If someone who has recently had their vehicle MOT tested disagrees with the outcome of the inspection (pass/fail) they are entitled to appeal against it.
The appeal must be lodged with VOSA/DVA within twenty-eight days of the original test date if the item(s) in question are mechanical in nature or three months if it relates to corrosion problems (corrosion of the brake pipes, exhaust and brake discs are not included in this).
Mileage, or lack thereof, incurred after the inspection has no relevance to the appeal process (e.g. even if the vehicle has been unused for several months after the MOT test an appeal cannot be lodged outside of the time-scales mentioned).
If the items are repaired or removed from the vehicle the ability to appeal is then void. Some items, such as tyres and windscreen wipers, may not be appealed against as they are quite simple to replace and therefore it cannot be adequately determined if they were indeed the ones fitted at the time of the inspection.
To appeal against an MOT pass is free of charge but to appeal against a failure will incur a fee which would be the normal maximum price of an MOT for that vehicle (this will then be refunded if the inspection finds in favour of the person lodging the appeal). If the appeal finds the vehicle should/should not have passed/failed its initial inspection appropriate action is taken against the station involved (this can range from penalty points for minor infringements to their MOT license being rescinded for major ones).
VOSA/DVA only has the power to discipline the station involved and cannot pursue compensation of any kind for the complainant; that is the responsibility of Trading Standards. An MOT station cannot be held responsible for defects that occur to the vehicle several months after the test was conducted. The appeal process and how to lodge one is outlined on the reverse of the VT20 pass certificate and the VT30 failure notice.
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Only £45
