The Underdog

hi. does anyone know what the laws are on track cars used on the road. my brother went for an mot and his back seats were out and belts but he had to put the seat belts back in for the mot. they let him off for no seats.

but i heard front harnesses fail mot????
bucket seats fail??
steering wheels without airbag??

are these correct and is there anything else i need to know.

many thanks for help

Piston Broke

If the seat isnt there no restraint needed mate, bucket seats ok aslong as harness, steering wheel without airbag..... do you mean the original with it taken out or a race type but fine, airbag light is only advise !

Madgit

I think it basically has to look like a track car, to be treated like one. Then my understanding is the tester can be more generous.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

I thought with all the new mot laws etc, an airbag light on the dash is a fail. They are pretty strict now with modifications, I think harnessess are ok as long as they can be undone with one hand.

The Underdog

this is what i heard that theres new laws in within the last year.

richard youll

A lot of the new laws are still on trial at the moment so are only advisorys untill were told otherwise

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

My old 3dr was stripped out with bucket seats, cage, hydro wand etc. cos there there were no rear seats or betls they couldnt test them etc.
It failed on the hydro handbrake not having a mechanical locking device and the emmissions.

The handbrake lever was a verticle one and holes in it, soo i made a bit of carbon and bolted it through the lever, then to lock the handbrake on you simply flicked the bit of carbo up and wedge it agaiinst the dash! Mechanical lock llol.
And will pedley sorted the emmisions..

Half a mile down the road in the way home after having a new mot, some pikey cunts smashed into the back of us and wrote it off!!!! Hhut thats another storey lol

Fudgey

iTrader: (4)

Damn ipad keyboard lol, excuse the spelling lol

stevieturbo

Tell him to slap the MOT tester because he is a ballbag.

If the seats are secure and fitted properly, they cannot fail. Only slightly grey area is the slide mechanism which the rules almost say must be in place. But they dont really have to slide.

And if the car never had an airbag, obviously it doesnt need one. But if the car has SRS systems in place and there is a warning lamp fitted and illuminated when presented for the test, there will be issues.

Dicko&Vacant

iTrader: (3)

My mot tester put my caged and bucket seated/harnessed track car down as a 2 seater on the mot, so no back seats or belts needed.

Smudge374

The MOT tester can only test what has been presented to him, so if no seats are fitted then no one is going to sit there and no seatbelts are needed! he sounds like a right jobsworth.

Also warning lights are meant to be coming in as a fail this year, whether it happens or not will remain to be seen, however it is most definately a advisory at this time.

stevieturbo

Surprised stuff like that has been advisory only for so long. As of April last year, all the amendments that were made, were fails here.
Including the most ridiculous one on the planet where factory HID headlamp cars with no washers are now fails. So totally standard cars are failing !!

And yet the testers still pass diabolical safety related items that should 100% fail !!

The Underdog

i was under the impression its because the log book still states it a 4/5 seater???

thanks for all the helpful replies but i still dont know whats the laws and whats not.

anyone had a mot in a track car under new laws recently??

stevieturbo

log book is irrelevant.

If there is no seat fitted, then seat belts are not part of the test for that area. That has always been the case.

http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_520.htm

nicksaph

factory or aftermarket HID lamps do not fail if there is no washers system fitted! they are only a fail if the washers arn't working

cheeRS nick

SmudgerByName

as already mentioned if it isnt present then it cant be tested or failed however with some things there still is a grey line depending on the MOT tester. I had a BMW Race Car fail for using harnesses however once I have brought to the testers attention that the harnesses were not used on the road and that the standard seat belts WERE still fitted and functioning (As a requirement in the WRC as 5 point harnesses aren't road legal then he tried failing me for other things like the lack of rear seats/seatbelts etc

I think he just didn't like the fact that some 20 something year old was telling him what I could or could not get away with in a MOT when he (in his words) has been doing this longer than you have been alive boy

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

5 point harnesses ARE road legal.

A lot of effort was put in by a kit car manufacturer to prove to VOSA that FIA approved harnesses met and exceeded the type approval safety standards for seat belts.

As such kit cars can now pass IVA with in date harnesses no problem.

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

From prima motorsport:

from IVA manual:

CrOwSoN15

Bucket seats have to be adjustable, how adjustable I don't know, if the mounts have several holes then perhaps you could take some spanners and show them you can 'adjust' it

stevieturbo

In Northern Ireland they fail. Our MOT is worded slightly differently than what you guys on the mainland get.
And despite it being incredibly stupid, they are enforcing it claiming it's EU legislation.

Mind you they are happy to pass dangerously corroded brake discs and squashed copper brake lines among some dangers Ive seen on recently passed cars.

Common sense really doesnt exist anywhere in our civil service.

stevieturbo

It was covered here recently. They do not have to be adjustable. Just securely mounted