Hoot guide to passing the MOT testVariety is the spice of life, or so they say. At Hoot Car Insurance Services, we've spent years hunting down the very best car insurance rates for our ever-growing client base, and we'd be lying if we said we hadn't done a pretty outstanding job. But do any job too often, or for too long, and it's bound to start feeling a little stale. Don't get me wrong, we aren't about to pack up the cheap car insurance business and start exporting frozen pizzas for a living (leave that kind of thing to Gino Ginelli), but it feels like the right time to diversify a little. So while our primary focus here at Hoot will remain firmly on motor insurance, we're branching out to offer you advice on whole series of driving topics everything from passing your driving test to saving money on car repairs all under the banner of Hoot Guides'. This particular one is all about the UK MOT test, a much-maligned annual check-up that's designed to keep your car roadworthy and your wallet empty. Pay attention, however, and you'll stand a good chance of catching the bugs and faults before the mechanic does and saving yourself a packet in the process. DIY MOT
If it's MOT time and your car seems to be running fine, you should be able to diagnose and take care of most test breakers on your Jack Jones. The following is a break-down of the kind of faults you should be looking out for: 1. Registration plates
They need to be more than just legible! The DVLA insists that regulation fonts and letter spacing be used on every UK plate, but many garages will quite cheerfully print them for you in a variety of wacky typefaces or shunt characters to the left or right according to your misguided preference. If you've had something like this done, or (slightly less embarrassingly) the second hand car you just bought came with a set of such plates on, get them changed back to the standard issue. 2. Lights
Every external light fitted needs to be in working order that includes the oft-overlooked fog lights, number plate lights and reversing lights as well as your headlights and indicators. The inspector will also check your headlight aim. Don't be anxious if your car came without one of the more obscure sets, however if some lights weren't fitted by the manufacturer, they are not required for an MOT pass. 3. Steering and suspension
"Excessive play" accounts for most of the failures in this section. Steering needs to be tight and responsive, whilst suspension needs to snap the car back to level instantly on uneven ground. Any looseness in either system - that quarter-turn of slack on the wheel before the car starts to corner for instance needs ironing out before you'll pass the MOT. 4. Wipers and washers
Sounds obvious, but wiper blades need to be the right size for your wipers, and wipers need to be the right size for your windscreen that old spare pair that sort of' fits won't do. And make sure the rubber strips on your wiper blades aren't perished or dirty enough to impair their function. Your washer jets need unblocking if they're clogged up, and they need to shoot straight onto the windscreen - not up over the roof and onto the car behind (although this is hilarious in summer). 5. Windscreen
The driver's view needs to be totally unobstructed if you're to pass the MOT test. First remove any dangling car ornaments or dashboard rubbish (put it back later if you must) then inspect the windscreen itself for any marks or cracks. Stone chips and other small marks are permissible on certain non-critical parts of the glass such as the passenger's side of the windscreen and the area not covered by your wipers. The sections of glass directly in front of the driver needs to be free of chips bigger than 10mm in diameter, however. 6. The horn
It needs to work. Please don't frighten any nervous old biddies while you're making sure. 7. Seatbelts
Check each seatbelt for any fraying or cuts to the fabric and make sure it's securely mounted at your shoulder and your lap. Also, give it a sharp tug to check the inertia reel is working properly and check the fastening holds tight until the release button is pressed. You ought to know if any of these problems are affecting the driver's seatbelt, but take a good look at the passenger's belt and those in the back. The examiner will check every one that's fitted. 8. Wheels and tyres
They all need to fit, and they all need to match. Make sure the tyres you have fitted are the right size for your wheels, and that you have matching pairs on each axle. On top of that, look out for damage and excessive wear. Noticeably dented or distorted rims will lead to a fail, as will tyres with splits and bulges. Check your tread depth (you should be doing this routinely anyway), and remember 1.6mm is a bare minimum it'll raise eyebrows at the test centre. You should really aim to replace any tyre with a tread depth below 2mm. 9. Brakes
If it takes an age to stop, you may have worn out or cracked brake pads and discs, and they won't go unnoticed in an MOT test. Get them replaced beforehand if this is an issue. And if the car pulls to one side when you step on the pedal, you probably need to get your brakes re-balanced. As for the handbrake: it's got to hold the car firmly in place when applied. Too many clicks or a loose lever will also result in a fail. You won't find fault with our cheap car insurance policies
Just aced your MOT test thanks to Hoot? Why not celebrate with a car insurance quote that'll make you the envy of all your friends? Our young driver car insurance policies are so much cheaper because we do without a bunch of non-essential expenditures like advertising and shop space. Most other motor insurance firms, by comparison, have become hopelessly dependant on these services. Advertising is the perfect example. Most cheap car insurance companies would flounder and fail in a matter of days if they let up on the constant barrage of annoying TV and radio commercials that sells their policies but Hoot has never sunk to this level. We do most of our business on the back of personal recommendations from our many satisfied clients. We save another small fortune by not renting high street shops. Hoot is and always has been an online car insurance company, and that keeps overheads really low in comparison with other insurers. Needless to say, we pass all the money we save on ads and shop rental onto you, the customer, in the form of fabulously cheap car insurance. So what's keeping you? Click the link below and put us to the test! [quote button]
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