems as nice as you say, then he may be just as happy for you to pay privately (maybe tell him you don't fancy losing your no claims bonus?)

ElfOnTheTopShelf · 04/12/2008 20:30

wont the insurance co know as the mot stuff is electroic. I think they can tell based on:

if you mot a car and try to tax online immediately the system says cannot find valid mot
we were never asked to produce our mot when we wrote our car off bumping into another car

duckyfuzz · 04/12/2008 20:30

or even computerised now

roundcornvirgin · 04/12/2008 20:31

Yes they will know.

DoNotsAntlers · 04/12/2008 20:34

Robinpud...the insurers don't need to ask. There computers can now tell who has valid MOT and not...if they wanted to check.

I think that worst case scenario

You have no valid insurance - which is a prosecutable offence. If you are prosecuted this is likely to be 6-8points on your license (or licence I can't remember which way round they are) + a fine. It could be a ban of 28days.

You have to pay for the repairs to the third party.

It doesn't sound as though you would suffer the worst case scenario though.

blushingm · 04/12/2008 20:46

the only way to check for a valid mot is with the reference from the v5. it very rarely becomes an issue on an accident especially with such a new cae

don't go agreeing to pay the other party's costs personally as it might end up costing loads as the might use an accident management company which happens alot with non fault claims

leave it to your insurers - that's what you pay premiums for

FurryFox · 04/12/2008 20:56

I was in an accident once (not my fault) and the police were involved. My MOT was out of date by a few weeks (was booked in to be MOT'd the next week) and my tax had expired 8 days earlier.

The police pointed this out to me (which I obviously already knew), they said they might let me off when I go to produce my documents at the poice station. They did in fact let me off and turned a blind eye to both things. I was very lucky.

I'm not sure what my point to posting that was but just wanted to share

themoon66 · 04/12/2008 20:58

This happened to me.. although I didn't ahve an accident luckily. I went to book my car for MOT and only then dscovered I was 2 months late!

I seem to recall the garage backdated it for me.

sparklestickchick · 04/12/2008 21:28

This happened to me.. although I didn't ahve an accident luckily. I went to book my car for MOT and only then dscovered I was 2 months late!

I seem to recall the garage backdated it for me.

it is illegal to backdate an MOT!!

DoNotsAntlers · 04/12/2008 21:33

Ignoring the fact that it is illegal to back-date an MOT...it was technically possible with the old system. The new electronically registered MOTs are impossible to backdate I think.

Original poster

donotpassgo · 04/12/2008 21:44

thank you everyone for your replies...still feeling unbelievably stressed but DH very understanding and lovely (blub)

Will not being asking for any back dated MOT

Insurance company have not called back today, but if they call soon and ask about MOT will be truthful (never was a good liar)

Am confused about whether it is or is not legal...want to believe that if the car was road worthy at time of accident , then it is alright. DH says that MOts only prove that the car is good for time of MOT.

Dh is very optimistic, I'm the pessimist...ho hum feel such a fool

OP posts:

Original poster

donotpassgo · 04/12/2008 21:45

and an absolute criminal

OP posts:

sparklestickchick · 04/12/2008 21:52

a very nice one tho ctually i dont think criminals have a conscience so therefore youre not......you can be a forgetfull genius .

fingers crossed everything is ok for you

Original poster

donotpassgo · 04/12/2008 21:56

ohhh I like the idea of being a forgetful genius ..sparkle you have made me smile!

OP posts:

lurkingdad · 05/12/2008 23:22

Exactly the same thing happened to us, our 4 year old car was written off in an accident and we found out the MOT was 3 weeks out of date. We had no chance to backdate or anything as the car was a wreck. I got very stressed and when I eventually confessed to the insurance assessor he told me that as the car was obviously in good condition and would have passed the MOT all he did was deduct £50 from the settlement to cover the MOT we hadn't paid for. He did say had the car been really old and it appeared we had deliberately not bothered it would have been a different story.

I don't mind telling you I had a very stressful week over that one as we thought we had lost a car worth in excess of £10k and would get no money at all. However even though police were involved and everything nothing came of it as it was viewed purely as an administrative oversight.

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