UK & MOT test

[Mitch85]

In UK, if your vehicle is 3 years or older, every year it's required to get a MOT test to make sure it is in good mechanical shape. I think this would be great around here, because not everyone is a mechanic, and I've seen some vehicles in really poor shape driving on the roads.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOT_test

[spooker]

I'd love to see that too ...

Currently it's this:

All cars coming from outside B.C. must pass a standardized safety inspection in order to be licensed in the province.

But there are even problems with that in reports they've seen so many different results that you can just shop around to probably get your car passed by someone ...

[LTD]

well the opposite is true as well, i bought a brand new truck from out of province it had the kilometers on it from the dealer to my house and to a mechanic shop nearby, they tried to tell me it needed a bunch of new steering parts i laughed in their face took the truck to the dealer here they looked at it and phoned them up with some unkind words, never been back to that shop.

[my5cents]

In UK, if your vehicle is 3 years or older, every year it's required to get a MOT test to make sure it is in good mechanical shape. I think this would be great around here, because not everyone is a mechanic, and I've seen some vehicles in really poor shape driving on the roads.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOT_test

You either are under 40 or have moved here in the last 40 years. BC was slowly moving towards provincial testing stations. It started in Vancouver when the city of Vancouver had it's own test station at Bidwell and Georgia. That was taken over by the province and a few more stations were built. One in Burnaby and one near or in Victoria.

It was a government facility. It was drive through, they checked lights, steering and brakes and visually the rest. If there was a serious reason to check a vehicle they could also really go through one.

There were intentions to expand the program throughout the province. It was a real thorn in the side of the auto dealers, a lot of work getting 50 or 100 vehicles tested.

Some car dealership owners got into provincial politics (Social Credit Party,,, precursor of the BC Liberal Party), and guess what, the stations were all closed and the system we have now, with private inspection facilities was started. Only commercial vehicles, ones entering the province or problem vehicles had to be tested.

It was a good program, in the early years most cars were failed because of misaligned headlights. Around the test stations there were private mechanics who's main business was aligning headlights, then the government changed it and allowed the inspectors to readjust headlight as you went through.

A test sticker was placed on your windshield, good for one year.

[Bsuds]

It was a good program, in the early years most cars were failed because of misaligned headlights. Around the test stations there were private mechanics who's main business was aligning headlights, then the government changed it and allowed the inspectors to readjust headlight as you went through.

A test sticker was placed on your windshield, good for one year.

It was a joke! You would get a fail and drive around the block, get in a different line with a different inspector and get a pass. (I did this once)

While it did get some bad cars off the road for most it was just a money grab.

[Poindexter]

The UK also has a different perspective on vehicle ownership than we do. Public transportion, traffic congestion and lack of parking make owning a car in some parts of the world an unnecessary luxury, as such some additional hoops to jump through aren't seen as onerous. In Canada public transit is for the most part, seen as transportation for those who can't afford a car. Everyone expects to own a car when they can afford one. So adding an additional cost would be seen as a hurdle to ownership for lower income people which could negatively effect ones ability to earn a living.

[one wheel]

In BC it's profit first & safety second. I would not allow right hand drive vehicles to be insured until the steering wheel was moved to the left & the headlights changed & made to comply with all our MOT regulations.

Vehicles wear out & after 3yrs. they should be inspected for safety.

In order to receive & display a "Designated Inspection Facility " these shops should be closely monitored & if they "pass everything" pull their ticket.

[my5cents]

In BC it's profit first & safety second. I would not allow right hand drive vehicles to be insured until the steering wheel was moved to the left & the headlights changed & made to comply with all our MOT regulations.

Vehicles wear out & after 3yrs. they should be inspected for safety.

In order to receive & display a "Designated Inspection Facility " these shops should be closely monitored & if they "pass everything" pull their ticket.

I agree about the right hand drive vehicles.

If we required all vehicles over 3 years old to be tested the number of Designated Inspection Facilities (DIFs) would have to increase tremendously. Along with that the number of inspectors would have to be increased.

At this time, the enforcement of the DIFs is left up to the CVSE (Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement), if they find an infraction a "Show Cause Hearing" must be held. It's a real rigmarole.

I don't think the problem with the dishonest DIFs is that "they pass everything", it's they will pass something if a "little extra" is included with their fee.

Also there is the concern that these DIFs are mechanical shops that repair vehicles. What a great way to drum up business.

If would be like all the glass shops in an area getting together and paying the police to enforce strictly every cracked windshield they see.