Failed the MOT? When a repair stops making sense, and what to do next

An MOT failure sheet with six or seven lines on it is where most of our customers start. The question is always the same: fix it or scrap it? Here is how to decide.

The maths

Add up the repair quote, including the retest. Then look up what the car would sell for with a fresh MOT. If the repair costs more than the car is worth afterwards, you are spending money to own the same tired car. Most people know the answer before they finish the sum; what they want is permission to act on it.

The failures that usually tip it

• Corrosion on sills, chassis rails or suspension mounts. Proper welding is expensive and there is always more rust behind what the tester saw.
• Emissions and diesel particulate filters. A blocked DPF on an older diesel can cost more than the car.
• Suspension and steering in bulk: springs, arms, bushes and ball joints together.
• Anything involving the gearbox, especially automatic and CVT units.

You can still drive it, but only to the right places

Once the old MOT has expired you may only drive the car to a pre-booked MOT test or to a garage for repairs arranged in advance. You cannot drive it to a scrap yard. That is one reason collection matters: we come to you, so the car never has to move under its own power.

What happens next

1. Call 01603 916893 or use the form with the registration. We quote from the car's weight and the metal market on the day.
2. We arrange collection, free, anywhere in Norfolk and Suffolk, the same day where we can.
3. The driver completes the DVLA paperwork with you, gives you a Waste Transfer Note and pays you by PayPal, bank transfer or cheque.
4. The car is destroyed at our Authorised Treatment Facility and a Certificate of Destruction is issued. The DVLA refunds any full months of tax left.

Before the driver arrives

• Take your belongings out, including the glovebox and the boot floor.
• If you want to keep a private plate, transfer it off the car with the DVLA first.
• Have the V5C ready if you have it. If you don't, we can supply the form.

More on this on our MOT failure page, and for a particular make see the brand pages under Recycling Partners at the foot of this page.