Driving with a split cv gaiter

[dancecaller]

My car has just failed it's MOT but I was told to take it home till they can get the cv gaiter.
It still has a week on it's old MOT. What is the effect of driving with a split gaiter? I know that an MOT has to certify that its fit to drive at 70mph long distance, would you drive it gently, short distances?
What is the worst that can happen if the gaiter (whatever that might be) falls to bits?

[NORMANTHEDOG]

you should be ok for a week or so to drive it,the gaitor is a rubber cover which goes over the joint with grease inside to lubricate the cv joint,the fact that it is split means the joint could lose all its grease and seize up,but as i said,a week will be fine.

[dancecaller]

Thanks, that's reassuring.
Do you think it's reasonable that they replaced the CV joint 10 months ago without replacing the gaiter, and now there's all that labout cost to fit it? The car is 9 yrs old.

[Brooksy]

Normanthedog is right, a week with a split gaiter isn`t going to cause any great harm. I thought new CV joints came as a kit, with a gaiter. Out of interest enquire @ a Main Dealer parts dept. Motor factors supply gaiter-only kits that fit without removing the drive shaft - the gaiter is split along its length & glued together once in position, then secured with plastic ties. They`re about �10. Ask them which type they`re thinking of fitting, it`ll be easy enough afterwards to take the wheel off & check.

[bazmoore]

if your car has failed an mot
the only time you can drive it is to either a garage to get it repaired or to a pre booked mot test
regardless of how long is on your other certificate

it states this on your refusal to issue an mot cerificate form

baz

[dancecaller]

Oh, I hadn't read the small print.

[Panic Button]

I think the regulations changed when they computerised MOTs (or at least recent answers here have said they have)

You used to have a valid MOT until the old cert ran out. Now a failure cancels the previous one.

[dancecaller]

Small print is confusing
1st paragraph says get it done before the old cert runs out.
Later says you could have been prosecuted for driving with it like that, change you servicing arrangements so it doesn't happen again (is following the manufacturers instructions and it didn't seem to have anything wrong not good enough?)

[david1702198]

the regulations DID NOT chage when mot computerisation was rolled out, the previous mot is still valid until a new one has been issued irrespective of the fsct the car has failed. THE OLD MOT IS ONLY INVALID ONCE A NEW ONE IS ISSUED WHICH SUPERSEEDS THE OLD ONE. although the car will be registered on the system as a failure with a unique certificate number the original mot certificate is also still liove on the system with a unique certificate number. otherwise when the car is repaired and a pass issued how is the system suppose to post-date the new one with the time thats left on the old one??

[dancecaller]

I'm still confused.
The direct gov website does not seem to touch this question.
My insurance customer services said, yes the old cert is still valid and I would be insured to drive it.
But if the computer knows it's failed its test......?

[david1702198]

although its logged on the system as having failed the mot, the current mot will not be voided until it expires, if you get the car repaired before the current mot expires then the system will automatically post-date the new cert with the time left on the old one, its at this point that the old one is then voided and superseeded by the new one. unless something has changed since i stopped working in a garage in march 07.

[kempie]

dancecaller- Where is the confusion?

You have been given a failure notice which, by definition, tells you the vehicle is legally not roadworthy. The wonderful thing about MOT Computerisation is that a record of the notice listing the defect is available as proof that you have been told the car is defective. When you contacted your insurer did they say you would still have full cover while driving a defective car?

"What is the worst that can happen...?"

1. You could be prosecuted for driving an unroadworthy vehicle.

2. The CV joint could seize. The cost of vehicle recovery and 10 months between successive replacements of the same part could prove an expensive hobby.

It is absolutely fantastic that persons on this thread who have not inspected the CV joint and gaiter, which could have been in that condition for some appreciable time, are willing to gamble with your safety, your money, your liberty, your licence by offering such encouragement as "should be ok for a week" safe in the knowledge that if anything untoward was to happen it wouldn't happen to them.

[david1702198]

i agree with kempie 100%. but her lies the problem with the whole mot system in that you can have a car covered by an mot for say 12 months but you can attempt to renew your mot after 11 months have expired on that and be told that your car is defective/unroadworth or whicherver way you want to put it . but althought he failure defect is logged on the vosa database it does not invalidate the original mot which was issued to cover the car for 12 months!!! so legally you can drive the car but its unroadworthy, this is where the whole shambles of a system contradicts itself. and they want to intoroduce the mot for ever 2 years instead of annually!!! as a former mot tester myself i think this is a joke but i dont make the rules i only play the game.

[kempie]

The erroneous mindset that the MOT certificate is the overriding factor in determining the legal use of a car on the road needs to be addressed by the relevant authorities.

Should any vehicle have developed faults which renders it unroadworthy in legal terms, it would be unlawful to use it on the road irrespective of whether or not it has a current and valid MOT pass certificate.

The requirements for legal entitlement to drive a vehicle on the road could be described with this formula

Entitlement = T + I + M + L + H + R

where (for that vehicle and driver)

T = valid Tax (where applicable)
I = valid Insurance cover (where applicable)
M = valid MOT (where applicable)
L = valid GB Driving Licence (or equivalent)
H = meets minimum Medical requirements
R = Roadworthiness (not negotiable)

[BRIGHT SPARK]

I think thats a no then.

[dancecaller]

Sounds like it.

[Stevesw]

Ive had cars in before now where the cv boot has obviously been gone for ages. The ball bearings are pretty large and take a while to wear. Seen em wear bad but never disintergrate. But like all drivetrain brakes etc, should get it fixed asap. As for the MOT, as said in another answer your MOT is still valid regardless of a failure sheet. If you get stopped and checked over by the police, you would get pulled for an unroadworthy vehicle not for driving without an MOT. Think the penalities are different in each case.

[bigblindguy]

Bugger roadworthiness, Ive driven 50k miles with no gaiters on either side, the car will be fine, you will be fine, your mot has another week so thats fine. The fault probably lies mainly with whatever cowboy fitted your CVJ 10 months ago, if they didnt fit rubber then they stole from you, if they did and it failed so soon, they are stealing from you again. simple solution, get a rear wheel drive. Complicated solution: Call whoever fitted your cvj, tell them they owe you money as now your most likely looking at a few hundred pounds in fitting costs and the gaiter. Dont worry about the pigs either, if you are driving a rover, and most gaiter problems ARE with those *** cars, then you are invisible to police anyway. Short answer, drive away, have a nice week, come back, get shafted for your hard earned cash.