The MOT is a test that vehicles from a certain age must pass with the aim of demonstrating that they are in perfect condition to circulate on public roads without compromising road safety. Having a favorable MOT is essential to have your car’s documentation in order and, in addition, gives added value when it comes to selling it on the second-hand market.
Although many drivers feel nervous about simply having to take their car for this inspection, the truth is that many of the most common defects can be easily avoided. For example, in 2022, 24% of the vehicles that did not pass the MOT on the first try had some fault in the lighting or lighting. Although you will never know if a light bulb will burn out at the most inopportune moment, checking the condition of some essential elements of the vehicle will allow you to face the next inspection with maximum confidence.
The Galician mechanic Daniel Fernández, specialized in tunning and homologations, explains in a video shared on his TikTok account (@danifvck) which are the aspects of your vehicle that you should check before passing the ITV “if you don’t want to get scared by anything”. Carrying out this pre-inspection will require a minimal investment of time and you do not need specific mechanical knowledge to carry it out successfully.
Opening the hood is a gesture that will allow you to check the status of the car’s essential fluids, that is: antifreeze, windshield wipers, steering and brakes. This is a maintenance operation that we can all carry out at home and that will allow you to save a few euros on the workshop bill if you have the necessary products to refill the tanks.
In the case of oil, remove the dipstick, clean it and put it back in the tank to check the level. Refill it if necessary and check for leaks.
Once inside the vehicle, checking the correct operation of the lighting elements is key. Don’t forget to look at all the lights, rear and front: position, dipped, high, all four indicators, reverse, fog, brake… And the license plate light! Thanks to this test, you will be able to see if any of these bulbs have burned out and replace them before going to the ITV.
The next thing you should check is the anchorage and fastening of the seat belts. One of the tips this mechanic gives is to leave them tied up just before going to the inspection, which will make the inspector’s task easier. It is important to ensure that warning lights, such as the MIL or ABS, among others, do not appear on the dashboard instrument panel. He also checks that the windshield wipers and water jets are working properly.
For his part, Pedro Bastida, owner of an ITV station (@itvdeltiktok), adds other aspects that you can easily check. For example, that all doors open and close correctly both inside and out, that the distance of the driver’s seat from the steering wheel can be adjusted, the condition of the gear lever or that the pedals do not slip.
Other aspects that you can check are the general condition of all the windows, that there are no sharp edges on the bodywork or that the pressure and measurements of the tires coincide with the parameters indicated in the vehicle data sheet.