Having spent five working days struggling to get our gas-fired Kartal through the new Turkish MOT system, we thought the exhaust emissions test would be a piece of cake – and so it proved.

We go to the Nissan dealers on the Patlangı埲oad, one of the many garages that do the test, almost exactly opposite the Ziraat Odası near Tespo. 

And we have the same conversation on arrival every year:

Youth in overalls in charge of test:  “Does it run on petrol?”

Me: “It can, but I always run it on gas”.

Youth: “But I have to test it on petrol”.

Me: “Why?  What is the point in testing for emissions when it is running on petrol when it only ever runs on gas?”

Youth: “Did they test it on gas last year?”

Me: “Yes.”

Youth: “OK I’ll test it on gas then.”

And he does and it passes and he issues the new certificate and I pay 22TL and it’s done for another year.

Clearly the conversation outlined above would tax someone with less than adequate Turkish.

In which case be sure to take a Turkish speaker with you to the testing station.

Good luck.