A lot of you may be in the mentality of ‘New Year, New Me’ and hopefully fulfilling your News Year’s resolutions, walking down the road of positivity. Some drivers will be going for their MOT checks and it would be a negative start to the year to fail this. This week’s tips give advice on how to avoid failing your MOT, from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards Richard Gladman.

• Check your lights. This easily slips through the net becoming a thing that we look at but do not actually see when it needs replacing. Tap each light to make sure there’s not a loose connection which might appear at the test.Most bulbs are easily changed, but you will probably need to look in the handbook to find out how to get at them. Don’t forget to check the headlamp washers if you have xenon (HID) or LED headlamps, if these are not working the car will fail the test

   

• Try and get into the routine of checking your tyres. This would be for bulges and cuts as well as plenty of tread.Uneven wear means they are at the wrong pressure or the wheels are not aligned properly – get this fixed before the tyres are changed otherwise the new ones will wear out prematurely

   

• Handle your wipers with care. Top up the washer fluid, then operate the washers and wipers. If the wipers leave lines on the screen or scrape over the water without clearing it, they need replacing although you could try cleaning them with methylated spirit first

   

• We understand that you may be busy but try not to leave it until the last minute. You can submit your car for a check up to a month before the old certificate runs out. This also gives you enough time to make any corrections should there an issue.

   

• Make a check list. Having a checklist sounds simple but allows you to remember little things that you need that may have slipped off the radar. Try to read the comments after whether you pass or fail. Prevention is better than cure

Richard said: “If we maintain our car correctly during the year MOT time will not be as much as an issue, remember a failure means you are driving around in a car that fails to meet the recommended ‘minimum’ safety standard and that is not how an advanced driver operates.”