Design911, the expert supplier of an extensive range of Porsche parts and components, has highlighted the most common reasons Porsches fail MOT inspections, in a bid to help UK drivers prevent costly MOT failures that could have been easily avoided.
With over 20 years of experience providing aftermarket, OEM, and rare parts to both retail and commercial customers in Britain and Europe, the company also advises that the same checks are important for keeping Porsches in road-ready condition.
The Consequences of Having a Porsche Fail an MOT Inspection
Depending on the reason for an MOT failure and whether the faults are deemed minor, major, or dangerous, Porsche owners may be unable to drive their car until the fault is rectified, will often need to pay additional retest charges, and could even be subject to fines.
Although this occurs only in serious situations where a driver is deemed to have driven a vehicle that poses a safety risk, or that they know has failed an MOT, outcomes can include penalty points or driving bans, fines of up to £2,500, bans on driving the vehicle unless to an MOT service centre and vehicle seizure.
Even minor faults will need to be addressed, and the MOT failure will be recorded in the MOT database. This can affect the future value of a Porsche or make it harder to sell if there are perceptions that the car hasn’t been well-maintained or has recurring issues.
Head of Sales Strategies, Anthony Malone from Design911 says, ‘Most MOT failures are down to small niggles that drivers might not have noticed, such as a blown bulb, or an empty washer fluid tank, but that also means it’s very easy to run through a few checks to avoid the stress of an MOT failure and additional cost.’
Common Reasons for Porsche MOT Failures in the UK
Design911 lists the frequent underlying issues that have led to MOT failures, or that mean MOT test centres are obligated to record minor or advisory issues even if they don’t necessarily need to be fixed immediately.
- Lighting: Blown bulbs, foggy lenses and alignment issues
- Suspension: Wear and damage to components like bushes, ball joints and dampers
- Brakes: Low brake pads, worn discs and imbalanced braking
- Tyres: Bald tyres, damage to sidewalls and Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) warnings
- Emissions: Failing lambda sensors, exhaust leaks and oil burn
Anthony adds that, ‘Regular maintenance and servicing are the best ways to ensure your Porsche is in excellent condition and will sail through an MOT inspection with ease, but it remains worthwhile having a look for some common issues that, in most cases, you’ll be able to correct quickly, saving you the time and cost of retests.
Drivers do not necessarily need in-depth automotive know-how to spot that something isn’t working optimally. They can, for example, turn on all of their lights, including hazards and high beams and check for lights that are broken or dimmer than others, or rapid indicator signals that show a light may be burned out.’
Porsche owners should ensure they don’t ignore dashboard warnings, which all modern vehicles will display when tyre pressure falls, and book their cars into a service centre if they notice anything unusual that could point to a problem, such as changes in handling or braking.
Pre-emptive maintenance won’t always prevent 100% of possible faults, but taking a Porsche to a mechanic is strongly advisable at the first sign of an issue if the driver can’t identify the responsible component or replace it themselves.
About Design911
Design911 was founded in 1995 and has developed into a leading specialist in Porsche, supplying a vast array of parts and components, operating an in-house workshop, bodyshop, and repair centre, and displaying completed restorations and rebuilds in its private showroom collection.
The employee-owned business extended its operations in 2010 to become a global Porsche parts supplier, shipping components to 100+ countries. It launched a second distribution centre in the Netherlands in 2022 to ensure EU clients could access parts with the same fast, reliable delivery times as those in the UK.
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Design911 supports customers in the UK, EU and world-wide to include USA, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
About Design911
Design911 has established itself as the market leader, offering trade and retail customers a full range of OEM and aftermarket Porsche parts for general servicing and rebuild as well as restoration and tuning. The company supports customers in the UK, EU and world-wide to include USA, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
The Design911.com website now sports a Porsche parts finder to help you get the exact aftermarket Porsche part you need. The company’s impressive 34,000 sq. ft Essex headquarters comprises a sales department, warehouse, workshop and body shop, as well as a showroom of classic Porsches for sale. In addition a European warehouse – based in Heijningen, Netherlands, secures fast delivery across the EU for a vast range of branded Porsche car parts.
