MFK checklist: how to get your car through the inspection

The periodic vehicle inspection, known in German-speaking Switzerland simply as the MFK, makes many drivers nervous. With a little preparation, it does not have to.

When does the notice arrive?

Cars are inspected for the first time five years after they were first registered, then after three years, and every two years after that. The road traffic office sends the notice by post. You can take the car in yourself or have your garage do it.

What you can check yourself

A walk round the car takes ten minutes and often saves a second appointment. Best done with two people, for the brake lights:

• All lights: dipped and main beam, side lights, indicators, hazard lights, brake lights, reversing light, rear fog light, number plate light
• Horn
• Wipers clear without streaks, the washers spray
• Windscreen: no cracks or larger chips in the driver’s view
• Tyres: at least 1.6 mm of tread, no bulges or cuts, the same type on each axle
• No warning light that stays on after starting
• Seat belts click in and retract smoothly
• Warning triangle in the car: it is required in Switzerland
• Nothing drips under the car: no oil, no coolant, no brake fluid

What the inspection looks at more closely

Brakes on the test rig, discs, lines and hoses. Steering and axles for play, boots, shock absorbers. The exhaust for leaks and mounting. Rust on load-bearing parts. Headlight alignment.

These points need a lift and measuring equipment. That is the part we take on with MFK inspection prep: you get a list of faults with prices and decide what we do.

What to bring

• the vehicle registration document
• the inspection notice
• if the vehicle has been modified, for example with a retrofitted tow bar, the related documents

And if something fails?

Depending on the fault, you get a deadline to have it fixed, sometimes with a follow-up check. A pre-check in the workshop usually avoids that.