MOT and SORN question.

Assume one had a SORN'd vehicle stored off road. The MOT expired a
couple of years ago, and that's when it was SORN'd.

Now it's more or less ready to go back on the road after a huge amount
of welding and suchlike, but it's possible that other work is also
required - maybe a tyre or two and a brake pipe etc...

Now, if one wanted to bung it in for the MOT, to see what it fails on,
to target ones resources to fix the right bits, is one allowed to drive
it to and from a booked MOT while it's still SORN'd - bearing in mind
that after the MOT it might continue to be SORN'd for another month or
so while everything is fixed up? In fact it's possible it could be
SORN'd for another 2 or 3 months after the MOT - depending on
circumstances.

How near does the MOT station have to be? The one in our villages is
famously staffed by ****wits who fail everything (unless it's a vehicle
they are selling and they seem to pass OK with no brakes) just to be
bastards.

I'd like to take it to a garage opposite my workplace as they know this
type of vehicle well and would likely be ideal to do any repairs I
couldn't do - but they are 50 miles away - would driving it that far
for a booked MOT be seen as taking the ****?

--
Simes

On 30 Jul 2004 14:59:58 GMT, "Simon Atkinson" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Assume one had a SORN'd vehicle stored off road. The MOT expired a
>couple of years ago, and that's when it was SORN'd.

I hope youve been renewing the sorn too... (though you would probably
have heard from them by now if you wernt!)

>Now it's more or less ready to go back on the road after a huge amount
>of welding and suchlike, but it's possible that other work is also
>required - maybe a tyre or two and a brake pipe etc...
>
>Now, if one wanted to bung it in for the MOT, to see what it fails on,
>to target ones resources to fix the right bits, is one allowed to drive
>it to and from a booked MOT while it's still SORN'd - bearing in mind
>that after the MOT it might continue to be SORN'd for another month or
>so while everything is fixed up? In fact it's possible it could be
>SORN'd for another 2 or 3 months after the MOT - depending on
>circumstances.

You are allowed to drive to the MOT without tax.

It would be a bit mean if you couldnt since you generally cant get the
tax till you have the MOT!

You do need insurance though!


>How near does the MOT station have to be? The one in our villages is
>famously staffed by ****wits who fail everything (unless it's a vehicle
>they are selling and they seem to pass OK with no brakes) just to be
>bastards.

I think the wording is says that it must be within a 'reasonable'
distance. Since you have legitimate reasons for your choice of mot
station, i'd say that was resonable (the garage you are taking it to
specialises in the vehicles)

>I'd like to take it to a garage opposite my workplace as they know this
>type of vehicle well and would likely be ideal to do any repairs I
>couldn't do - but they are 50 miles away - would driving it that far
>for a booked MOT be seen as taking the ****?

when i bought my 101 it was 100-odd miles away and not mot'd. I
debated driving it back home to a prebooked mot (which it would most
likely fail), as it was a lot cheaper than hiring someone to move it
on a truck.
In the end we decided that that sort of situation was pushing the
rules a bit (and taking the ****), but i dont think that driving a car
you already own to a specialist garage is.

Tom Woods wrote:

> On 30 Jul 2004 14:59:58 GMT, "Simon Atkinson" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Assume one had a SORN'd vehicle stored off road. The MOT expired a
> > couple of years ago, and that's when it was SORN'd.
>
> I hope youve been renewing the sorn too... (though you would probably
> have heard from them by now if you wernt!)

Certainly have - religously!

> > Now it's more or less ready to go back on the road after a huge
> > amount of welding and suchlike, but it's possible that other work
> > is also required - maybe a tyre or two and a brake pipe etc...
> >
> > Now, if one wanted to bung it in for the MOT, to see what it fails
> > on, to target ones resources to fix the right bits, is one allowed
> > to drive it to and from a booked MOT while it's still SORN'd -
> > bearing in mind that after the MOT it might continue to be SORN'd
> > for another month or so while everything is fixed up? In fact it's
> > possible it could be SORN'd for another 2 or 3 months after the MOT
> > - depending on circumstances.
>
> You are allowed to drive to the MOT without tax.

