Aftermarket March 2023

14 AFTERMARKET MARCH 2023 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net driver with fines, penalty points and even invalidate their insurance. For example, a defective tyre can result in a fine of up to £2,500 and three penalty points for each illegal tyre. We recognise that these are challenging times for many people, but we can help drivers save money on their MOT tests, servicing and repairs by making it easy to compare prices from local, trusted garages.” LKQ Euro Car Parts CEO Andy Hamilton said: “Our arguments to the DfT against both the proposal to move MOTs from every 12 months to every 24 months and to move the year in which a vehicle’s first MOT takes place to its fourth year rested on safety, sustainability, and the fact that it will likely cost owners of older cars more money. We can see no winners, only losers – and more risk. MOTs perform such a critical function in protecting drivers and other road users from harm. The UK has an enviable safety record and countries the DfT cites in its consultation, for having first tests after four years, all suffer from higher road casualty figures. As they say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. “The logic of less frequent tests or a longer wait before the first test is that modern cars are safer and remain roadworthy for longer thanks to advanced systems like ADAS is a flawed argument to use for a change in the regime for two key reasons. Firstly, on the current three-year first test system, between 30% and 40%. of cars still fail. The reason for this, in most cases, is because of tyres. Clearly, tyres are a critical safety issue and one that should not go ignored for another day, let alone 12 months. But tyres are still made of rubber and while they have no doubt advanced it has been at a far more incremental pace than the car itself. Secondly, and with a specific focus on shifting tests to every 24 months, regular safety checks are becoming more pressing as the UK’s vehicle parc ages at a faster rate. New car sales are at their lowest since 1992. The total share of models aged five years and above is set to grow significantly. MOTs also perform an important environmental check on a vehicle’s emissions reduction systems, such as the catalytic converter. An ageing parc with fewer tests means a likely increase in pollution. Final argument Andy also has issue with some of the justifications being made for the changes: “Our final argument rests on the fact that owners of older cars are unlikely to see any financial benefit from having their vehicles complete an MOT every two years. In fact, they are likely to see their repair costs increase as unseen problems will be left to linger for longer and so become more expensive to eventually repair. We are already seeing motorists cut back on discretionary spending, like an annual service, as the economy slows. This is only likely to exacerbate the risks of faults occurring. Any suggestion by the DfT that the proposals should be seen as a response to the cost-of-living crisis should be challenged. We’ve no issue with the need to review the MOT process per se. Modern vehicles have evolved at a greater pace now than perhaps any time in the last century. EV, hybrid, on-board computation, ADAS – all have changed the game and so we fully support a review of the MOT regime to address this technological progress. With ADAS, which is now part of the Type Approval requirements for all new vehicles in the UK, there are no tests in the MOT to ensure that these safety critical systems, governing things like automatic emergency brake assist and lane keep assist, are operating as they should. While ADAS only affects newer cars, emissions apply to all and so we would support the introduction of particle mass testing, or PN-PTI, to MOTs to help detect harmful emissions present in even the most modern engines and often due to tampering. Existing smoke opacity meters used for MOTs won’t be able to do this. We will always argue vociferously against any proposals to change legislation that disproportionately affect the safety of our roads or UK motorists. Changing our 3-1-1 MOT system is a case in point. All of this is without saying anything about the huge disruption these changes would have across all of the aftermarket, not just the independent sector. The industry is still reeling from the pandemic and then the huge upheaval to the MOT cycle caused by the extensions granted in 2020, with work volumes swinging wildly.” The consultation closes on 22 March. For more information, visit: www.gov.uk/government/consult ations/changes-to-the-date-of- the-first-mot-test-and-research-int o-other-mot-enhancements The fact the government is pitching these proposed changes as a way to save motorists money is farcical ”