End of MOT for pre 1960 cars?

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paul williams
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End of MOT for pre 1960 cars?

Post by paul williams » Sun Nov 06, 2011 1:33 pm

The DFT released this yesterday:

Classic cars and motorbikes could be exempted from the MoT test under proposals published for consultation today by Roads Minister Mike Penning.
Classic and historic vehicles are often very well maintained by their owners and have a much lower accident and MoT failure rate than newer cars. The current requirement for these vehicles to undergo an MoT test goes over and above the obligations set out in European legislation. As part of the Government's commitment to cutting unnecessary red tape, today's proposals would exempt private vehicles manufactured before 1960 from the MoT test, reducing costs for owners.
Mike Penning said:
"We are committed to reducing regulation which places a financial burden on motorists without providing significant overall benefits. Owners of classic cars and motorbikes are enthusiasts who maintain their vehicles well - they don't need to be told to look after them, they're out there every weekend checking the condition of the engine, tyres and bodywork.
"That is why I am today putting forward proposals to scrap the MoT test for these vehicles - this will result in savings for the Government and for motorists."
Many of the features of the modern MoT test are not suitable for testing classic vehicles built more fifty years ago. However, owners of classic vehicles will still be legally required to ensure that their cars are safe and in a proper condition to be on the road
These changes are being taken forward separately from the Department for Transport's main MOT review.
The consultation starts today and closes on 26 January 2012. The consultation document can be found here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations.

The FBHVC have an online survey about this issue, to complete go to
http://fbhvc.co.uk/mot-survey/

Paul Williams
1929 2litre Saloon
1934 P1 10HP
1951 Rover Cyclops
1974 P6 3500
1998 LR Discovery I


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paul williams
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Re: End of MOT for pre 1960 cars?

Post by paul williams » Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:08 am

Dont forget to complete the FBHVC survey as it closes 10 January.

Paul Williams
1929 2litre Saloon
1934 P1 10HP
1951 Rover Cyclops
1974 P6 3500
1998 LR Discovery I


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paul williams
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Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:47 pm
Location: Telford,Shropshire
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Re: End of MOT for pre 1960 cars?

Post by paul williams » Tue May 22, 2012 7:26 am

Copied from the FBHVC web site

Mike Penning, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, has announced the results of the Historic Vehicles MoT Exemption Review. The DfT is in favour of exemption for pre-1960 vehicles and it is proposed this will take effect from 18 November 2012. Owners of exempted vehicles will be able to take them for a voluntary test under the new regulations.

The FBHVC’s initial response is a guarded welcome to a result that matches the wishes of the majority of respondents to the Federation’s MoT survey. We hope to get more information about the detail of the proposals from the DfT in due course, in order to make a proper assessment – particularly about passenger carrying vehicles in commercial use which we were surprised to note are also to be exempt from MoT testing.

In general historic vehicle owners are law abiding and safety conscious and are aware that they have a duty to ensure their vehicles are in a roadworthy condition and accept the exemption from MoT testing is not an excuse for poor maintenance.

Paul Williams
1929 2litre Saloon
1934 P1 10HP
1951 Rover Cyclops
1974 P6 3500
1998 LR Discovery I


chris dancey
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Location: Brighton & Paphos, Cyprus

Re: End of MOT for pre 1960 cars?

Post by chris dancey » Thu May 24, 2012 6:45 am

I am not sure that I totally agree with this new ruling. My brother trained as a mechanic, he runs a large MOT testing centre and was once a professional, but is now an amateur classic car restorer ( it must be in the genes ). We had a discussion on this very subject over a beer and we identified that difficulties may arise with insurance premiums and legal problems if accident claims are made.

My brother has MOT tested many Classics, from Bubble Cars to Ferraris, Trucks & Military Vehicles and not all when presented were in a safe and roadworthy condition. A case in point, a Classic Car owner presented his car ( an early Austin 16 ) to my brothers workshop for some repair work, during its stay my brother discovered 4" of play at the steering wheel, and dutily informed the owner that this would not be acceptable as an MOT pass and would he like the problem sorted, the owner replied that he had presented the car to another garage for MOT testing only weeks before and the car was passed without further comment !

This car was road legal, one can only imagine other instances where drivers of Classics who do not maintain their cars to set standards could be involved in accidents.