Appreciate that - but do I need to let them (DVLA) know that it's on
the road for this reason - the area around where I work is often alive
with ANPR cameras...

> It would be a bit mean if you couldnt since you generally cant get the
> tax till you have the MOT!
>
> You do need insurance though!

Insurance is OK - it's been covered all along - just in case - and it's
only cost a couple of quid to add it to my policy.

>
> > How near does the MOT station have to be? The one in our villages
> > is famously staffed by ****wits who fail everything (unless it's a
> > vehicle they are selling and they seem to pass OK with no brakes)
> > just to be bastards.
>
> I think the wording is says that it must be within a 'reasonable'
> distance. Since you have legitimate reasons for your choice of mot
> station, i'd say that was resonable (the garage you are taking it to
> specialises in the vehicles)

They aren't specialists, but they know Land Rovers well - it's a father
and son place and they both drive them. Plus they are cheap for labour
and do a cracking job.

> > I'd like to take it to a garage opposite my workplace as they know
> > this type of vehicle well and would likely be ideal to do any
> > repairs I couldn't do - but they are 50 miles away - would driving
> > it that far for a booked MOT be seen as taking the ****?
>
> when i bought my 101 it was 100-odd miles away and not mot'd. I
> debated driving it back home to a prebooked mot (which it would most
> likely fail), as it was a lot cheaper than hiring someone to move it
> on a truck.
> In the end we decided that that sort of situation was pushing the
> rules a bit (and taking the ****), but i dont think that driving a car
> you already own to a specialist garage is.

Maybe worth a risk then.... Otherwise it's a matter of renting or
borrowing a trailer I suppose.

--
Simes

In message <[email protected]>, Simon
Atkinson <[email protected]> writes
>Tom Woods wrote:
>
>> On 30 Jul 2004 14:59:58 GMT, "Simon Atkinson" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> > Assume one had a SORN'd vehicle stored off road. The MOT expired a
>> > couple of years ago, and that's when it was SORN'd.
>>
>> I hope youve been renewing the sorn too... (though you would probably
>> have heard from them by now if you wernt!)
>
>Certainly have - religously!
>
>> > Now it's more or less ready to go back on the road after a huge
>> > amount of welding and suchlike, but it's possible that other work
>> > is also required - maybe a tyre or two and a brake pipe etc...
>> >
>> > Now, if one wanted to bung it in for the MOT, to see what it fails
>> > on, to target ones resources to fix the right bits, is one allowed
>> > to drive it to and from a booked MOT while it's still SORN'd -
>> > bearing in mind that after the MOT it might continue to be SORN'd
>> > for another month or so while everything is fixed up? In fact it's
>> > possible it could be SORN'd for another 2 or 3 months after the MOT
>> > - depending on circumstances.
>>
>> You are allowed to drive to the MOT without tax.
>
>Appreciate that - but do I need to let them (DVLA) know that it's on
>the road for this reason - the area around where I work is often alive
>with ANPR cameras...
>
>> It would be a bit mean if you couldnt since you generally cant get the
>> tax till you have the MOT!
>>
>> You do need insurance though!
>
>Insurance is OK - it's been covered all along - just in case - and it's
>only cost a couple of quid to add it to my policy.
>
>>
>> > How near does the MOT station have to be? The one in our villages
>> > is famously staffed by ****wits who fail everything (unless it's a
>> > vehicle they are selling and they seem to pass OK with no brakes)
>> > just to be bastards.
>>
>> I think the wording is says that it must be within a 'reasonable'
>> distance. Since you have legitimate reasons for your choice of mot
>> station, i'd say that was resonable (the garage you are taking it to
>> specialises in the vehicles)
>
>They aren't specialists, but they know Land Rovers well - it's a father
>and son place and they both drive them. Plus they are cheap for labour
>and do a cracking job.
>
>> > I'd like to take it to a garage opposite my workplace as they know
>> > this type of vehicle well and would likely be ideal to do any
>> > repairs I couldn't do - but they are 50 miles away - would driving
>> > it that far for a booked MOT be seen as taking the ****?
>>
>> when i bought my 101 it was 100-odd miles away and not mot'd. I
>> debated driving it back home to a prebooked mot (which it would most
>> likely fail), as it was a lot cheaper than hiring someone to move it
>> on a truck.
>> In the end we decided that that sort of situation was pushing the
>> rules a bit (and taking the ****), but i dont think that driving a car
>> you already own to a specialist garage is.
>
>Maybe worth a risk then.... Otherwise it's a matter of renting or
>borrowing a trailer I suppose.
>
I would have thought that the best argument is that the garage you
propose to take it to is next to your place of work. Otherwise to take
it to the one in your village would make you late for work and force you
to leave early to get back to pick up your vehicle. I think that would
pass a test of reasonableness. If it was 50 miles in the opposite
direction then I think you might struggle a bit.

