New cars wont need an MOT till 4 years

"faulty" could mean all sorts of things. A non-functioning servo would be a brake fault, but it would not mean the vehicle could not meet the efficiency standard on the rollers. Pads or discs worn below the minimum level can still meet the MOT standard, even though they need replacing as they don't stop working due to approaching end of life - it's not like a tyre where performance in standing water is severely affected when the tread is near the legal minimum.

The symptoms were that I could barely stop in 3-4x the 'normal' distance. It was "good enough", when it was actually pretty dangerous. MOT standards are not fit for purpose.
 
A few years back my car had faulty brakes at the time (replaced later that day elsewhere). Guess what - it totally passed. MOT is a bit of a joke and cash cow to the garages. It should actually do the job of getting s*** cars sorted out to MODERN day standards, not good enough for 1962 where nothing worked.
The braking distances in the highway code were set in the 50's, the MOT brake tests will ensure the brakes function well enough to conform to that. If everyone travels at the required distance the brakes of a 60's car will be just as adequate as those of a modern car.
 
The braking distances in the highway code were set in the 50's, the MOT brake tests will ensure the brakes function well enough to conform to that. If everyone travels at the required distance the brakes of a 60's car will be just as adequate as those of a modern car.
hmm lets see if I can remember the stopping distances 30mph was 75 feet 40mph was 120 feet and I think 70mph was 240 feet I think. Just reminds me, I better check those brake pads for the looming MOT :)
 
hmm lets see if I can remember the stopping distances 30mph was 75 feet 40mph was 120 feet and I think 70mph was 240 feet I think. Just reminds me, I better check those brake pads for the looming MOT :)
Even worse, I think they're in metric now. :eek:
 
30mph was 75 feet

Wow. Those 23m (in proper world-wide accepted units) actually include 9m where you can do nothing and think about life or death of the object in front of you. That leaves 14m of real braking distance which is very very generous.
 
The braking distances in the highway code were set in the 50's, the MOT brake tests will ensure the brakes function well enough to conform to that. If everyone travels at the required distance the brakes of a 60's car will be just as adequate as those of a modern car.
A great deal of the old cars had brake shoes all round, my old escort needed a parachute to stop, the brakes were awful. While the brakes on my Austin 1100 were really sharp, made no difference it still failed the MOT ..
 
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