Motorhome Service During Lockdown

[Wilf]

This month my motorhome is booked in for it annual base vehicle and habitation service, (booked February).

The problem is that the dealer I use is 32 miles from my home. Am I permitted to travel during lockdown?

The new guidelines are that I could travel any distance to take exercise; but I'm not taking exercise, I'm driving to a dealer dropping of the motorhome and driving back home in the car which I have towed behind.

I see on the news this morning that you can drive to a golf club to play golf and drive to a garden centre to buy plants. There appears to be very little consistency with what is allowed and was is not.

Should I take the governments advice and STAY ALERT and watch out for the boys in blue on my 64 miles round trip? Your comments would be welcome.

[Conrad]

You could ring the local police to check, but I suspect they will say it's not an essential trip.

 

No rush - you can't use it anyway! I've cancelled mine twice now, will wait until the second wave is over before bothering!

[BruceM]

I’d suggest you just do it Wilf as long as you are currently social distancing and can continue to maintain your social distancing.

 

As far as the legal position is concerned, we can drive any distance we want for a day trip now. And garages have been allowed to stay open throughout the lockdown as it was recognised that vehicles would need servicing. Having a vehicle serviced is, imo essential if we’re to maintain safety on the road. I’d say the same about MOTs however I understand the rational for the MOT six month extension scheme for those that are isolating.

 

If,on the other hand, you are isolating, you may feel that from a personal perspective, you’d rather delay the service to avoid breaking your isolation.

 

I’d certainly not worry about the police.

[Den]

Yes you can take your van for it’s service, the essential rule has ended.

All our vehicles are back on the road

We have received the latest government rules and regs.

I’ve just taken my 8 seater for its twin MOT

You can drive to anywhere in the uk, but at the moment you can’t enter Scotland or Wales.

You can drive to sunbath, exercise ect.

 

Just check with the company you’re booked that you can perhaps go for a walk while they carry out the work.

I think it’s a good time to have things done and you never know you may be able to get away to a small site soon.

My MH goes in for service on Monday. They gave me a superb price to have it done now.

 

Just take sanitizer and clean door handles. Gear stick ect.

 

Den

[silverback]

don't see why not, if the cops stop you tell them you are going to exercise when you are coming back, just follow the advise as above, but again that is just my opinion and that is what i would do

Jonathan

[Deneb]

Den - 2020-05-13 4:26 PM

 

the essential rule has ended.

 

No it hasn't. It is still the case that only essential travel is allowed. The definition of what is essential has been changed by the amendment to the regulations, and penalties for ignoring the restrictions on permitted movement have been increased.

 

Taking a vehicle for servicing is and always has been permitted under the regulation which allows any person to visit a permitted premises or business listed in the relevant schedule, for "a purpose necessary to the maintenance or functioning of that person's household", which includes "car repair and MOT services". The extension to MOT expiry dates has been granted as it was recognised that relevant businesses may be affected to an extent that they could be unable to meet demand, and people should not be forced to leave their homes and possibly put themselves or their families at risk by having to take a vehicle to be tested.

 

The regulations in their current (amended) form can be read here, with the link opening at Regulation 6, which sets out the current extent of restrictions on permitted movement.

 

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/regulation/6

 

[tonyishuk]

The mhome is going in for a cam belt change and MOT next week.

 

My thinking is that a,MOT will be required later and there is going to be a rush for the ramps when 6 month closing date is due plus garages are not quite as busy as usual

 

This coupled to the fact that the mhome is SORNed, a journey to get an MOT covers a grey area of motoring legality.

 

Rgds

 

 

[BruceM]

silverback - 2020-05-13 4:49 PM

 

don't see why not, if the cops stop you tell them you are going to exercise when you are coming back, just follow the advise as above, but again that is just my opinion and that is what i would do

Jonathan

 

Not just exercise, the revision to the regulations states that a reasonable excuse for travel now includes:

 

“visiting a public open space for the purposes of open-air recreation to promote physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing”, with members of someone’s household or one person from another household."

 

Which pretty much covers everything. The underlying message I think is go where you want outdoors (within England) as long as you social distance your household from others - with the exception of meeting one on one two people from different households in a socially distancing manner (yes, I know – inconsistent, but the behavioural scientists have their reasons).

[silverback]

BruceM always said there should be a like button or an I agree button on here

Jonathan

[Derek Uzzell]

tonyishuk - 2020-05-13 4:59 PM

 

The mhome is going in for a cam belt change and MOT next week.

 

My thinking is that a,MOT will be required later and there is going to be a rush for the ramps when 6 month closing date is due plus garages are not quite as busy as usual

 

This coupled to the fact that the mhome is SORNed, a journey to get an MOT covers a grey area of motoring legality.

 

Rgds

 

 

The gov.uk advice regarding driving a SORNed vehicle can be found here

 

https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

 

When you can drive your vehicle

 

You can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to go to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. You face court prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 if you use it on the road for any other reason.

 

No ‘grey area’ as far as I can see...

