:cool::):snigger::mexicanwave:

Good luck with the MOT Sean and hopefully you'll be able to make the meet +++

Hope so. I phoned them at 9:00am this morning only to discover it's a bank holiday, so will try again tomorrow. Hoping to get it done and passed this week so I can get a good long test drive done before heading across. A 400+ mile drive to the meet ain't my idea of doing a test drive. :)

RANT - and I'm keeping this as polite as I can manage!

The DVA in NI is £$%^&* disgrace. :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

I phoned them first thing, and spent 10 minutes on hold. I'm told they issue 'emergency' appointments based on the same data that the drivers have access to. Bearing in mind that today is 28th May, these are the 'earliest' appointment dates available at all the NI sites:

https://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachme...1&d=1716884648
https://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachme...1&d=1716884648

I literally have to sit here on the laptop with their page open, refresh it, scan for a suitable appointment, and if there are none, refresh the page and start again. I get 20 minutes of this and then the session is terminated. I then have to start at the first screen and repeat the whole process.

Even if you do find a suitable date, by the time you've clicked on the centre name, the appointment has gone! She even said that some people are going across to Scotland to get MOTs done. Yeah, no problem, £300 plus fuel costs to get a MOT.

Can you take the risk and book one over here around the meet weekend?

Want me to book you in at our local MOT station, I guess you can legitimately drive here to a pre-booked appointment? :ROFL:

I suppose you can legitimately return back from the appointment if it failed as well? Unless it's dangerous.

In theory I could drive the car to the MOT station, but the MOT had already expired on the 20th, and what if they wanted proof of where I was taking it?

Anyway, couldn't post last night, but after staring at that list and refreshing it for a good part of an hour, a slot for the 28th May popped up. Selected it and the time was around 3:00pm. Selected it and clicked next, only to be greeted with 'that appointment is not available'. Clicked to go back a page and there's another slot at the same location around 4:00pm. Went through the same process, with the same result, but on the third time around, about 5-6 slots appeared. Quickly selected the 2:40pm slot and confirmed it. Only issue is that of the 17 locations in NI, there are only two other locations further away than this one.

So, after a 70 mile road test, it flew threw the MOT with no advisories. The tester commented that I looked after the underside of it well. I would say so, considering what I've replaced. Then had another 70 mile road test at a more leisurely rate, but want to get another longer one done before the meet.

The reason for the sudden burst of available appointments is that they've started issuing some TECs (Temporary Exemption Certificates) for newer vehicles, although their logic defies the imagination. Vehicles registered between 01/06/2019-31/05/2020 & 01/06/2017-31/05/2018 will get an additional 12 months added to their current expiry date.

Now I need some good weather to clean the car.

Great news on the MOT Sean. Sounds like your perseverance eventually beat the system!

PHEW!

Great result for your persistent efforts Sean. Looking forward to seeing you in Warwickshire :)