MOT Exemption change on 20th May 2018
 

So who else is looking forward to this Sunday then? The MOT rules for classic (over 40 year old) cars change this Saturday and some will now become MOT exempt as well as tax exempt.


This means I can actually drive my 1963 VW beetle again on Sunday that's been sat in my garage untouched for the last 2 years since the MOT expired. The car was fully nut & bolt restored and is solid but with a young family I just never got the time to re-mot it when it ran out.


I'll certainly MOT it again as I have no concerns it will pass, but just means I get to have a cheeky drive on Sunday!!!! haha.


Roll on Sunday! :thumb:

Yup, same situation with my '70 beetle. No where near as clean though. Mine needs paint, wheels etc before it's back on the road again. First car bought for 50 quid at 16, rebuilt and resprayed in a dusty old shed, 1641 with a zoom tube... I thought I was the dogs danglies at 17!

Don't get me wrong, as clean as my beetle is it will all come apart again at some point! That's the fun of them. Mine is running a 1641 with twin 40s, Engle cam etc too. Still on drum brakes that actually work. All good fun! :)

Good for me.Maybe it will help keep prices up.If you want a nice classic as weekend runabout/project you can now do it without forking out for MOT or tax & get classic,limited mileage insurance which is generally very cheap.Helps me out for my 1968 GMC Handibus.:luxhello:

For those who don't know what that is.
Bit of a VW bus clone but with Chevy 305 V8 power.

http://www.afhire.co.uk/wp-content/u...NYD_2016_2.jpg

Having a car with an MOT is more peace of mind. I think it is a very bad move excepting any vehicle.

my subaru turbo powered camper will be there very soon aswell ,, will still get it done but takes the panic away if I forget the mot date lol

I would like to be pleased to have my Isetta exempt, but it's still in bits in my garage! Will get it tested anyway when it's done – but if it fails, does that mean I can't drive it on the road?

If it fails, then it proves that it's not fit to be on the road. With that in mind, then common sense would say no you can't drive it.

Agree 100%

Common sense does yes (and is why I will do the test). I was more thinking can I drive it home to get it fixed if it has failed. Seems like that is OK as long as it is in a roadworthy condition, so I suppose it depends what it fails on.

i think MOT exempt cars for 40 yr + cars is ridiculous.

Granted if they have lasted 40 yrs they have been looked aftr, BUT, i know of a few that arent and will now be out on the road monday !

stupid idea, a reduced MOT yes, at least to make sure tyres are not perished, brake hoses etc are good, it stops Etc

I like that idea.Most old cars don't have the complex systems modern cars have so easier to check road worthiness.What about checking every 2-3years & a
reduced rate for basic safety checks.

Could a copper still stop you & declare your car unfit?

If it is obviously faulty then yes.

If it is obviously faulty then yes.

Unfortunately for you the engine change in your camper is classed as a major modification and means the vehicle will always be subject to an MOT. There are strict guidelines that only permit up to 8 changes from standard specification and these are very minimal. Thankfully my bug is still well within this.


As above though, I have no concerns with my beetle passing another MOT and I will be putting it through one again soon when I get a chance. It's wise to continue this and regular maintenance if it is to be used on the road.


Still, it's not going to stop me taking it out on Sunday! :D

this has been debated over and over again on the vw forums and from what I can make out due to being a flat 4 engine still I can possibly get away with it but only time will tell on that one ,,, either way I'm not that bothered as I tend to keep all my cars in good form anyway and the mot place is around the back of my house it was just making it less of a worry when the time comes as iv got a bad memory lol ,,, I'm more chuffed about the tax going at the same time lol but thats a whole new thread lol

Stupidly I forgot to get the MOT done on Mrs FW's GT6 at the end of April and our local place is so busy they couldn't fit me in for a couple of weeks. I'll still get the car checked over though.


by https://www.flickr.com/photos/fatwomble/, on Flickr

Didn't see this until spent large amount on classic car.

lol.


So after all the wait I still didn't get to drive my beetle again. Was FAR too hungover this weekend to contemplate driving. :D


But it's now taxed again and declared so I may bring it to work one day this week.

Why isn't it tax exempt?

It is tax exempt, been tax exempt for years. But this still means you need to go to the DVLA site and tax the vehicle annually, which without a valid MOT wasn't possible until this weekend. So when the MOT ran out 2 years ago the tax eventually ran out too and I've not been able to tax it again, albeit it still FOC to do.

OK I get it now.:idea:

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is everything that is wrong with this change.

I know its crazy

Well not really. In fact not a lot has changed in reality, but things have improved. MOT exemption for classic vehicles is no new thing, it's been around for many years. Until now any car built before 1960 was classed as MOT exempt. This means you could have done whatever you wanted to the chassis, body etc and no manner of dangerous mods. In the VW worlds there are loads of pre 60 cars slammed on dodgy home made air ride systems that were before this weekend not policed. Now the strict guidelines push people who modify their cars in this way towards an MOT to confirm they are roadworthy.

The guidelines and new rules are in place to preserve classic period vehicles of interest, not keep modified sheds going on the roads. These period vehicles are more often than not better maintained than your average mondeo.

As always there will be people who try to use the rules to keep sheds going. I'm interested to see if the Police can somehow be empowered to stop this with standard dangerous vehicle regulations. Time will only tell.

I know a few people who have classic cars and instead of getting them through an mot they have waited. And one guy is a mechanic.

I however had to spend over £400 on work done to one of my cars. That didn't really need doing as wasn't bad for a classic car.

There will be so many dodgy sheds about i can tell you that.

It's bonkers. It will now make buying a classic car a nightmare. At least with a MOT you'd know the basics should be ok (even if it's about throw a big end), now the only choice is to get it to a garage to be checked prior to purchase, or take your chances.

That said, I have seen classic that's have had the sills filled with newspaper and filler that on initial glance looked sound and would pass MOT if the tester missed it with the plastic hammer.

Of course the law still puts the onus on the driver to ensure it is roadworthy before driving it. So it doesn't mean you can jump into a knackered heap and just drive it. However proving the car is properly checked regularly maybe interesting in say, a court case where an accident due to failed brakes kills a pedestrian...how do you prove its roadworthyness...pseudo MOT/inspections?

I have a 1969 Land Rover...Its been off the road for 8 years, I don't intend to drive it on the road anytime soon...even if it will probably start and move...the tyres are well over 15yrs old at the very least!

It may go up for sale though as I'm sick of Pikeys asking about it (I've seen worse sell on eBay for ten times what they want to pay).

An MOT on a classic car is never going to prove that it's 100% solid and doesn't need work. My first beetle I bought very naively with an MOT and it failed so badly on structural issues when I tried to MOT it I was absolutely staggered. Ended up getting scrapped and never saw the road again.


Yet I bought 2 classic beetles after that without MOT's that were 100% solid without an ounce of rust anywhere.


It's always going to be a minefield buying an old car and it's all going to be down to how the car has been stored and maintained or restored and put back together.


personally I would want to see an MOT in place but will also do a personal inspection every time.