Renovation project - Getting an MOT in France (CT controle technique)

Renovation project - Getting an MOT in France (CT controle technique)

Picture courtesy of
http://www.motoring.co.uk/car-news/lego-claims-tyre-producing-world-record_56107#

We have had taken our car for the MOT (CT controle technique) in France your car has to have an MOT, as you do in the UK, to ensure that your insurance is valid. You also have to have the French version to register your car in France.

This is a simple procedure, you find the control technique that you want to use and make your appointment, it usually takes approximately an hour so a good tip is to find one in a town with a nice coffee bar.

You will get a certificate saying if it has passed or not (unfortunately ours did not) the CT does not complete the work required, you must find a garage (unless you can do the work yourself) and then you are given 2 months to get the work completed.

Ours failed on the handbrake, which we sort of knew, 2 tyres and another little bit.
The lights that finally arrived (one having to be sent back because it arrived broken) had been fitted correctly, well done John, they needed a slight adjustment but the CT guy did this for us.

Tyres in France are very expensive, so we looked on line and found a site that will deliver to France, they also tell you where your nearest fitter is and will deliver directly to them.

(Here is the link, it is not a paid advert, we were just very impressed with them PNEUS 123)

It is 20^th November so no problem what so ever with getting the work completed.

We have the new tyres fitted, John plans to do the brake when we get to the UK for Christmas, as we have family who work in this world.

2 days before we leave we are out working on the estate agency, trying to find a house, we cannot find it any where and end up down a track, when we feel a bump and hear a hiss, bugger that is another tyre gone!

We do not have time to order them in France before we leave so we decide to get them as soon as we arrive in the UK. This does mess our plans a little bit as we now have to stay in Plymouth so we can have the tyre replaced before driving to Manchester.

Over the Christmas break we get the brake fixed (almost, we could not get an adjuster due too the Christmas break, John picks one up from Euro parts) this was one of our funniest moments as we had my baby granddaughter with us, there was a life size cut out of Lewis Hamilton and she kept running to it and hugging it saying daddy, we had never realised how much 'daddy' looked like him before!

We head back to France. John finishes the work on the car, yes he can even fix the car! We are booked in to have it retested on the 16^th Jan, nothing like leaving it till the last minute hey?

But shock, it does not pass, I am gutted and start to freak out saying lets get it into the garage, but John thinks I'm over reacting, as it only needs a slight adjustment, he does this and luckily the CT will squeeze us in.

This is one of the most nerve racking days I have had, if it does not pass what do we do???

John as always is so laid back about it, we watch the retest as it is only the brake that is being retested and woo hoo it passed, I am sorry John that my faith in you faltered, I should know better by now!

(but then again he should now me better by now and realise I freak out when we leave things to the last minute!)

But we now have our CT, the insurance has been in place for some time it is simply a case of re registering the car and we will eventually get our French number plates.

Is it sad that I am getting so excited about this???