[smithy15493]

Hi
Unfortunately failed my MOT and was told it might be easier/quicker for me to try get a rear drivers side wheel (tire optional) from eBay or somewhere. Obviously made difficult by the fact that places are closed over Christmas.

Does anyone recommend doing it this way and any tips/websites to go for wheels? I only need the one.

Otherwise i'll have to wait for garages to be open which may take an extra week or 2 for them to source. It's an E92 320D July 2010 model.

Also am i safe to do short trips if i take it easy?

Thanks

[Chapperss]

You car doesn`t have an MOT so whilst the wheel will probably be okay - you are now uninsured and driving illegally if you do.

Can you not get the rim repaired? google rim crack repair for your local area, i`m sure they aren't all closed...

Apart from Ebay and facebook i have no specific ones I can recommend

Edit - This may help - When I bent my rim i phoned a Alloy referb place near me, he didn`t do wheel straightening but gave me the number of a guy who did. So if you can`t find crack repair try referb places and see if they have suggestions!

[smithy15493]

Thanks for the info, my MOT doesn't run out till the 4th Jan, can i still drive? The guy said it was a grey area, i'd only be looking at quick trips anyway. Will see if i can get it welded

[Chapperss]

No grey area about it - rules were changed a while ago now (years) - MOT is both valid or invalid from the day of the most recent test.

You used to be able to get a test 30 days before for renewal on the anniversary, but they got rid of that along with a failure not counting if it`s before the active MOTs expiry. Again this was years ago. Surprised an MOT tester isn`t well aware of this!

You can now only drive you car to or from a MOT test, unsure if you can drive it to a garage to get it fixed and then elsewhere for an MOT test. You`d hope so but I`d double check if i were you.

[Thermobaric]

Was the cracked wheel classed as a dangerous or a major fail?

I believe if it is a major fail and the MOT is yet to expire, you can still drive it but I would say keep journeys to the bare minimum as you could still get stopped by police and be prosecuted. Perhaps depends on how the PC is feeling and how good you are at explaining you're on your way to a wheel welding place for a quote If it's a dangerous fail, it can't be driven until fixed.

I had this happen to me (cracked wheel at MOT) and jumped on ebay and found a used replacement. Probably your best bet. Or FB market place, Gumtree or classifieds on here. Though perhaps a weld would be more suitable at this time of year.

Considering our roads and BMW wheels that are notorious for cracking, I imagine there are thousands of cars driving about in UK with cracked wheels that will only come to light at MOT. Unless you bang a huge pothole, you'll probably be OK from a driving point of view.

[Chapperss]

fuck it does seem grey - I take back what I said, I was 100% on this but a quick google:

Failing the MOT
Your vehicle will fail if the test result lists ‘dangerous’ or ‘major’ problems with your vehicle. You might not be allowed to drive until you fix the problems.

You might also get a list of ‘minor’ or ‘advisory’ problems to monitor or fix in the future.

If your vehicle fails the MOT:

you’ll get a ‘refusal of an MOT test certificate’ from the test centre
it will be recorded in the MOT database
You can appeal the result if you think it’s wrong.

Driving a vehicle that’s failed
You can take your vehicle away if:

your current MOT certificate is still valid
no ‘dangerous’ problems were listed in the MOT
Otherwise, you’ll need to get it repaired before you can drive.

If you can take your vehicle away, it must still meet the minimum standards of roadworthiness at all times.

[Chapperss]

This is from a random website but backs up what Thermobaric said:

If your vehicle has failed its MOT when the certificate is still live:

You may take your vehicle for its MOT test up to a month before your current certificate ends; the exact date will be on your MOT certificate. This had led to people questioning whether they can drive it after it has failed as they still have a valid certificate.

The answer is that you can still drive your vehicle if it fails the test and its existing MOT certificate is still valid (i.e. if your test was before the expiry date) as long as no 'dangerous' problem(s) were listed in the MOT.

If you drive with 'dangerous' problem(s) listed in your MOT you can be fined up to £2,500, be banned from driving and get 3 penalty points.

However the fact that your vehicle has failed its MOT means there are faults with the vehicle, even if they haven't been classed as 'dangerous' and if you do get stopped by the police you could be prosecuted if your vehicle is not roadworthy.

Though you still have a valid certificate you could be breaking the law by using a vehicle with a known fault on the road, it is highly recommended to get the repairs fixed as soon as possible and not to drive the vehicle in the meantime.

[smithy15493]

Thanks guys, probably shouldn't be driving it but to be honest, I'm happy to risk the 15 minute drive to see family at Christmas. Can't help that places are closed and having to wait until possibly next week or week after to repair. Seen a few wheels online so that'd an option, or might just get it repaired.

[Andystobbs]

Where are you located?

[smithy15493]

Originally Posted by Andystobbs

Where are you located?

Cheshire - Crewe and Nantwich way

[0l0dom0l0]

I did a fair few miles with a cracked wheel and I'm sure many others have as well, as it is hard to tell!

I opted for a non cracked second hand wheel as I was getting all 4 refurbished anyway.