[daveylad]

I got the 6 month M.O.T extension due to the covid situation which was originally due in june.
My M.O.T wasn`t due till december but decided to go early to avoid the rush later on.
My car failed on a ball joint which i would normally fix myself but the mot tester then told me my car now was without any mot at all due to it being in the extension period and it failed.
He told me it does not have the extension to december any more and it will be illegal for me to drive it away.
He also told me he could not do the job for me until next week as he is booked up.
What exactly am i supposed to do in this situation?
Can`t leave the car there, can`t drive away, i can`t be the only one in this situation.
Was he telling the truth?

[castrolrob]

yup your extension is now void,it tells you that on the ticket and extension or no extension its always been illegal to drive a car with a known defect,your extension also tells you the car needs to be in a roadworthy condition for precisely that reason.your balljoint would have to be dangerous to not be able to drive it away as you are permitted to drive from the test to a place of repair and then back for retest assuming the cars otherwise legal(insurance etc),if thats what the fail says(dangerous) hes correct,ideally you need to recover it to wherever youre gonna get it fixed.if the fail says major instead of dangerous then theoretically it shud be driveable but im never gonna confirm that without actually seeing how bad it is for myself and neither can anyone else unfortunately.

[daveylad]

Its not always been the case while you still have a valid current mot (before the extension existed)
If i go 2 weeks before my old mot expires and it fails, i still have 2 weeks mot left from the previous year, it never just instantly stopped the day it failed.
Now it seems this has changed.

Being legally able to drive away to a place of repair, is not what he told me, he told me driving away anywhere is illegal, so that wasn`t true.

And its only a small amount of play in the ball joint, it takes a crowbar to get even the slightest movement from it.

[castrolrob]

yes it has,just that now its on a computer system it can be checked.its never been legal to drive a vehicle with known defects that could cause a roadsafety issue but back in the day you could plead stupidity/ignorance,most owners arent mechanics after all but its now on a public access website.you could drive your motor away,you would probably get away with it but in the event of any problems-accidents etc-youre on a sticky wicket,by all means check with the dept of transport

[Paul S]

Suspension arm: ball joint
Likely to become detached= Dangerous failure
Excessively worn= Major failure
Slight play= Advisory

not knowing what ball joint is being discussed

[daveylad]

The computer system still has my mot as valid till december 2nd, i have not been for the retest yet.

[daveylad]

The actual reason for failure is not the issue, it could have failed on anything.
My point in posting here was to find out why or if this guy was right in telling me my car now has no valid mot and it is illegal to drive away.
The DLVA website still tells me my current MOT is valid till december, yet this guy says i am driving illegally if i move it from his car park.
I am trying to get a solid answer on who is right.
If i can legally drive to a place of repair, he is wrong.
Place of repair being my home, as i am fully capable of doing the repair myself.

[Paul S]

as long as no ‘dangerous’ problem(s) were listed on this latest MOT cause if there is you can be fined £2,500, be banned from driving and get three points on your licence

if its a ‘major’ problem(s) You may take your vehicle to get it repaired

[daveylad]

OK, but it still has a valid mot according to the DVLA until december.

[castrolrob]

you dont have an mot,your original post states it expired in june.you have an extension issued due to the covid pandemic.about 2/3 of the way down your fail certificate it will say”if this vehicle is operating under an extension then it is now void and this car must pass an mot before being used on public roads”sorry guy,dont shoot the messenger.this was a gvmnt decision not mine or indeed anyone remotely connected with our trade and yes if you hadnt got it tested at all no one would know any of this and you would have continued driving it till december assuming said balljoint hadnt parted company by then.not exactly an incentive to bring your car in before the extension expires is it?AND YES ALL THIS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT TO THE GVMNT DPTS RESPONSIBLE!all we do is hand the paperwork out and take the crap for it all…i have heard that some of the extensions dont get voided till a day or two after the fail but weve received no official guidance on any of that.as ive already mentioned the fault generally has to be dangerous(and if so it should be listed as such on the failure)and if listed as major its not such an issue although it will still void your exemption.having an mot doesnt make you immune,as a for instance if the plod pull you for a bald tyre they dont care how much ticket youve got,youll generally get a 14 day producer to get it fixed.if their records show you failed on it last week and are still driving then remaining mot or not they will generally hand you the 3 points cos its a defect of which they could prove you were aware.as i said the main change is stuff like this can now be proved rather easily.

[daveylad]

See, from just two people i have two different versions.
One says i have an mot if the fail was only a major and not a dangerous fail, now you say a major voids the mot too..
Its impossible to get a straight answer.

I only need to know about the law about getting the car to a place of repair after a major fault, namely my home.

The only reason i went early is to avoid the rush of people that come later on due to twice as many people needing them as normal during november and december.

[Paul S]

You what its on a computer system us people ain’t got different versions?the major supersedes your last mot ticket & i never said..
You want a straight answer, and Welcome to the forum daveylad;

Steering linkage ball joint
Worn, serious risk of detachment= Dangerous failure
Excessive play= Major failure
Slight play= Advisory

so straight answer Long as its not Dangerous.:dude:

[daveylad]

I don`t need the specifics on the ball joint, i already know its a “major failure”

You say a major failure allows me to legally drive my car home,as its not “dangerous” the other guy says i can`t legally drive it anywhere as i have no mot whatsoever.

So yes, two different answers.

The DVLA website still says i legally have an MOT until december.

[Paul S]

it expired in june.you have an extension issued due to the covid pandemic.about 2/3 of the way down your fail certificate it will say”if this vehicle is operating under an extension then it is now void and this car must pass an mot before being used on public roads…wtf its off a computer SO NO its the same answer?

was told computers would result in more time for leisure personally would take responsibility….

[daveylad]

you said this a few hours ago.

“if its a ‘major’ problem(s) You may take your vehicle to get it repaired”

So at 1.00p.m i could take my car to be repaired, now apparently i can`t drive it at all.

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