MOT testing standards

Just fitted, they’re not tested?

A few of us have them with various threads about DRL’s on here.
But to keep it simple, never been tested on mine as not part of the MOT Test.

I didn’t think fog lights could be failed on cars that have variants that come without them (for instance mx5 se etc). I think they are mandatory now on newer cars and so have to work for mot.

Front fog lights are NOT mandatory on new cars.
Probably most will not be fitted to save money perhaps. :man_shrugging:

But if they’re factory fitted now don’t they have to work? Whereas they never used to be a requirement?

Yes, as per previous post 1/3/2018.

Adding a further layer on top of the existing Mazda inadequate rust protection has the effect of locking in the rust that’s already appeared and allowing condensation from the cavities to be held against the metal. It also hides more of the metal. The MOT tester can’t see through these various layers and isn’t allowed to remove them, so has to cover himself with an advisory.

As a matter of interest (?), in Northern Ireland we have a system of 15 government testing centres which assess your car independent of any private interests.

So private garages can’t supply an MOT certificate…… one has to book the MOT assessment at one of the MOT Test Centres.

In this system you may think that your car failed because your examiner was over zealous- but you cannot think you were failed because the tester wanted your business……… they’re independent and government run and are simply there to assess the vehicle.

The tester will not be fixing/repairing any issues that are flagged up.

I’m not stating this is a better system - I’m sure someone will be able to suggest at least some shortcomings- but the fact that the testing is independent from the carrying out of any remedial work may be helpful?

Interestingly an MOT Vehicle Test carried out in GB is legal in NI.

That’s wise words. MOT places that specialise in mot for their bread and butter but don’t do repairs would always be a wise choice as there is no vested interest in making work for themselves.

If you want to follow a similar testing approach to NI, you can try one of the council MoT test centres. These primarily exist to test council vehicles, but the public can use them.

They don’t offer repairs so it’s simply the test undertaken and no more.

More details, and where to find them, in this guide:

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I had no idea this was available in GB.
Thanks for posting

Very useful, thanks. I bought a 2009 Mk 3.5 in February. The previous MOT was “Pass” but with the advisory note “chassis corrosion but not seriously weakened”. I wanted a second opinion before submitting it for MOT in October. I am new to this area so had not found an MX5 expert locally. So, I took it to a Mazda Dealer thinking they know the cars and could give an informed pre-MOT assessment. Nope, doom and gloom; “write it off, buy a newer one, Sir”. I replaced the rear brace bars which frankly were well corroded, and it passed the official MOT. I plan to keep a watch as I don’t want to drive if it the strength is or becomes compromised. Any suggestions for an MX5 specialist in North West Lancashire, please?

I used to use a council MOT test centre in Salford, was handy for the office where I worked, was always a good experience.

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The whole MOT is getting to be a joke I had my Lexus MOT by the main dealer who said there was some perishing on the rear subframe mounts so I asked for a repair price which was thousands so I asked how urgent it was and they said it would last another 20 years. So why report it.

Because they can and some poor sucker will fall for it and they will make some money. I suspect this is unfortunately normal practise for a MD…with their own MOT facility, Better to find someone who uses an independant MOT station if you really want to go via a Dealer
Or am I just being cynical?

This car, has never had a rust advisory, or rust fail. Its had plenty of other fails though


I’ve had experience of NI MOTs… the long lead time to get an appointment, the jobsworths who fail a car at 4.30pm on a friday afternoon for the tyre treads pointing they wrong way (what they don’t tell you is there is a third option besides pass or fail, called certificate withheld), and the centres who claim they can’t test the handbrake on their rollers, and the only way is to pull some handbrake turns in the carpark (looking at you, Mallusk Test Centre).

I learnt in NI there was a reason why chassis washes (typically at the bus depots) are popular; the MOT test centres might fail you for having a dirty underside.

I used my local Council Depot once with Bullit and the staff seemed bemused regarding a member of the public asking to use them and I had to get permission in advance to enter the site. She failed that time and they charged me for the re-test after works were carried out. Also my usual MOT tester/garage that did works on her at the time was upset I’d used the Council !!!
Not used either since
Guess from reading all the posts above there is one thing you just can’t control for…us humans :crazy_face:
And skeptical me thinks that robots/AI wouldn’t do it any better…because they are programmed by…yes…us humans :crazy_face: :rofl:

Except for the AI mammography analysis which has 75% accuracy compared to humans at 50%.

Don’t Doubt this Ast 100 %

But strongly suspect it was a human that decided to relocate my Mammogram Service from Morrisons Car Park a few miles away to a fresh location many miles away …I love driving my Five but hate the ‘powers that be’ making my life more difficult…cos I’m getting older and even more of a grumpy old woman :tired_face:

I got that this year , at my local MX5 dealer ( advisory )
Can hardly see the chip.