MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 12:04
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - enerlevel

hello all,

today i was stopped by two policmen for Driving a car without MOT. the system which they were using (DVLA) showed that the MOT expired on Aug 2015.However when i purchased the car (2 oct 2015), i had done a new MOT which expires on oct 2016. So i handed them the MOT certificate but they said that it looked suspicious and for the fact that their system showed it as Expired, they would had to rely on that information. They took my driving license details and also Jot down the whole event and then made me sign a paper which looked just like a normal notpade. after that i was told that there has been no arrest and i am free to walk out of their car.

After cooling my nerves down, i called DVLA to confirm the status of my MOT for the car and they transferred me to DVSA (the dept which handles MOT). Upon giving them my car reg, they said that my MOT is valid til oct 2016... they also said that they have upgraded their system just recently and were having some technical issues which is why some of the other database which shares thie source doesnt show their information.

i was also not given any reference number or any ticket.. i was told that there would be no penelty points but just a fine of 100 which i would need to pay after i recieve a letter by post...

please advice me what shall i do? shall i wait for the notice and pay the penelty? or shall i call some dept and act now?

i dont mind paying the penelty but the main thing is i dont want to get any points or a record on my newly aquired license.

thanks

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 12:10
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - RobJP

Wait for the letter. Then refuse to pay/accept points, on the basis that you had a valid MOT, and ask for the matter to be dealt with in court.

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 12:21
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - John Boy

A policeman told me that they often have to turn down the sensitivity of their ANPR systems. That's because they can waste time stopping drivers for no insurance, only to discover that their insurance companies are slow in updating policy renewals onto the system. This sounds similar. I would relax.

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 12:23
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - enerlevel

thanks for the advices..

is going to court necessary? or if i try to handle the situation now i might be able to avoid the whole situation?

i mean for me court sounds abit scary and i am not very good at handling stress..

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 12:45
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - RobJP

It's highly - and I mean ridiculously - unlikely to go to court.

What will probably happen is that you'll be sent a letter detailing the alleged offence, and you reply to them by enclosing a copy of the MOT, and explaining that no offence had taken place. They then kick it around the office for a few months, and then write to you telling you that no further action will be taken.

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 13:51
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - skidpan

Something fishy here.

If you were stopped and found to have no MOT you would not be allowed to continue driving. The car would be siezed on the spot.

So what really happened?

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 22:16
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - Simon

Something fishy here.

If you were stopped and found to have no MOT you would not be allowed to continue driving. The car would be siezed on the spot.

So what really happened?

They don't seize vehicles for MOT offences, only prohibit them from continuing if they have a dangerous defect.

They seize vehicles on the spot for no Driving Licence or no Insurance Cover.

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Fri 23 Oct 2015 18:41
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - Andrew-T

i dont mind paying the penelty but .....

Penalty for what? I would certainly mind. Plod would have to show that the MoT I thought I had was invalid before I shelled out. Sit back and wait.

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Sat 24 Oct 2015 00:22
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - Wackyracer

I can't understand why Plod didn't phone the relevent DVSA department at the time (unless it was out of office hours) and check or just give you a producer to attend a police station.

I have heard of the police refusing to accept a printed copy of motor insurance as proof of being insured.

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Sat 24 Oct 2015 01:23
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - Galaxy

I have heard of the police refusing to accept a printed copy of motor insurance as proof of being insured.

I believe this is standard practice, now that everyone has a PC at home and it's so very easy to produce a ficticious one! If the insurance doesn't come up on the MID then the only proof they will accept is to speak to the drivers insurance company over the phone to confirm suitable insurance does exist.

Printed Insurance Certificates are no longer accepted as proof, I believe.

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Sat 24 Oct 2015 01:43
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - Wackyracer

Probably why they wouldn't accept the MOT certificate either as they are just printed on plain paper these days and they seem to keep changing the layout.

Last year the cars MOT was in landscape format and this year it was in portrait.

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Sat 24 Oct 2015 16:09
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - enerlevel

yes thats what the officer said that the paper i provided was very different than the ones they have seen before. Also they called the garage from where i bought the car, but they couldnt find any record for MOT. That was because the garage themselves dont do MOT tests and the car actually was sent to the MOT test staion.

I do recall the officer saying that i wont get any points but just a 10o bucks penelty and that the only way to allow me to go from here is to have a pre booking appointment for any MOT test centre. then she looked at the MOT certificate and said that infact i should go to this garage and ask them why they gave me that certificate and why its not on the system...

then she used some phases "there has been no arrest or conviction at this moment and you are free to go"....

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Sat 24 Oct 2015 16:13
MINI Cooper D - A case of MOT certificate - enerlevel

also when i go to the dvsa website to check my MOT status, it shows expired ... probably thats the reason why its not showing on the police system... however when i call them up, they tell me that the MOT is due on 3rd oct 2016 :S

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