Two Checks, One Vehicle: Why Drivers Should Never Confuse an MOT With a Service

Many motorists mistake MOT for a car service and consider them one and the same. However, they are entirely different. A misconception of these two might result in a vehicle being only fit for road usage on paper but hardly maintained in reality. 

Being aware of the differences and what each step comprises will enable the owners to make wise decisions regarding the maintenance of their vehicles. This blog elaborates on both examinations and explains the reasons why both of them are essential.

What an MOT Actually Tests

An MOT is a government-ordered yearly vehicle inspection for cars that are more than three years old. It determines whether a vehicle complies with the minimum legal safety and environmental standards established by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Passing an MOT is not an indication that the vehicle is in perfect condition – it just means that it complied with the required standard on that particular day.

The vehicle inspector will check the following during an MOT:

• Brakes: testing effectiveness and balance, and checking the condition of pads, discs and hydraulic lines
• Lights: making sure all external lights work properly and are correctly aimed
• Steering and suspension: looking for the presence of wear or looseness in major components
• Tyres: measuring tread depth at least 1.6 mm to the legal minimum and looking for any damage
• Exhaust emissions: making sure the car meets the permissible emission standards
• Seatbelts: checking all belts lock, retract and fasten effectively
• Windscreen and wipers: making sure the driver's view is not obscured by the cracks and the wipers function properly

A vehicle either passes, fails, or gets an advisory MOT report. An advisory highlights problems that are not serious enough to cause a failure but should be fixed soon.

What a Car Service Covers

Going a step beyond an MOT, a service is a whole lot more. The MOT acts as a legal inspection; on the other hand, a service is a preventive maintenance operation. It is concerned with the mechanical condition of the vehicle rather than just its readiness to be on the road.

Interim versus Full Service

Interim service is perfect for drivers who do lots of miles and usually takes place every six months. It mainly comprises changing the engine oil and filter, topping up fluids, and conducting basic safety checks. Full service, on the other hand, is done once a year and entails a thorough examination of the engine, gearbox, cooling system, belts, filters, etc.

Car owners in the West Midlands booking MOTs in Birmingham often find that the suspicions raised during the test relate to things that a service would have fixed already. It is a common scenario that demonstrates the logic of doing both together.

Why Both Checks Work Together

Using just the MOT to determine a car's condition happens to be a mistake of a lot of people. The MOT doesn't involve checking the engine health, cam belt condition, gearbox performance or coolant concentration.

These are service items, and keeping them leads to costly breakdowns later on.

One might find that a car is perfectly adequate when it gets an MOT, but in fact the driver is still running on old engine oil, a worn cambelt or a battery that is about to die without even knowing it.

None of these things is detected by an MOT, which is why one needs to get their vehicle serviced as well as get an MOT.

If they get an MOT and a service done in close proximity to one another, please book a Car Servicing Birmingham enquiry via our website so that everything can be checked at the same time for both security and health reasons.

How to Prepare a Vehicle Before Its MOT

Going to a test centre with a well-maintained vehicle can significantly lower the chances of failing due to simple issues. Drivers should also do some basic vehicle inspections:

• Look at all the lights: Take a round of the vehicle and make sure the bulbs are functioning properly
• Refill the washer fluid: Not having any fluid in the reservoir will result in an instant MOT failure
• Check tyre pressure and tread depth: Get a tread depth gauge and measure if the tyres are within the legal limit
• Make sure the horn is working: It is one of the things checked during every MOT test
• Inspect the number plate: It should be clean, undamaged, and have properly spaced characters

Performing these minor tasks only takes a few minutes but can help them dodge unnecessary failures.

Understanding MOT Failure Categories

As of May 2018, DVSA implemented three categories of failure to make test results more understandable for drivers. A dangerous defect indicates that the vehicle is an immediate risk, and it cannot be driven away.

A major defect is the one that causes the vehicle to fail the test, and it has to be repaired before the vehicle can be legally driven on the road.

A minor defect does not cause a vehicle to fail the test, but it is advisable to repair it as soon as possible to avoid it becoming a major issue.

Conclusion

The MOT and a car service do different things, but are equally important. One checks if a vehicle is legally allowed on the road, and the other helps in keeping a vehicle in good condition. Drivers who know this difference can maintain their cars more safely, reliably and economically. The most responsible decision that any driver can make is to book both appointments regularly rather than treating them as optional.