ITV

Need an I.T.V?

I.T.V (the Spanish MOT)
Once your car reaches 4 years old, you will need an ITV and then again every 2 years until it is 10 years old when an ITV will be needed annually. You can take your car to a garage and have them do it, or be a little adventurous and have a go yourself and save some cash too.
The nearest ITV station is at Algarrobo inland from the autovia and in the small industrial estate on the left.

You ring a central number (902 575 757) give them your car registration number and tell them which station you would like to use. They then give you the appointment date and time. The operators are Spanish so if yours is not good enough ask someone else to ring them for you. You need to arrive at the testing station at least 30 mins early because there can be queues.

As you drive in follow the road round to the front of the building to park then join the queue to start the whole process. The queues can be a bit misleading as some people turn up without an appointment hoping to get a cancellation so don’t be afraid to push to the front waving your paperwork and tell the attendant that you have an appointment.
Simply handover your documents along with about 36.64€ (cash only) and you will be handed a receipt, and your documents back in a plastic folder.
You then wait outside at your car until they call your registration number out and the lane number you have to go to.
Drive round to the side of the building and an engineer will be waiting for you, and wave you forward where you hand him the plastic folder. he will then check your exhaust emmissions while he also checks headlights, horn, washers and wipers and indicaters including hazards. Next is a thorough check of all seat belts. Then he will then ask you to drive forward until your front wheels are on the rolling road. Switch off your engine, as he applies the test he will ask you to brake a little and then harder.
Same deal for rear wheels using the foot brake and then handbrake. Then you drive on to another set of steel plates and he will place a type of two way radio on your dash board, through which he talks to you while he is under the car.
A bit like a small fair ground ride while the plates sort of shake the wheels from side to side when he asks you to brake, and then he asks to move the steering wheel from side to side. Then you are asked to drive forward until your rear wheels are in place and he asks you to brake. Recently cars have been failed for mis-matching tyres but not if all the tyres have really good tread. The inspector told me that “really all the tyres should be the same make”. The tyres must also be the same as stated in the log book for the car.

All being well you then wait five minutes while he prints you a new ITV sticker along with the necessary stamp on your documents.