Simplifying MOT Testing in Horley, Surrey & West Sussex | Smallfield Garage Ltd
If you’re a motorist in the Surrey or West Sussex area, consider choosing Smallfield Garage Ltd to fulfil all your MOT testing requirements. With a fully equipped garage located in Horley, our friendly and highly experienced mechanics look to take the stress out of the MOT – an often dreaded time of the year that needn’t be! Clients visit us from bustling locales like Crawley as they know they’ll get an honest MOT, conducted in a transparent manner. It’s these values that have ensured we’ve stood the test of time, having now conducted MOT testing at our current premises for over four decades.
Our tests are thorough, affordably priced, and carried out on all class IV vehicles. Class IV covers all of the following vehicle types:
- Cars with up to 8 seats
- Motor caravans
- Taxis
- Ambulances
- Dual purpose vehicles
- 3-wheeled vehicles under 450kg
- Private passenger vehicles and ambulances with 9-12 seats
- Quads up to 400kg
- Public service and private hire vehicles with up 8 seats
- Goods vehicles with a maximum design gross weight of 3,000kg
- Goods vehicles with a maximum unladen weight of 550kg & 15kw max net power
- Any class IV vehicle (with 9 to 12 passenger seats) with a seat belt installation check
MOT Testing Explained
So, you’ll probably know that MOT testing is a legal obligation that all vehicles manufactured within the last 40 years, which are over three years old, must undertake at a registered garage; minibuses get less of a grace period, and require testing just one year after rolling off the assembly line. The test involves a trained mechanic running over a list of checks and inspections, in an attempt to ascertain a vehicle’s roadworthiness. It will usually take between 45 minutes and an hour. If you pass flawlessly, you’ll receive your certification for the next 12 months, and be able to get back on the roads of Horley, Crawley, and wider Surrey and West Sussex right away.
However, it’s fairly common for issues to be identified during the course of MOT testing. These are now split up into three categories: minor, major and dangerous defects. While minor defects will not necessarily result in a failure, they may still warrant addressing – and our mechanics will provide advice in this area. A major or dangerous fault will result in an MOT failure. We issue VT30 certifications to anyone who fails, which provides a carefully organised and detailed list of reasons for failure, along with recommendations for how to rectify them.
We may be able to carry out adjustments or repairs on the spot. We’ll give you a quote, and explain to you the work involved in the interest of full transparency. If Horley and Crawley clients elect to have MOT repairs carried out at Smallfield Garage, a free and partial re-test can be carried out. With everything fixed up, we can then issue certification should your vehicle pass the re-test.
Please keep in mind, due to changes in MOT testing legislation passed a few years ago:
- Any tampering or removal of diesel particulate filters result in an automatic major fault
- MOTs now also include inspections of brake fluid contaminates, potentially underinflated tyres, and daytime running lights – so it may be worth re-familiarising yourself with the full MOT checklist on the government’s official DVLA website