[laimeduck]

Derek Uzzell - 2020-05-14 7:55 AM

 

The gov.uk advice regarding driving a SORNed vehicle can be found here

 

https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

 

When you can drive your vehicle

 

You can only drive a vehicle with a SORN on a public road to go to or from a pre-booked MOT or other testing appointment. You face court prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 if you use it on the road for any other reason.

 

No ‘grey area’ as far as I can see...

 

In mid- February I took my SORNed Motorhome for it's pre-booked MOT at our garage, about 3 miles from home. Drove directly there, and back. She passed.

Within a week a buff envelope hit the doormat from DVLA saying I had driven a vehicle without tax. Hefty fine.

 

I had to spend quite some time & effort proving that she had been on the road for a booked MOT & no other reason.

They accepted my explanation, but unless you can prove your case, the fine stands. (from memory about £150?)

 

So the moral is keep records, in black & white (email), rather than phone messages and you May be OK, but it seems to be at the whim of the DVLA, and don't push the parameters by "just going via the beach"!

 

[Deneb]

laimeduck - 2020-05-14 8:31 AM

 

In mid- February I took my SORNed Motorhome for it's pre-booked MOT at our garage, about 3 miles from home. Drove directly there, and back. She passed.

Within a week a buff envelope hit the doormat from DVLA saying I had driven a vehicle without tax. Hefty fine.

 

I had to spend quite some time & effort proving that she had been on the road for a booked MOT & no other reason.

They accepted my explanation, but unless you can prove your case, the fine stands. (from memory about £150?)

 

So the moral is keep records, in black & white (email), rather than phone messages and you May be OK, but it seems to be at the whim of the DVLA, and don't push the parameters by "just going via the beach"!

 

The law states that the garage must have made a written (or computerised) record of the booking in advance of the test, and be able to produce it on demand. It has always been the case that, where we stopped a vehicle with no current MOT and the driver claimed to be attending or returning from a pre-booked test, we would either try to contact the testing station directly or report the driver for the offence and subsequently visit the test station to examine the record. If the booking was recorded, no further action would be taken.

 

Obviously if your vehicle is seen or stopped somewhere that is not on a reasonably direct route between your home address and where you claim to keep it and the test station, you would have difficulty claiming the exemption. Similarly I seem to recall stated cases where motorists who went shopping "en-route" have also been convicted despite evidence of having booked a test in advance.

[laimeduck]

Deneb - 2020-05-14 9:25 AM

 

laimeduck - 2020-05-14 8:31 AM

 

In mid- February I took my SORNed Motorhome for it's pre-booked MOT at our garage, about 3 miles from home. Drove directly there, and back. She passed.

Within a week a buff envelope hit the doormat from DVLA saying I had driven a vehicle without tax. Hefty fine.

 

I had to spend quite some time & effort proving that she had been on the road for a booked MOT & no other reason.

They accepted my explanation, but unless you can prove your case, the fine stands. (from memory about £150?)

 

So the moral is keep records, in black & white (email), rather than phone messages and you May be OK, but it seems to be at the whim of the DVLA, and don't push the parameters by "just going via the beach"!

 

The law states that the garage must have made a written (or computerised) record of the booking in advance of the test, and be able to produce it on demand. It has always been the case that, where we stopped a vehicle with no current MOT and the driver claimed to be attending or returning from a pre-booked test, we would either try to contact the testing station directly or report the driver for the offence and subsequently visit the test station to examine the record. If the booking was recorded, no further action would be taken.

 

Obviously if your vehicle is seen or stopped somewhere that is not on a reasonably direct route between your home address and where you claim to keep it and the test station, you would have difficulty claiming the exemption. Similarly I seem to recall stated cases where motorists who went shopping "en-route" have also been convicted despite evidence of having booked a test in advance.

It was not police - it was a DVLA camera van. So they didn't bother to check - no human input!

[Deneb]

laimeduck - 2020-05-14 9:34 AM

 

It was not police - it was a DVLA camera van. So they didn't bother to check - no human input!

 

I realise that, but if you had pre-booked an MOT it surely wasn't that difficult to obtain confirmation of pre-booking from the testing station, and confirmation of the test itself is of course now available online.

 

Most using a vehicle without MOT detections are now by ANPR type camera devices. The onus is not on the enforcement agency to run around checking for pre-booked tests as a matter of course. If you avail yourself of the exemption it is for you to prove that your journey was to a pre-booked appointment if the question subsequently arises.

 

 

[laimeduck]

Deneb - 2020-05-14 9:54 AM

 

laimeduck - 2020-05-14 9:34 AM

 

It was not police - it was a DVLA camera van. So they didn't bother to check - no human input!

 

I realise that, but if you had pre-booked an MOT it surely wasn't that difficult to obtain confirmation of pre-booking from the testing station, and confirmation of the test itself is of course now available online.

 

Most using a vehicle without MOT detections are now by ANPR type camera devices. The onus is not on the enforcement agency to run around checking for pre-booked tests as a matter of course. If you avail yourself of the exemption it is for you to prove that your journey was to a pre-booked appointment if the question subsequently arises.

 

Yup - that's what I said. I did have the evidence but it took time and effort and it all had to be sent to DVLA . In effect, I was guilty before I could prove my innocence! I'm not complaining - simply highlighting that it's not particularly straightforward.