MOT etiquette

chesterfield · 07-06-2010, 07:59 AM

Hi,

Just wondering what the "standard" procedure is for Ferrari ownership when it comes to MOT time. The car Ive bought will be due its first MOT in a couple of months.

I have a local garage that I have taken my other cars to for many years and have always been happy with the service.

I am keen to ensure I have full Ferrari service history so when the time comes I dont have any tyre kickers turning their nose up as the servicing hasnt been done by a Ferrari dealer (although I cant see me wanting to sell until the 458 waiting lists are down) - but does it make any difference when it comes to the MOT? As its just a legal "check" rather than a service, I can't see it matters, does it?

The dealer is at least a 120 mile round trip, whereas the MOT place is about a 10 mile round trip. I know I look for excuses to drive the car for any reason, but is this just pointless?

Any advice much appreciated.

wetpet · 07-06-2010, 12:39 PM

funny, i would take points off if you had it serviced at our dealer. Seriously, i don't see having it done outside the dealer network as having any affect on the sales price. maybe it is different outside US.

Boxer · 07-06-2010, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesterfield

Hi,

Just wondering what the "standard" procedure is for Ferrari ownership when it comes to MOT time. The car Ive bought will be due its first MOT in a couple of months.

I have a local garage that I have taken my other cars to for many years and have always been happy with the service.

I am keen to ensure I have full Ferrari service history so when the time comes I dont have any tyre kickers turning their nose up as the servicing hasnt been done by a Ferrari dealer (although I cant see me wanting to sell until the 458 waiting lists are down) - but does it make any difference when it comes to the MOT? As its just a legal "check" rather than a service, I can't see it matters, does it?

The dealer is at least a 120 mile round trip, whereas the MOT place is about a 10 mile round trip. I know I look for excuses to drive the car for any reason, but is this just pointless?

Any advice much appreciated.

I normally have the MOT done when I get it serviced......however the dealer (official Ferrari) does not have an official MOT station and therefore they take the car down the road and the MOT is done at another workshop. Net net, no issue who does it.

t1fosI · 07-06-2010, 01:56 PM

As per Boxers experience, most dealers (or specialists) do not have an in-house testing facility and so usually they have an agreement with a local testing station or another franchise within the dealer group to take care of their MOT tests.

The main thing is that you feel comfortable taking it to a particular testing station. If you are happy with the service than it doesn't really matter who does the MOT.

Incidentally make sure that you keep all the MOT certificates as they are a good way of validating mileage and will make a positive contribution to the history file as and if you do sell the car.

.

chesterfield · 07-06-2010, 03:10 PM

Thanks for the responses chaps.

Im very happy with the garage that does my cars MOT's (they do most of th families cars too) they are also very knowledgeable about such issues as not brake testing a LSD car on the rollers etc.

Basic stuff to us car nuts, but you would be surprised how many times Ive seen people ask if their "dealer" or MOT tester should have brake tested their car on the rollers

I always keep any paperwork to do with my cars, services, MOT's, parts receipts - anything apart from fuel recipts!

wheels1 · 07-07-2010, 05:02 AM

I would stay with the car while they do the test, just to make sure it does not ground on anything, and when they lift it up they do so in the right places and do not damage/ bend anything. As every one has said it will make no difference where you get the MOT done, with regards to resale.

Ollenaram550 · 07-09-2010, 10:34 AM

My dealer Graypaul does not do MOT's but is part of the Sytner group. Sytner BMW is right next door and they do do MOT's. Graypaul have a long standing relationship and Sytner testing guys are used to dealing with exotics. They know what all the buttons and gizmos on the car are for and treat the vehicle with respect. For that reason I always get Graypaul to do the MOT.
Some MOT stations are fairly dirty grubby places. OK as good old fashioned oily rag garages but risky for cars with light leather interiors.
Out of curiosity - what is the American equivalent of the MOT ?

ECSofVirginia · 07-09-2010, 12:24 PM

In the U.S. we have Emissions or DEQ (department of air quality) and Safety Inspection.

The exact testing techniques vary from state to state and even county to county. Some areas that aren't very populated only have Safety Inspections.

In California we had Emissions testing only and not Safety. Some places are a visual inspection to make sure the emissions related equipment is installed and not modified in addition to a tail pipe test.

