Should You Service Your Car Before or After MOT?

As the date of your car's annual MOT test approaches, you may start to ask yourself: should I service my car before the MOT or should I service it after? It is a frequently asked question. The simple answer is that it depends on the condition of your car, your budget, and what you are trying to achieve from the trip to the garage.

Both an MOT Harrogate and a car service are very important for the health of your vehicle but they are slightly different visits. Knowing when to book each can save you money, stress and increase your chances of passing the MOT the first time and with minimal amount of money spent.

MOT versus car servicing: What’s the difference?

An MOT (Ministry of Transport Test) is a legal obligation for the majority of vehicles that are more than three years old in the UK. The MOT is to check that your car is roadworthy, compliant with emissions and safety requirements. The MOT does not involve the replacement of retain parts unless they are causing a failure in the test.

A car service is routine maintenance, to help keep your engine, brakes, suspension and other systems all in good working order. Car servicing Harrogate is not legally required, though it is a crucial part of the long-term performance, fuel economy, and safety of your vehicle.

Why You Should Service Your Car Before the MOT

There are several benefits to servicing your vehicle prior to an MOT test. 

1. Identify Issues Early

Servicing your vehicle generally includes inspections of lights, tyres, brakes, suspension, and fluid levels - the usual canaries in the coal mine when it comes to an MOT test. A mechanic will also be able to identify parts that may be worn, or issues that could fail you on the MOT test which can be repaired ahead of time.

2. Don't Fail On The Minor Issues

An issue so simple such as a blown headlight bulb or worn wiper blades can cause the MOT to fail. These are correctable, inexpensive issues that can be identified and corrected earlier through a routine car service.

3. Keep Your Service History Up-To-Date

Having a service to your record will accrue value towards your vehicle, especially if you are considering emphasizing it to help sell it second hand. It demonstrates to potential buyers or any car dealership that your car has been correctly serviced, additionally showing that it has not only been serviced if it failed the MOT.

4. Save Yourself Time and Trouble

If you fail the MOT, you will potentially have to return back or garage the vehicle until the retest - after you wait for repairs to take places. Servicing your car before the MOT is much better as it prepares the vehicle for the adventures ahead of time, eliminating the need for back and forth.

When It Benefits You to Service Your Car After After the MOT

Although there are advantages to pre-MOT servicing, there are also times when you might decide to wait on service until after your MOT.

1. Financial Limitations

If you are on a budget and are unsure of the condition of your car, then you may decide to simply do the MOT first. If your vehicle is MOT'd, then you can legally avoid service in some cases for a couple of weeks. If your car fails, then you can at least limit the repairs to that which is needed to secure a pass and you can always perform a full service at a later date.

2. Only Repair What is Absolutely Necessary

If you know that your priority is to have the MOT and do not mind not performing a full service you might want to simply see if your vehicle fails the MOT, before paying for a full service. This is useful when looking at older vehicles and your priority is monetary management and only fixing what absolutely needs to be fixed.

3. Different Maintenance Utilization

Some people prefer to spread maintenance expenditures across weeks and/or months. For example, doing your MOT costs this month, doing a service next month gives them time to budget.

MOT and Car Servicing Combined: A smart choice

Many garages now provide MOT and car servicing as a package deal. This can often mean the best of both worlds: your car is checked for roadworthiness and goes through its regular scheduled servicing in one visit. It's usually quicker, and cheaper than booking them separately.

Check for deals such as:

MOT + Interim Service

MOT + Full Service

MOT at a discount with Major Service

If your regular service schedule coincides with the required MOT, this is usually the cheapest and the most convenient way to go.

Conclusion 

In the majority of cases, getting car servicing Harrogate before the MOT is usually the best option. It could give you a heads up on any problems that might be coming along, give you a better chance of passing, and keep your car at its best. With that said there may be a couple of good reasons to wait until after a test particularly if you are trying to watch costs, or to stagger doing repairs.

Either way, don't skip a service. Regular servicing is key to keeping your vehicle dependable, safe, and road legal all year around - not just when the MOT Harrogate comes around.

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