How to find a cheap MOT and service

Owning a car can be an expensive business. Not only is there an initial cost of purchasing the car to think about, but there are also ongoing expenses to factor into your budget too. As well as fuel, car insurance and road tax, car owners will also more than likely need to pay for an MOT test and service each year too. And then if the test picks up any issues with the vehicle, there could be hefty repair costs to pay for too. As a car owner myself who’s married to an MOT tester, I’ve got a few ways to help you to keep the costs down and get a cheap MOT and service without compromising your safety.

What is an MOT?

If you’ve ever owned a car, then you’re probably familiar with having to take it for an annual MOT. But do you actually know what an MOT is and what happens during one? MOT stands for Ministry of Transport. This is the government body that first introduced the MOT test back in 1960 as a way to test the safety, exhaust emissions and roadworthiness of vehicles. These days, the annual MOT certificate is issued by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). There are currently around 66.000 MOT testers in the country and these have to follow strict testing criteria to ensure that only safe vehicles can stay on the road.

When to book your MOT test

It’s important to know that making sure your vehicle has a valid MOT is down to you as the owner. These days, you won’t automatically receive a reminder from the authorities so it’s important to make a note of when your MOT is due and make sure you get it booked in. However, gov.uk do offer a handy reminder service that will remind you one month before your MOT expires. You can sign up to that here.

All cars will need to start having an annual MOT once they are three years old (four years in Northern Ireland), and driving a vehicle without a valid MOT is against the law. The only exemption to this rule is if you are driving your vehicle in to a prebooked MOT test.

What happens if your car fails an MOT?

If your car fails an MOT, then you might be wondering if you still have a period of time when it’s still ok to drive it. You will receive a refusal to issue an MOT notice which will detail the issues that need to be resolved in order for your car to pass. The severity of the issues found will determine what you can and can’t do.

Dangerous fault on an MOT

If a dangerous fault is recorded, then you won’t be permitted to drive your vehicle at all until the issue is fixed. Failure to stick to this rule could land you with a fine of £2,500 and three points on your driving license.

Major fault on an MOT

If a major fault is recorded, then you can drive your vehicle, but only if that journey is to get your vehicle repaired.

If you’re unsure, then ask your MOT tester who will be able to advise you on what to do.

What is a service?

Getting your vehicle serviced regularly isn’t a legal requirement. However, it is advisable as although it can be costly, having your car serviced regularly can actually cut down on costs in the long run. Scottish drivers professionally check their car tyres in Edinburgh at least once a month to ensure that they are in good condition. Having your car serviced, it will allow the mechanics to thoroughly check over all of the vital components of your vehicle and identify any potential issues before they become major problems.

As with anything involving mechanics, cars are made up of many moving parts, and it’s important to get these cleaned up and refreshed regularly in order to keep the car working efficiently.

There are different types of service that will go into different checks depending on what you’re prepared to pay for, but here are a few of the checks a service may include:

• Top up fluids including brake fluid, engine oil, power steering fluid, screenwash, antifreeze and coolant
• Replace oil and air filters
• Check spark plugs, radiators and windscreen wipers
• Check lights, bodywork and exhaust
• Check brakes and steering
• Check the suspension
• Check the car battery

How to get a cheap MOT and service

So we know that an MOT is an unavoidable expense of owning a vehicle, but there are things we can do to bring down the cost and get a cheap MOT and service.

First of all, it’s important to point out that by trying to help you get a cheap MOT and service, we’re not suggesting anybody cuts any important safety checks out of their vehicle care routine.

Do it yourself MOT

Now I’m not suggesting for one second that you can do your own MOT that will allow you to legally drive your car. However, you can do a mini DIY MOT at home before you take your car in, so that you can give your vehicle the best chance of passing first time. Paying for an unnecessary retest for a problem you could easily have resolved beforehand definitely isn’t money savvy.

Although you won’t be able to test everything yourself, these are some of the things you can check:

• Lights – get somebody to check all your brake and indicator lights are working for you, as well as making sure all of your headlights are in good working order. Bulbs are cheap and relatively easy to replace yourself so get any broken bulbs sorted before you head off to the test centre.
• Suspension – whilst you can’t do a full suspension check at home, you can apply your weight to each corner of your car. The car should easily bounce back up. If it doesn’t, then you know you need to get this looked at before your MOT.
• Brakes – brake issues can come on gradually, so it can be difficult to realise when they’re starting to wear. However, when it’s safe to do so, apply your brakes whilst driving and if you don’t get an immediate response then get them checked out.
• Tyres – it’s really easy to check your tyre pressure and fill them up at most petrol stations. You can also check the depth of your tyre tread yourself by following the advice in this guide.
• Windscreen – a small chip in your windscreen won’t necessarily mean an MOT fail, but if you do have a chip larger than 40mm then you will need to get this sorted. Most car insurance policies cover windscreen repair, although make sure you know how much you’ll need to pay in excess charges.
• Number Plate – not all number plates are legal, and it’s really important to know that your car has road legal plates on before you take it for a test, particularly if you have a personalised plate. There are certain rules for spacing and shading, check here for the latest government rules.
• Exhaust – is your exhaust particularly noisy, leaking or blowing? Get this checked out before taking your car for an MOT test.
• Fluids – check all of the fluid levels in your car and top up where necessary.

Just making these checks at home can help to ensure that your car won’t fail unnecessarily, costing you both time and money for a retest.

How to find the cheapest MOT test centre

Whenever I’m looking for any local service, I always make use of social media. Not only does this help me to find the best deals around, but it also helps me to make sure I’m receiving a quality service too. Social media platforms such as Facebook are great for local groups where you can ask people who they recommend and this works really well for MOT test centres. You can quickly and easily find out who ranks the cheapest and what kind of service you’re likely to get too.

You can also check out the Money Saving Expert forums for tips on how to cut the costs of your annual MOT.