Putting a tax/mot exempt car back on the road

[shouldbworking]

My restoration is sneaking up on being done and so I'm preparing for the return to the road after at least 25 years off it.

I've read some stuff and it differs a bit from what I expected, so wanted to see what people here thought

The minimum : apply for mot exemption, apply for tax exemption, go driving

I personally think returning a car to the road after that long without an independent safety check would be a bit cheeky, so what's the sensible approach? Book it for an actual mot? Book it for a mot check but not actually go for a certificate? Something else?

[Jaz2000]

If you dont know a garage that is classic friendly, then as you say book it in for an MOT and tell them not to log it on the system.
They then have plenty of time to give it a good look over and do a brake test, I wouldsay this is money well spent a second pair of eyes to look it over is no bad thing.

[Gareth9702]

My feeling is that if you are so under confident about the quality of the mechanical work and cannot conduct the elements of an MOT test yourself then you need to think very carefully about returning the car to the road. The test is nothing more than lights, brakes, bushes, shocks, exhaust, and structure.

[Jaz2000]

Gareth9702 said:

My feeling is that if you are so under confident about the quality of the mechanical work and cannot conduct the elements of an MOT test yourself then you need to think very carefully about returning the car to the road. The test is nothing more than lights, brakes, bushes, shocks, exhaust, and structure.

The brake roller test will show if one side is pulling more than another and how much braking force there is.
A tester is used to many times a day looking for steering/suspension wear and may just spot something that although not dangerous could be better or a bolt that was forgotten to be tightened.

I maintain my classic with a no expense spared attitude to keep it at its best but still take it for an MOT every year, it doesnt fail but I still prefer a second pair of eyes on it. The key is finding a garage that actually appreciate that a classic will be slightly different from a modern car and are used to testing older cars.

I see so many nice looking classics that have at least a couple of dangerous faults that the owners are unaware of just because the car looks good and drives well doesnt mean its safe, these faults go unnoticed because the car is MOT exempt

[shouldbworking]

Gareth9702 said:

My feeling is that if you are so under confident about the quality of the mechanical work and cannot conduct the elements of an MOT test yourself then you need to think very carefully about returning the car to the road. The test is nothing more than lights, brakes, bushes, shocks, exhaust, and structure.

I get the sentiment, but shockingly, not everyone owns a ramp or is a skilled mechanic.

I trust the restorer every it as much as I trust any other skilled professional who does work for me, or indeed myself, which is to say I trust that no-one is above making a mistake and for the sake of a few quid, an extra check is money well spent.

[Turbobanana]

OP, you don't mention what the car is or how old it is, but the only car in your profile "garage" old enough is a Lancia Beta Coupe (which is very cool, BTW ). If that's the case (or if it's something even older), I'd be inclined to enter it for a full MoT for two reasons: firstly, as someone else has pointed out, to get someone who knows what they're looking at to crawl all over it, and secondly, if you want to entertain the idea of cherished number plate transfers it's easier if you have an MoT.

I mention this latter point as it's just happened to me: I bought a Triumph GT6 which the previous owner had MoT'd. The plate transfer needed to be done by post rather than online (because it's classed Historic Vehicle) but needed to have an MoT. The whole process still took less than a week.