Practically Classics Forum

I took a customers car for an MOT test yesterday, car passed OK and was given a new type of pass certificate, it looks like something I could have produced on my PC, a flimsy sheet of white paper that doesn't come across as very official. The customer wasn't impressed either!


John Simpson.

My local MoT station mentioned this, apparently it came into force yesterday. MoT certificates will be printed on plain paper in future. I suppose it's all part of a drive to reduce costs, but as you say, it could be printed on any computer. These days the paper certificate has little legal significance and the only proof of a valid MoT is the entry on the VOSA database. It seems open to fraud though, you still need a paper certificate to renew your tax at a Post Office. If you are offered a car for sale with an MoT, it is essential that you check its MoT status on line instead of relying on a paper copy.

As I understand it the idea is that new certificates include any advisories, but if they're that open to immitation then it strikes me as an exercise in futility! I'm glad I got Livvie (the Lexus) MoTed last week now...

Does this mean that there's no longer a windscreen sticker for the MOT? Or maybe it's a separate part these days, but I'd miss peeling the rest of the certificate away and putting that in the screen, OK, so it proves nothing as you need to be inside to see the dates on it, but I always reckoned that putting it in the screen was a good idea.

Cost cutting at its finest!

I agree with Pete, the piece of paper now counts for nothing, now everything is computerised and plod has ANPR that tells them everything, long gone are the days of the 7 day wander to produce, it's all there on the screen in front of them.

However, if the actual pass certificate now contains a list of advisories and fails that have been fixed to pass, it may stop some unscrupulous sellers saying it passed first time, unless you manage to blag the doc numbers needed to check online first.

Just got one of those for the 480 today, and I agree it looks a bit Mickey Mouse.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/P ... 020%29.pdf

NICE!

The new system is fine in theory but for it to really work VOSA have to make it easier to check the MOT on-line.

If you're viewing a car you can check history, tax, even insurance status with just the reg.no. but VOSA insist on having the document reference from the V5C or the MOT certificate number - neither of which you'll have until you view the car (and the paperwork). But when you're standing in someone's driveway it's unlikely that you'll have internet access to check that the certificate is valid.

If they changed the system so it just needed the reg.no. people would probably be more inclined to do a quick check beforehand.

We have to have MOT and insurance but no need to display,but we have to have TAX and need to display it!
As they can all be checked online and via the police's ANPR whats the point in tax discs anymore!???

Grease Monkey wrote:I took a customers car for an MOT test yesterday, car passed OK and was given a new type of pass certificate, it looks like something I could have produced on my PC, a flimsy sheet of white paper that doesn't come across as very official...

John Simpson.

I thought that you always printed your own MoTs - and money...

Fuzz