MOT

This morning I took the car in for the Ministry of Transportation test--dreaded because it can result in very expensive repairs. You make an appointment well in advance and then you go to a state-run testing centre.

At said centre, you sit in the passenger seat while a mechanic drives your front tires onto a pair of rollers and revs the engine. Then he moves the car forward so he can check the back tires. I’m not exactly sure what they’re looking for. He tests all three seat belts in the back seat. He tests the blinkers (AKA turn indicators). The fog light. Emissions. The car is put up on a hoist (right word?) and they look underneath. All of this takes maybe 15-20 minutes, and you have to be there 15 minutes early to queue.

We spent 200 pounds on a pre-MOT checkup, which included two new tires. It’s common to front run the test because they can get very persnickety in their demands if you give them an opening.

Personally I think this could be done every other year. The annual test seems to me a great way to generate jobs for the state and for garages.
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