How can car modification affect your MOT_ A guide to prevent failures due to modifications

1. How can car modification affect your MOT? A guide to prevent failures due to modifications Have you invested in your car’s modification recently? In the UK, car owners have been increasingly opting for modifications to their vehicles. Most of the time, it is to improve their sound or appearance. For example, some popular modifications among motorists are loudspeakers for their stereo or tinting the windows to prevent glare from the sun. However, car modifications might be tempting, but some of them could cause your vehicle to fail its MOT. Such modifications are usually illegal and might even result in a penalty. Unsafe modifications are also one of the most common reasons for a car to fail its MOT Tottenham. So, if you have been thinking of modifying your car or have already done it, follow this guide until the end. Find out which modifications could lead to the failure of your car’s MOT testing.

2. The top common modifications that can cause MOT failure Modifying your vehicle to a certain aesthetic is a dream of many motorists. However, what most of them fail to comprehend is that these changes could cause their vehicle to be unsafe. The MOT test has specified some guidelines which decide the roadworthiness of your car. Failing these guidelines would mean that your vehicle is illegal to drive in the UK. Hence, it is important to learn which modifications could cause MOT failure for your vehicle, so you can avoid them. The list is provided below: Modifying the suspension or wheels. Fitting aftermarket exhausts or intakes. Upgrading or modifying the engine. Fitting aftermarket body kits or spoilers. ● ● ● ● Any of these modifications to your car can lead to failure in your annual test. If you have already done them to your vehicle, it is important to reverse them before taking your vehicle to the MOT. Failing to do so, might result in a ‘fail’ certificate and a list of costly repairs for your vehicle. Besides car modifications, a few simple accessories are also common causes of failures and fines. The contribution of simple accessories to MOT failure Recent data from the DVSA has revealed that more than 7 million vehicles fail their MOT every year. Now, this could not always be a result of major damages. Rather, most of them are caused due to simple accessories. A simple accessory might even include dash cams with sat-navs or dream catchers. When these accessories block the driver’s view, it can lead to MOT failure. This is a major reason why around 8% of failures are due to issues related to the driver’s view. Such minor reasons often end up being a burden to your budget. If your car fails the MOT and you are caught driving without it, you could get a £1000 fine. Even if your vehicle has passed the test, you could still get a fine of £2500 if it is considered to be unsafe. Besides, you might get 3 points on your license too. Additionally, if you have been convicted of driving an unsafe vehicle in the previous three years, you could be banned from driving for 6 months.

3. The top 5 modifications that can cause MOT failure The following are some modifications that can lead to failure in the MOT. 1. Visibility It is highly essential to maintain that nothing is reducing the driver’s view in your car. Make sure that the wipers are working properly and can sufficiently squirt the washer fluid on the windscreen. Ensure that the screen-wash is topped up too. There should be no cracks within the wiper blades’ range. For example, a 40 mm crack on the passenger’s side, as well as a 10 mm crack on the driver’s side, both can fail the MOT. Finally, there should be no dreamcatcher, dash cam or sat-nav obscuring the view of the driver. 2. Suspension Changes to the suspension, such as lowering it, is not necessarily illegal. However, it can attract attention from the police and lead to hassles. If you have lowered your suspension, ensure that the steering ability is accurate. The headlights should also be at least 50 cm from the ground. 3. Lightning According to the regulations in the UK, you can place only white lights in the front of the vehicle and red ones at the rear. It is prohibited to fit blue lightning or flash lightning. This is because it may be confused with an emergency vehicle and also reduces light output. Placing neon lights is permitted only underneath the vehicle. Plus, they should not be visible immediately. Footwell lights are also permitted as long as it is not distracting the driver. 4. Tinting As regulated by the UK government, the windshield of your vehicle must allow in 75 % of the light. On the other hand, the side windows must allow 70% of the light to enter. The police might check the tint percentage using special equipment that determines how much light is going through the window. Hence, it is important to keep your tinted windows at the regulated percentage.

4. 5. Exhaust Most motorists fit an exhaust decat to their vehicle to replace the catalytic converter in the exhaust system. The purpose is to enhance performance but it also makes a vehicle louder. Hence, it contributes to noise pollution, which can lead to MOT failure. The law prohibits modifying or adding any aftermarket parts to your vehicle, especially to increase its noise levels. Plus, the decat exhaust also increases air pollution and violates the pollution standards. Therefore, such modifications can lead to failure in the test. Maintain your car’s safety and roadworthiness with timely MOT tests. Follow this guide to ensure your vehicle has no illegal modifications that could lead to MOT failure.