Cyprus-Forum.com

[sneezing7]

I have just had a look at my MOT disc and it will expire at the end of this month.

Basically from what I understand a renewal letter should be sent to be right? My car is properlly insured and registered, so there should be no issue there.

What happens if no letter comes? What do I do?

Also, what happens in MOT testing? What do they check? How much will it cost? Where do I go (Limassol)?

Thanks in advance

[cyprusgrump]

Nobody seems to understand the rules on MoT.

When my Pajero was last serviced they said that it needed one but about four employees between them couldn’t agree on the period – two or three years.

I haven’t had a letter for my double-cab either.

No wonder there are so many smoky wrecks on the road.

[sneezing7]

So basically the unwritten rule is drive until you get puilled over?

Only thing that may cause complications is my insurance. This is up for renewal soon, and I am guessing they will want to see the MOT disc.

[Bill]

I didn't get a letter last year for the mot.
I took it to the mot station just before it ran out -- it was mot'd I got a slip of paper saying it had passed and the mot disc arrived in the post about 3 months later.

I've never had to show the mot disc to the insurance but I'd bet the insurance would be void with out one

Bill

[nhowarth]

Hi sneezing7

All vehicles require MOT when they are four years old. The MOT Certificate is valid for two years.

I had mine MOTed when I last had the oil changed as the vehicle was almost 4 years old. MOT disc arrived from Department of Transport a week later.

MOT costs CYP 25.00

Regards,

[rotate]

I have just had a look at my MOT disc and it will expire at the end of this month.

Basically from what I understand a renewal letter should be sent to be right? My car is properlly insured and registered, so there should be no issue there.

What happens if no letter comes? What do I do?

Also, what happens in MOT testing? What do they check? How much will it cost? Where do I go (Limassol)?

Thanks in advance

Dont catch a cold "sneezing"!

Department of Transport only send out letters/reminders for the vehicles very first MoT. After that its down to the owner to arrange the MoT on or before the windscreen MoT disc/certificate expirey date.

Take the vehicle and importantly the MOTOR VEHICLE CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION to an MoT test station and pay the £25 test fee.
The MoT station will find the vehicles registration on the DoT database and update with the result of the MoT test.

Assuming the vehicle passes the test the MoT station will issue you with the test certificates and a print out from the diagnostic test machine. If all the stations have the same test machines it will be entitled
'Simpes-Faip Hpa FULLY INTEGRATED TEST LINE', this title can be found immediately below the boxed area containing the MoT stations address etc, the print out will give the result of the tests for braking and exhaust emmisions, lighting is on there as well but does not appear yet to be utilised. Keep these papers in the vehicle with the registration certificate is case of an accident or a police check before receiving the windscreen disc.

The windsreen disc should arrive shortly after the test, some say within a week while others say it takes much longer but in any case the original certificate must be kept as discs come off in accidents or in the event of a smashed screen.

Checks made during the test seem to vary depending on which MoT station you use, a neighbour's car failed because it had no rear mud flaps while mine (same make same model) passed without them at a different station. It's probably as well to imagine that the tester is going to carry out every conceivable check on the vehicle to ensure a pass and road safety.

Charging for failure re-tests seems to be a bit of an unknown with some saying there is no charge and others saying that they've paid the full whack. This may relate to the number of failures the vehicle has within a given period of a time limit.

I have not used an MoT test station in Limassol so cant advise but the original and only MoT notification I received two years ago contained the addresses of all stations in the RoC, twenty something of which were in Limassol. Best to ask locally or look through the 'Yellow Pages'.

In a previous life I was for my sins and among many other things, the transport 'O' (operator) license holder for a large company in S. E. England and as such had dealings with the UK Ministry of Transport Vehicle Inspectorate. Remember very well visiting the Hayes Middlesex vehicle inspection station and finding Cypriot transport officials there, just be grateful it was the UK model Cyprus decided to follow rather than the Japanese or Scandinavian systems which would have resulted in most of us returning to a bicycle or if we were wealthy, a donkey!

Good Luck (check them tyres) and Never Ever argue with the Tester

[sneezing7]

^^^^ Cheers mate...appreciated


SO basically my last question is : what do they test/check?

In Aus, due to the nature of my car I was always visiting testing stations to get off defects and so on. Testing back home was quite comprehensive rangings from ride height, exhaust emisions, aftermarket enhancements, wheel diameter, pedestrian dflectors, etc......

Hopefully it is not as bad here

[Supertrotter]

We are bringing our car with us which is 6 months old.

Will they insist on a MOT in order to re-register it with Cypriot plates or will it only be due when it is 4 years old?

I dread the thought of them crawling all over my pride and joy

[rotate]

^^^^ Cheers mate...appreciated


SO basically my last question is : what do they test/check?

In Aus, due to the nature of my car I was always visiting testing stations to get off defects and so on. Testing back home was quite comprehensive rangings from ride height, exhaust emisions, aftermarket enhancements, wheel diameter, pedestrian dflectors, etc......

Hopefully it is not as bad here

No where near as bad (or as good!) as you are used to in the land of Oz.

The RoC MoT is sort of similar to the UK MoT.
If the test is carried out at a government inspectorate as in the personal importation of a vehicle it will be to the 'book' and include EU conformity checks + weight testing on a weighbridge (so if its a big beast offload tools sixpacks etc before testing).

Regular/private MoT stations seem to vary in the degree of inspection that they carry out, the test station I use concentrates on exhaust emissions braking steering and lights while another down the road goes over the bodywork with a fine toothcomb and yet another thoroughly checks tyres wheel bearings and suspension.

I've not seen anything published in Cyprus as a guide for the public so in the absence of this try the following UK websites

http://www.ukmot.com/manual.asp
http://www.motester.co.uk/cog.html

Although applicable to a foreign country they are probably as good a guide as you are going to get for the time being to get your pride and joy through the MoT.

[rotate]

We are bringing our car with us which is 6 months old.

Will they insist on a MOT in order to re-register it with Cypriot plates or will it only be due when it is 4 years old?

I dread the thought of them crawling all over my pride and joy

As your car will be a personal import it will have to be tested before it can be registered in Cyprus regardless of its age. Unless things have changed recently this test will be carried out by the government vehicle inspectorate at their own test station (the only one I'm familier with is next to Larnaca Airport's new control tower, but there are more). The test will be a thorough MoT additionally checking the weight and for EU conformity. Providing the car meets the required standards the vehicle inspectorate will enter details of the vehicle on the Ministries database using the VIN chassis and engine number as identification. They will issue you with the necessary test/approval certificate so that you can register the vehicle and get a RoC number plate.

For insurance purposes some insurers will accept the VIN number of the vehicle until it is registered.

No problem with Larnaca vehicle inspectorate, they are professional and helpful, so your pride and joy will be fine.