Pickup 4x4s are considered as commercial vehicles and as a result must undergo an annual Department of the Environment (DOE) test, carried out by an approved test centre.
The test is not all about what’s under the bonnet, areas within the driver and passenger seats will also your require attention in order to pass.
These will include the condition of the driver’s seat. It must be secure and without rips to the cushion section.
Rats and mice have been known to enjoy the comforts of a 4x4 crewcab, especially one that’s used daily for feeding livestock.
Within the comfort of the cab, overnight they can do serious seat damage, which sometimes goes unnoticed until the test day.
All of the seatbelts must be fully functioning. They must not be damaged or frayed. And it also means that they must be able to fully extend and retract with equal ease.
With wear and tear they get dirty, especially in farm conditions, so make sure that they are clean.
The windscreen must also be in good condition. Small cracks are acceptable, according to Seamus Martin, but large cracks are not. And you must remove any strong tints from the side windows; anything other than the tint level supplied by the manufacturer will have to be removed.
Lights have to work and that means all lights.
If you have added a set of spotlights or a roof bar to pimp up your 4x4 then these must all work and be properly focused. Spotlight wiring can also be an issue and again rats and mice can play havoc in this area.
Some 4x4 pickups have failed DOE tests due to chassis structural problems, so it is important to spend some time under the vehicle before the test. Here you will get a view of the structural condition of the pickup.
Towbars are also an area of concern. The condition of the hitch is important; the ball must not be worn as well as the bolts that hold it in place, not to mention the chassis fixing bolts.
It is sound advice to prepare thoroughly for the DOE. Clean down your pickup in advance of starting work and that means inside as well as out. You will quickly see the extent of the work that’s ahead of you.
In the accompanying photographs we look at the key areas that need to be examined before facing into the test.