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How to Help Your Car Pass its MOT

Posted in General

That old MOT is looming fast and if your car has seen better days, no doubt it’s something you’re dreading!  Of course, there is another way out – rather than spending an inordinate sum of money to repair your car so it’s roadworthy, you could choose to scrap a car near me for cash today.  ScrapToday is the number one car scrapping service in Hertfordshire and makes the process seamless for all of our customers.  It’s no wonder we have many regulars, people come back to us time and again to recycle cars in Essex and get paid on the same day as car scrapping.   Then, they don’t need to spend their hard-earned cash on costly car repairs, they either choose not to have a car at all (and these days, there’s less need than ever before) or they put the cash down as a deposit on a shiny new motor!  Meanwhile, perhaps you’re not quite ready to scrap a van in London and you want to hold onto your old car for a little longer.  We’ll give you our top tips to help your car pass its MOT.  Of course, when you’re ready to scrap my car in Borehamwood or anywhere else in London, Herts or Essex, we’ll be right there waiting for you!

Unfortunately, figures tell us that 24% of cars fail their MOTs which means more trips to the garage and retesting!  The top reasons for MOT fails include lights, brakes and suspension – so it’s always a good idea to carry out regular checks on your car so you’re aware of any problems before the MOT test. That way you can put them right beforehand and save yourself the expense of a second or even third MOT test.

  • Check your vehicle’s lights, it’s easy to miss a blown-out bulb, especially if your car is older, it might not warn you that one of your lights no longer works.  The best way to check your car’s lights is to put your hazards on and then do a visual check by walking around your car to see if all the lights are flashing.   However, remember the hazard lights’ switch won’t tell you if your light switch is working so check that too.   Sometimes, a faulty wire can prevent those switches from engaging.  Remember to check your lights at night and check your interior lights.
  • Check your brakes.  The chances are you know if your car isn’t braking safely.  Your car’s brakes should engage immediately upon pressure – if your car is sliding into a stop then your brakes are not good enough.  The brakes should be really tight and not pull your vehicle over to one side.  Take your car to a quiet road and practice an emergency stop -make sure there’s plenty of space to do so safely.  Remember to check your handbrake.  Park your car on a hill and make sure your car doesn’t roll back.  If your car does roll, then your handbrake is not working properly, and your car will fail its MOT.
  • Perform a tyre check.  Your tyres should be clear from tears, lumps or wear.  One of the biggest reasons for a failed MOT is tyres.  So, make sure they have sufficient air and perform a visual check.  Most vehicle tyres need a minimum tread-depth of 1.6mm across the central ¾ of the width of each tyre.  You can use a tread wear indicator to check the tread depth or try the 20p check, you need a 20p coin and simply put the coin in the main tread groove of each tyre.   The outer edge of the coin should disappear – if it doesn’t, then your tyres need changing.
  • Check the fluid levels.  This is easy to do – just top up any fluid levels that need doing so – your oil, windscreen washer and brake fluid. 
  • Check your mirrors, both inside and outside of your vehicle.  Are they attached securely?  Can they be adjusted easily?  Can you see the road properly?  Are there any scratches or cracks that prevent you seeing clearly?   Make sure your mirrors are clean – we’ve heard of cars that have failed their MOTs because of dirty mirrors!
  • Check your horn.  This is easy to miss after all, you shouldn’t use your horn too often!  Check it’s still working properly – it only takes a moment.
  • Check your steering, if it’s too stiff or too tight then your car could have an underlying problem.  Check to see if your power steering fluid is leaking because that could prevent your steering from working smoothly.  If your fluid is intact, then listen out for a grinding sound when you use your steering wheel.  If this happens, then your car will likely fail its MOT as this needs to be dealt with!   Failed your MOT?  Scrap my car in Barnet today!


If you’ve performed all the above checks and you feel confident that your car is in good condition to pass it’s MOT, then that’s great.  However, if your car has multiple problems as listed above and you know it’s going to be a costly visit to the garage, why not consider scrapping a car in Hertfordshire with ScrapToday?  We’ll give you a very competitive quote (we offer the best scrap car prices near me) and we can collect your vehicle from any address in Herts, Essex or London for absolutely no charge.  All we need is your vehicle’s keys and its logbook.  When we get your car to our ATF registered scrapyard in Herts, we’ll scrap it the very same day, recycling up to 95% of the vehicle so you’ll be doing your bit for a greener environment too.  We’ll also issue you with your Certificate of Destruction, to prove that you disposed of your car, and we’ll transfer your cash direct to your bank account on the very same day.  Now that’s what we call a quality car scrapping service in Hertfordshire!   To get your no-obligation quote, click here and scrap my car in Harlow today!

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