I will still offer my cars for voluntary MOT testing, I feel comfortable in the knowledge that a professional will check my car once a year and maybe pick up something that I may have overlooked. I realise that there is still a legal requirement to maintain a car in a good roadworthy condition , but I feel that this is open to abuse....and its not worth one persons life !

Time will tell if this has been a good decision, I am sure that there will still be some ongoing debate for or against, .....In the future if I see a Classic Car behind me that I don't recognise I am tempted to increase the distance between us....just in case !!!

Chris Dancey
1934 ( 1935 model ) P1 '10' Saloon RD 6160
1935 P1 '10' Saloon ( originally JB 6729 ) now VSJ 156
1946 P2 '14' Sports Saloon KPG 855
1933 MG J2 Cycle Wing Model APB 560
1933 MG J2 Competition Model ALX 124

lakesrally

Re: End of MOT for pre 1960 cars?

Post by lakesrally » Thu May 24, 2012 9:26 pm

I agree with Chris, I am an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to looking after my cars and I don't mind admitting it. I fully intend to submit my cars to a local MOT tester every year for a check over. The first time a classic car that has been exempted from an MOT test is involved in a serious accident then the tabloid press will be down on our movement like a ton of bricks and we might be hit with a more severe test than we have at the moment or, even worse, be banned from the road. I did not agree with the proposal in the first place and am totally against it now.

David Bliss
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Joined: Sun Oct 14, 2012 8:54 am

Re: End of MOT for pre 1960 cars?

Post by David Bliss » Wed Jul 10, 2013 4:38 pm

I agree with regular MOT's. I also believe that if a car has undergone a major overhaul, especially if this involves steering, brakes or suspension, it should undergo a SVT test. Such an overhaul is no different to building a kit car, and these must be tested before they can go on the road. I have known of several instances of cars that have had unbelievable bodges, even some done by restorers. For example, on a Triumph TR4 the threads for the rear wheel nuts had been damaged on one hub (the wheel had probably come loose at some time). The original studs are screwed through the hub and are heavily riveted over at the back. To remove these studs the hub has to be taken off and the riveted portion drilled off, the studs can then be unscrewed without damaging the hub. Instead the studs had be forced through the hub, damaging the threads in the hub. New studs had been put in and then spot welded in from the back. The wheel plus the brake drum parted without warning from the car when it was traveling at about 50 mph. As luck would have it, this happened on a straight road level road, the car traveled several hundred yards on its back spring U-bolts and fortunately came to a halt before reaching the busy roundabout not far ahead. I think it was fortunate that the brake drum came off as if the driver had braked hard the car would probably veered off the road. A contributing factor leading the failure could have been the fact that the axle and its wheel hubs had been powder coated, there was evidence that the heat from the brake drum had made the plastic coating soften allowing the wheel to loosen slightly and this put additional strain on the poor threads in the wheel hub. This happened a few months after the car had been bought from a dealer with a a full MOT.

Another example was a 1934 Austin 10, the front springs had been fitted the wrong way round so the axle was nearer to the back than it should have been. This resulted in a slight negative caster and when the car hit a bad pothole the drag link arm sheared its key which went into the stub axle. The car immediately ran straight up a bank, luckily it did not topple over and progress was quickly retarded. When the springs were put back in the correct position it was found that the brake rods were over 4 inches short, these rods had also been welded which, again, is hazardous. It is another example of a lucky escape, in different road conditions the consequences could have been serious.

I have seen worrying things on other vehicles that are on the road such as:-
Severely cracked brake drums.
New steering ball joints fitted on a veteran car, where the old ball joint had been cut off and the new one poorly welded in its place (adequate for a static exhibit, but definitely not for road use).
When a mechanical fault appeared on a rear axle and it was dismantled it was also found that, in addition to the known fault, a half-shaft had been recently replaced and was not made from the correct metal. The metal had stretched and was at the point of failure. This could have failed on the road with potentially serious consequences.

I could give many more examples of such problems. Not all owners are good mechanics, and not all dealers and restorers are as competent or scrupulous as they should be. MOTs are useful, but wont pick up all the faults resulting from a poor restoration - which is why I would like to see post-restoration tests and written evidence showing that known weaknesses (which show up as a car ages) for the particular model of car have been dealt with appropriately.

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