How to Prepare for an MOT

The MOT is a requirement for all cars aged over three years old and provides a yearly check-up which ensures the cars on our roads have a basic level of mechanical safety. The test looks at a variety of a car’s areas and can flag up any potential issues.

Making sure you prepare for an MOT can help avoid failure on the day of the test. Here at Eden, all of our used cars come with at least six months of MOT remaining, but should you need to prepare for an MOT on any future vehicle, here’s what you need to consider checking.

Tyres

Your car’s tyres are the only point of contact that the vehicle has to the road, so making sure that they’re up to scratch is essential. In the UK, the minimum legal tread depth is 1.6mm and your car will fail if any tyre is below this level. It’s simple to check beforehand, however; use a 20p piece and insert it into the tyre’s grooves. If the outer band is obscured, then the tyres are still within the limit.

However, if the band is visible then they’ll need to be changed. We’d recommend getting them swapped for new ones well before they hit this limit. While you’re there, it’s a good idea to make sure that tyres are inflated to the correct levels - you can find these behind the fuel filler cap, or within the vehicle’s handbook.

Fluids

A car’s fluids are essential to its efficiency. They’re also a simple UK MOT check and not too tricky to top up, either. Your windscreen washer can be replenished using the bottle which is highlighted by a blue cap - in most cars - and make sure to use a dedicated washer fluid, as water alone can freeze in cold temperatures and cause damage to the system.

Top up your car’s oil to the right levels - checking them with the dipstick each time - and make sure there’s enough coolant in there too. If you have any concerns - or don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself - then it’s worth getting the help of a trained engineer.

Windscreen

A car can fail its MOT quite easily due to windscreen cracks. Within the ‘sweep’ of the wipers, a 10mm chip is enough to see a car fail its MOT, or via a 40mm crack outside of that sweeping area. If this is the case for your car, you may need to have them repaired or your windscreen replaced entirely.

While you’re looking at the windscreen, ensure that the wipers are working correctly and don’t have any rips or tears in them. These are usually quite simple to replace, though a motor parts store will be able to swap them out if you need some help with this.

Headlights

More so in winter, headlights play a key role in keeping you and your car safe. They’re a core MOT check, too, with examiners looking out for headlights that operate properly and indicators that work just as they should. Sidelights, brake lights and fog lamps should all be working correctly as well.

You can test these out at home before the test. Simply drive up to a shiny surface (a garage door works well) and use the lights, checking them each time. Do the same for the rear lights by reversing up to that shiny surface. However, the easiest way of all is to get a friend or relative to watch as you try the lights out. Get the bulbs replaced if you notice that one has blown.

Horn

A lot of people forget that the horn is checked during the MOT examination and it’s probably one of the easiest things to check when preparing for your MOT. Give the horn a good blast to make sure that it’s working just as it should.

Exhaust

A poorly-working exhaust can lead to a variety of issues, with the key one for this article being a failed MOT test. Listen out to the exhaust when you start your car up - is there a rattle, or does it sound louder than usual? The exhaust may have developed a hole in it, or the bracket which holds it to the car could be failing.

If there’s anything which sounds or feels unusual about the exhaust, get it checked out professionally right away.

Brakes

Brakes that work properly are essential. If you’ve noticed any issues with them - such as a ‘soft’ pedal feel, vibration through the pedal or loud squeaking noises - then it’d be a good idea to get them checked out before your car’s MOT.

Remember, brakes that don’t work aren’t just an issue for the MOT but for the general safety of yourself and other road users.

Here at Eden, all of our cars come with a minimum of six months of MOT coverage, so you can spend those early days with your new car without any worries. However, if you’d like to find out more about how to prepare for an MOT or any car that we have in stock - or have any questions about our policies here - then get in touch today.