I received my road tax reminder in the post a week or two back
I asked what documentation I needed, but they replied that they pick-up the date from a database
The certificate should be dated from then, not the test date, because I am taking it in early.
The usual scenario is that you take your car in within 1 month of the date on your current MOT cert, and the new one will run from then, not the test date.
Just be aware your first MOT runs from the date you take it for it's first MOT and not from when you first registered your car. After this you can take it up to a month early and effectively get a 13 month MOT and it will run 12months from expiry. If you take it in after it expires it is effective from that date for 12months and not backdated.
If you take in your old MOT, with less than a month to run there is a space on the document that they will write the old MOT's serial number to validate a period of up to 13 months.
The same thing works for the 1st MOT, but you have to provide the V5 registration document instead and then it will be validated for up to 13 months as well. I only found this out a few days ago...
That must of changed pretty recently then as a year ago when I took my Cooper Works to JCW three weeks early they said that it could not be done for the first MOT.
I've just printed out a copy of that page and left it in with the handbook in the car; I will then be able to argue the point when it comes to the first MOT!
Two weeks ago, had my first MOT done 10 days before that due date (reg date). Took my V5 along and the MOT cert has 10 days added to it, My MOT was actually done by a Nissan dealer, my local BMW /MINI just wasn't interested even they advertise MOT and most dealers take the car somewhere else - do you fancy someone driving your car to a MOT station ??? £45 for 45 mins is not worth their time when they can get £100 plus vat an hr for "labour" !!!
I thought I would add to this thread - Max failed his first MOT.
The nearside headlight was out of alignment, the lights in the rear registration failed and the rubber cover was missing from the brake pedal. ***** is I cant get it back in today for a free retest as I work in Dublin during the week and not enough time to get it back to garage for reallignment on Saturday (early closing)
that's funny my mini failed its first mot recently due to the rear number plate lights not workign due to corrosion. Basically the light buld contacts had corroded away. I had to get a whole new boothandle/lighthousing unit at a cost of 106 quid! it also failed due to to rear tyres, though they had done nearly 37thousand miles! so 400 quid in total for the mot!
so i think its worthwhile for everyone to check that area before the 3 year warranty on the car is up!!! i
A friend of mine, who worked at a garage which performed MOT testing, told me that they were particularly strict with 3 year old cars coming in for their first test.
The reason for this was nothing to do with safety issues, it was just to p*ss off drivers who thought their 3 year old car couldn't possibly have anything wrong with it just yet.
My car would have failed its first mot in March for the same thing had my friendly garage mechanic man not noticed and fixed it prior to testing. I have had the boot handle replaced twice under warranty due to the bulb ends becoming corroded. Recently I noticed a rusty patch on the tailgate just above the handle in alignment with one of the numberplate lights. When my car was in the body shop to have some repairs, I asked them to look at this. It turns out that somehow water had got in and it was rusting from within. This was covered by MINI's rust warranty which I think is about 8 years. The bodyshop guys removed the numberplate to remove the rust and repair it and then body shop manager noticed that the corrosion was much worse than he expected and he is now waiting for mini to give the go ahead to replace the whole tailgate. I suggest that you get this investigated as you may have an indication of a much more serious problem. I have a 03 MCS which has done 40k and would not have expected to have a problem with rust so soon. I hope this helps.
Wow a rusty Mini, how retro is that!!!!!
Reminds me of a 1974 mini 1000 I had, which by the time I sold it in 1978 had already rotted through around the headlights.
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1st MOT 