hugh
Reply to address is valid at the time of posting

hugh wrote:

> In message <[email protected]>, Simon
> Atkinson <[email protected]> writes
>
> >> > How near does the MOT station have to be? The one in our
> villages >> > is famously staffed by ****wits who fail everything
> (unless it's a >> > vehicle they are selling and they seem to pass OK
> with no brakes) >> > just to be bastards.
> > >
> >> I think the wording is says that it must be within a 'reasonable'
> >> distance. Since you have legitimate reasons for your choice of mot
> >> station, i'd say that was resonable (the garage you are taking it
> to >> specialises in the vehicles)
> >
> > They aren't specialists, but they know Land Rovers well - it's a
> > father and son place and they both drive them. Plus they are cheap
> > for labour and do a cracking job.
> >
> I would have thought that the best argument is that the garage you
> propose to take it to is next to your place of work. Otherwise to
> take it to the one in your village would make you late for work and
> force you to leave early to get back to pick up your vehicle. I think
> that would pass a test of reasonableness. If it was 50 miles in the
> opposite direction then I think you might struggle a bit.

That sounds like a convincing arguement. Cheers Hugh.

--
Simes

On 30 Jul 2004 14:59:58 GMT, "Simon Atkinson" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Assume one had a SORN'd vehicle stored off road. The MOT expired a
>couple of years ago, and that's when it was SORN'd.

I hope youve been renewing the sorn too... (though you would probably
have heard from them by now if you wernt!)

>Now it's more or less ready to go back on the road after a huge amount
>of welding and suchlike, but it's possible that other work is also
>required - maybe a tyre or two and a brake pipe etc...
>
>Now, if one wanted to bung it in for the MOT, to see what it fails on,
>to target ones resources to fix the right bits, is one allowed to drive
>it to and from a booked MOT while it's still SORN'd - bearing in mind
>that after the MOT it might continue to be SORN'd for another month or
>so while everything is fixed up? In fact it's possible it could be
>SORN'd for another 2 or 3 months after the MOT - depending on
>circumstances.

You are allowed to drive to the MOT without tax.

It would be a bit mean if you couldnt since you generally cant get the
tax till you have the MOT!

You do need insurance though!


>How near does the MOT station have to be? The one in our villages is
>famously staffed by ****wits who fail everything (unless it's a vehicle
>they are selling and they seem to pass OK with no brakes) just to be
>bastards.

I think the wording is says that it must be within a 'reasonable'
distance. Since you have legitimate reasons for your choice of mot
station, i'd say that was resonable (the garage you are taking it to
specialises in the vehicles)

>I'd like to take it to a garage opposite my workplace as they know this
>type of vehicle well and would likely be ideal to do any repairs I
>couldn't do - but they are 50 miles away - would driving it that far
>for a booked MOT be seen as taking the ****?

when i bought my 101 it was 100-odd miles away and not mot'd. I
debated driving it back home to a prebooked mot (which it would most
likely fail), as it was a lot cheaper than hiring someone to move it
on a truck.
In the end we decided that that sort of situation was pushing the
rules a bit (and taking the ****), but i dont think that driving a car
you already own to a specialist garage is.