High milage fully loaded or Low milage Stadard?

The test has got tougher here over the last few years, and certainly since the Testing equipment was linked to a Central Computer database that records the brake readings and emmission readings and gives the certificate number. When the certificates were written by hand, it was possible for some more lax testers to turn a blind eye and issue a certificate where say the emmissions were slightly over the recommended level for a vehicle of that age, or worse for forged certificates to be produced. The central database prevents all of that happening, and admittedly did put some smaller garages off offering an MOT service (they have to pay for the equipment and be open to inspection by the Ministry).

Basically now, if you are a motor trader in the UK and want to sell used cars, and have something that has a couple of months MOT you really have to sell the car with a full years MOT (and pay for any defects to be put right), if you want to maximise what you are going to get for the car - or indeed sell it at all.

Of course any car that passes is only guarenteed to be safe on the day of the test. If the brakepads or tyres were about to go below the minimum requirements, whilst the tyres would be an advisory issue (as they can be physically seen), the brakes would be harder to advise on, unless the tester had reason to physically see the pads. The brakes are tested on a rolling road (one for each wheel), so if they are about to go, this would not immediately be obvious, although most testers would know it was close to the wire and suggest that the pads were changed.

We do still have a system where the Police will stop you for an obvious fault - that happened to me when I had had a new exhaust fitted, but they had not sealed it up properly, so the seal suddenly went one evening making it a bit noisy. I had the receipt to prove the work was done in previous week, and of course the police agreed that I had done what I should have done and accepted that I would be going back to the garage (and gave them an earful!). However the Police cannot be sat on every roadside looking for dodgy cars!

It has certainly ensured that many rust buckets have rightly gone to where they belong. Many years ago, I was most upset when the tester took a hammer to the sills on one of my past Ford's and knocked a ruddy great big hole in it - was convinced that he hit it too hard, but if he had not have done, what would have happened if I had had an accident?

I can see that with your system of Federal Government it would be difficult to set up a National system, but as cars are no respector of borders, it is surprising that your NHTSA have not tried to establish National Standards (perhaps they have). Getting unroadworthy cars off the road or putting them back into a proper roadworthy state, can only ultimately be good for your automotive manufacturing and supply industries and those drivers who do have a roadworthy car and don't want it hit by an unroadworthy one.

 

Re: High mileage fully loaded or Low mileage Standard?

Yep, exactly on the first point.

I really wish I knew the location of a comprehensive list (if one exists) of states where titles can be washed of salvage/totaled/flood damaged notations so that one knows to avoid buying used cars that have been registered there. Even before hearing of this crap on Priuschat, I've heard of it elsewhere. It doesn't seem like it's urban legend.