Others do a Visual and a tailpipe on pre '96 cars, and a visual and OBD2 port reading on '96+ like here in Virginia.

07-06-2010, 07:59 AM	#1
chesterfield Owner Join Date: May 2010 Ferrari Life Posts: 65	MOT etiquette Hi, Just wondering what the "standard" procedure is for Ferrari ownership when it comes to MOT time. The car Ive bought will be due its first MOT in a couple of months. I have a local garage that I have taken my other cars to for many years and have always been happy with the service. I am keen to ensure I have full Ferrari service history so when the time comes I dont have any tyre kickers turning their nose up as the servicing hasnt been done by a Ferrari dealer (although I cant see me wanting to sell until the 458 waiting lists are down) - but does it make any difference when it comes to the MOT? As its just a legal "check" rather than a service, I can't see it matters, does it? The dealer is at least a 120 mile round trip, whereas the MOT place is about a 10 mile round trip. I know I look for excuses to drive the car for any reason, but is this just pointless? Any advice much appreciated.

07-06-2010, 01:56 PM	#4
t1fosI Owner Elite Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: London, UK. Ferrari Life Posts: 1,439	As per Boxers experience, most dealers (or specialists) do not have an in-house testing facility and so usually they have an agreement with a local testing station or another franchise within the dealer group to take care of their MOT tests. The main thing is that you feel comfortable taking it to a particular testing station. If you are happy with the service than it doesn't really matter who does the MOT. Incidentally make sure that you keep all the MOT certificates as they are a good way of validating mileage and will make a positive contribution to the history file as and if you do sell the car. . Current: 360 Modena Future: ? ----------------------------- 'Some people dream of success... while others wake up and work hard at it.'

07-09-2010, 10:34 AM	#7
Ollenaram550 Owner Elite Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: U.K Ferrari Life Posts: 128 Name: Al	My dealer Graypaul does not do MOT's but is part of the Sytner group. Sytner BMW is right next door and they do do MOT's. Graypaul have a long standing relationship and Sytner testing guys are used to dealing with exotics. They know what all the buttons and gizmos on the car are for and treat the vehicle with respect. For that reason I always get Graypaul to do the MOT. Some MOT stations are fairly dirty grubby places. OK as good old fashioned oily rag garages but risky for cars with light leather interiors. Out of curiosity - what is the American equivalent of the MOT ? 430 spi 550 Diablo 6.0 VT

07-09-2010, 12:24 PM	#8
ECSofVirginia Master Mechanic Sponsor Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Ashburn, VA Ferrari Life Posts: 477 Name: Josh Hill	In the U.S. we have Emissions or DEQ (department of air quality) and Safety Inspection. The exact testing techniques vary from state to state and even county to county. Some areas that aren't very populated only have Safety Inspections. In California we had Emissions testing only and not Safety. Some places are a visual inspection to make sure the emissions related equipment is installed and not modified in addition to a tail pipe test. Others do a Visual and a tailpipe on pre '96 cars, and a visual and OBD2 port reading on '96+ like here in Virginia. Exotic Car Specialties www.ECSofVirginia.com 201 Davis Dr. Suite L Sterling, VA 20164 703.421.5356

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07-06-2010, 12:39 PM	#2
wetpet Owner Elite Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chevy Chase, Md Ferrari Life Posts: 6,603 Name: Ed	funny, i would take points off if you had it serviced at our dealer. Seriously, i don't see having it done outside the dealer network as having any affect on the sales price. maybe it is different outside US.

07-06-2010, 03:10 PM	#5
chesterfield Owner Join Date: May 2010 Ferrari Life Posts: 65	Thanks for the responses chaps. Im very happy with the garage that does my cars MOT's (they do most of th families cars too) they are also very knowledgeable about such issues as not brake testing a LSD car on the rollers etc. Basic stuff to us car nuts, but you would be surprised how many times Ive seen people ask if their "dealer" or MOT tester should have brake tested their car on the rollers I always keep any paperwork to do with my cars, services, MOT's, parts receipts - anything apart from fuel recipts!

07-07-2010, 05:02 AM	#6
wheels1 Owner Join Date: Jul 2009 Ferrari Life Posts: 160	I would stay with the car while they do the test, just to make sure it does not ground on anything, and when they lift it up they do so in the right places and do not damage/ bend anything. As every one has said it will make no difference where you get the MOT done, with regards to resale.