Vehicle inspection: checks to make before taking your car

Having already explained what is checked during a vehicle inspection and what happens when a car fails, we are now highlighting a handful of points worth checking before taking your car through the process.

While certain faults can only be identified at a garage - which is why several companies offer pre-inspection services - others are easy enough to spot at home.

Let us be honest: it takes little effort to notice a blown bulb, check whether the warning triangle is present, or assess the condition of the windscreen wipers. Failing a vehicle inspection over such straightforward issues is therefore easily avoidable.

Seeing and being seen

First, make sure that every light is working properly: sidelights, dipped and main-beam headlights, indicators, reversing light, brake lights, fog lights and number-plate lights.

When it comes to “seeing”, check that the rear-view mirrors and windscreen wipers are in good condition. Also inspect the windscreen-washer fluid level, ensure the jets spray water in the right direction and, finally, confirm that the windscreen is not severely damaged or cracked, as this may result in a failure.

Rarely used, but not forgotten

Often overlooked, reflective vests and the warning triangle are also among the items to inspect before taking the car for its vehicle inspection.

The triangle must be in good condition and, as well as being present, the vests must be kept somewhere easily accessible - for instance, inside the passenger compartment rather than in the boot.

“Haunted” by the past

Before presenting the car for inspection, it is also worth confirming that any “Grade 1” defects recorded on the previous inspection certificate have been rectified.

Remember that, although a car can pass with four defects of this type listed on its inspection certificate, they will be treated as “Grade 2” defects if they have not been repaired by the following year, resulting in an automatic failure.

Tyres

There are several tyre-related checks that can be made to prevent them from being the reason for a vehicle inspection failure.

Start by ensuring that the tyres on each axle match in both make and model. Next, check that they still have the legal minimum tread depth of 1.6 mm. Most tyre manufacturers now include an indicator showing this limit on their tyres.

If there is no such marker and you have no way of measuring the depth, a one-euro coin can act as a… gauge. If the tread is shallower than the coin’s gold-coloured rim, it is best to replace the tyres before taking the car for inspection.

Washing the car

Finally, the car should be washed before arriving at the inspection centre, including the engine - the new inspection rules make road or engine washing compulsory - while checking for any build-up of oil or dirt on the rocker cover or elsewhere.

If the vehicle is so dirty that it prevents or hinders the checks required for its inspection, it may fail. The same applies if it has an oil leak.

There is no point risking being issued the red certificate when these items can be checked so easily.