New style MOT

[s2-wolf]

I took the Surf in for it's MOT today - the first of our vehicles to go through the computer based system. According to VOSA this is supposed to be more secure against fraud and easier for the garage to administer - yeah right!
I have the Registration Document with me with all the Surf's details correctly entered, so Mr MOT man types the registration number into his computer, which is supposed to give him all the information he needs such as model, engine size, vehicle weight etc. The machine wizzes and whirrs and comes up with - Toyota! Thats it - no model, no nothing!
So he goes to his wall charts listing the weight of every vehicle known to man (well known to VOSA actually) - no Surf (what a suprise!) After much discusssion with second Mr MOT man, they decide to test it using the weight of a Landcruiser. Plan B was to use a Tapley meter on a road test.
Luckily this wasn't needed as the Surf brakes are so damn good that it locked its wheels up on the rollers, so the weight was irrelevant!
All in all the MOT took twice as long as in the past, mainly due to the lack of information held on the VOSA system, most of which is readily available in the registration document. Yet another governmental example of "one step forward, four steps backward"!!
My Beauford kit car was also tested this week. The same guy has tested it every year since 1993 and done the brake test on the rollers, but this time it had to be on a Tapley meter because the vehicle weight is not listed on the computer, nor is there anything remotely like it on the chart!!
The Surf passed by the way - mainly due to the servicing ministrations of the good Dr Anglegrinder. (the Beauford passed as well - result!!)
The moral of this story is - if you haven't experienced an MOT yet this year, you are in for a treat

[mud skipper]

thanks for that post you just made me check to see when mine is due for the yearly heart ache----26 April---- few had a feeling it was over due, now i will have to spend time on her to get her ship shape
cheers
john

[BUSHWHACKER]

I had the new style MOT in febuary, and it's got Toyota Surf printed on the form, but where it says vehicle gross weight, it's printed N/A.
When they tested my brakes, the guy reversed out of the garage and drove forward onto a type of weigh bridge and stomped on the brakes, and the braking force came up on a monitor. Which was cool!

[smego]

It seems the new MOT certs look too simple to forge. No foils or holograms in them. Just a poxy watermark etc... Time to print some MOT certs off methinks

[BUSHWHACKER]

The details are logged on to the police national computer. The can type or radio in a registration number and receive details of tax, MOT and insurance on that particular vehicle.

[mud skipper]

my vehicles go to a mot station which is 100 yards from my house, he has never failed any of them including the surf last year with a snapped anti roll bar monting bracket, there again he has a white stick and a labrador with a hi-viz collar lol
john

[Bruce]

I had mine done last month - i had the same problem, except the computer refused to accept my chassis no ect. After some convincing, the guy did the MOT...
But this week ive had a letter from the DVLA saying that there are discrepencies in the details for my truck, had to fill in another form and send it back to them

Just as a side note.....I was talking to the receptionist at the Yota dealer in Rayleigh, she said that the vehicle has to remain hooked up to the MOT computer for at least an hour or it wont issue the certificate - which seems a bit odd to me - any truth to this MOT peeps?

[Puppywalker]

useless

Mine went for the dreaded test at a station I built several years ago, so I know them well, they entered Reg and Vin numbers and got a result showing 13 possible vehicles, he finally pressed F2 to end search and it brought up mine.

How can 13 vehicles have my REG and VIN, this system stinks and every one but the MOT think so

[TonyN]

MOT's now have to take a minimum of time, so now we sit around and chat for 1/2 hour after every test, every truck I take in.

It's cost my local garage well over £2000 a month as you can't do a MOT before or after your official opening hours, and only 1 every 45mins or so. If you log on the next car before that your in deep doodoo.

He got warning last month, for logging on the first MOT of the day 30 SECONDS!!! before 8 o'clock, he's offical opening time.

By the way, the weight for the brake test is the same as a 4Runner, which is on the charts.

[Vagrant No2]

I just turn up at my mate Ray's place for an MOT and he says '4x4' , 'I can not do a brake test on that' and just writes the ticket . Poor guy needs to read up on vehicles a bit more .

[Grimreeper]

As an MOT tester and QC'er i will try to answer some questions.
1 Q was about a weigh bridge time thing that came up on a monitor. This is called a plate brake force tester. its similar to a rolling road test. it measures the braking force.

The surf that was tested as a landcurser is bull. the tester should have entered the test data for a 4runner.

Any vehical that doesnt come up with the right details the NT (nominated tester) has the option of creating a new record of a vehical with vosa (dvla) and if they know their stuff use 4runner data.

For the nest 2 to 3 years all testing stations has ben asked to ask for reg docs upon testing as basically we (mot'ers) are updating their records for them.

Most mots take a certain length of time ... if you do a test in 15mins it rings alarm bells for vosa

1 tester can only log on to do 1 test .... until that test is pased, failed or abortedthen they cant log on to do another test.

In the event that a vehical is imported there is a certain route the tester must go down. If the tester cant remember this from their training then tell them to ring vosa on the help line. if they dont know the tel no its on their mouse mat that vosa/simens provided for them. if they still cant sort it out they they want reproting as being incompetant.

If there is any problems with a test they have a very helpful service desk tel no for the testers to ring.

The post about the certificates are easy to forge..... they are on basic paper and yes you could put your details on to a normal form.....but there is a bar code that is registered the moment the test is passed or failed. If you hand in a fake it instantly warns the post office, vosa, ploice etc that its fake.
With the new mots the policeknow instantly that your reg links to current tax, mot and insurance.
With the new mots you can check their vailididity online. even buy your tax online.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU

Hope this helps some of u
Jon

[BUSHWHACKER]

1 Q was about a weigh bridge time thing that came up on a monitor. This is called a plate brake force tester. its similar to a rolling road test. it measures the braking force. Jon

That's it, couldn't remember the name.
The tester said it's so they can test 4x4s without fear of damage to gearboxes and diffs. I did point out that it would have been more prudent to have it installed facing the outside rather than the office!

[s2-wolf]

Any vehical that doesnt come up with the right details the NT (nominated tester) has the option of creating a new record of a vehical with vosa (dvla) and if they know their stuff use 4runner data.

For the nest 2 to 3 years all testing stations has ben asked to ask for reg docs upon testing as basically we (mot'ers) are updating their records for them.

Jon

The guy who did my MOT had to create a new record for the vehicle, even though most of the details were on the Registration Document, and had been for the last two years!
Yet another example of a government agency getting other people to do their work for them!

[Planty]

i had mine MOT'd 2 weeks back. when i booked it in, i was asked to take with me, my registration doc and was told it would take approx 45mins.
30 mins later mr MOT guy, walked in and said "all done sir, i don't know why you bother".
i asked him about the new stuff. he told me about the computer stuff and the time they're supossed to take (which we've already mentioned) but also that these police cameras, the type that read your registration plate, can instantly tell if you've got valid roadtax and MOT.

look out...........

see ya'll
Planty

[Gizmo]

Its been reported very well about the problems in Computer Weekly, joe bloggs at VOSA/DVLA believe that alot of the garages are able to use computers and theres been issues with network connectivity along side those already mentioned.

When I went for mine I had to put the car in on another day for the MOT because they were having problems with the smartcard that allows them to log on to the system.