MOT points your car can fail on; repair them yourself and save money

The Office of Fair Trading has found bad servicing and shoddy repairs cost British motorists 170 million pounds a year and cause numerous car accidents.

Unfortunately, you have to have an MOT carried out by an authorised dealer or garage, who may say you need to have work carried out that doesn't actually need to be carried out at all. You may end up having to pay over the odds for your car to be serviced. Putting everything right before the test will save the inconvenience and expense of a re-test and help prevent a road traffic accident.

Below are some MOT points your car can fail on that you should check before taking your car to the garage:

1. Faulty seatbelts and seats: a loose seatbelt will definitely get a fail and you must make sure they are safe to protect you in the event of a car accident.
2. Light bulbs that need replacing: the front headlights should point down and to the left. Many people leave their light bulbs unchecked for months, but motoring organisations say that you should check them every week. Carry a set of spare bulbs in the car in case one goes on the blink.
3. Handbrake: test the operation of the handbrake. Excessive travel (too many clicks) indicates incorrect brake or cable adjustment.
4. Footbrake: Press the footbrake pedal and check it doesn't creep down to the floor. Release the pedal, wait a few seconds, then press it again. If the pedal travels to the floor before resistance is felt, brake repair may be necessary.
5. Windscreen and mirrors: The windscreen must be free of cracks or other significant damage within the driver's field of vision.
6. Internal lights and reflectors.
7. Wheels and tyres: the tread depth, the tyre size and the wheel condition.
8. Steering and suspension: the steering rack, steering wheel, bearings, shocks, springs, bushes and driveshaft should be regularly checked to avoid a road traffic accident.
9. The braking system including disks and drums, the handbrake, the brake pipes, the brake cables and cylinders.
10. Exhaust emissions and excessive smoke.
11. Windscreen wipers and washer jets that don't work.

Making a car accident compensation claim
Car accidents can take their toll - on your wallet as well as on your body. Making sure your car is as fault-free as possible before the MOT takes place can not only save you more pounds but could also save your life if the garage carrying out the MOT does not spot a fault or fails to repair it properly.

A faulty car is more likely to be involved in car accident. Other cars on the road which are badly repaired are also more likely to be a hazard and threat to you while you are driving. If you have been involved in a non-fault accident you may be able to make a compensation claim.

Our team of personal injury experts are specialists in car accident claims and have an excellent success rate. Give us a call on 0808 143 43 42 and we will give you free legal advice and let you know whether you are entitled to make a claim.

It is completely cost-free to make a compensation claim with Car Accident Advice Line and you can even keep 100 % of any damages awarded.