What to do with Battery Strap
 

I'd appreciate any advice please. I have just replaced the old 096 battery on my diesel automatic with a 110 battery. It is more powerful and slightly longer so fills up the entire battery compartment. This means that there is no room for the restraining strap and metal bolt-down clip. Should I leave the battery strap on top or cut it off. I'm worried about the metal clip at the end wandering around near the battery terminals.

Don't cut it off, you will need it. The battery must be secured by the strap. Its part of the MOT so it will fail if it s not secured. You need a smaller battery by the sounds of it.

I would say don't cut it off unless you have a ready-to-fit replacement, as the strap is there for safety reasons - the battery needs to be secured in place. But definitely don't leave the strap loose either! Seems odd that a battery sold for our cars wouldn't fit in the allocated space. Have you extended the return loop of the strap through the clip as far as it can go? I'd have thought there should be enough length to do that. It may also be possible to rotate the clip at the bottom so that the vertical part is closer to the front end of the car - that might give you another inch or so, but bolting it into place like that will be difficult if not impossible.

I filled the battery box by putting in a larger battery too. There is no way its going to move around the box (Bosch s5010 I think) so do not see how could fail MOT, not that I am an expert . Just took the strap and bolt out and left in the boot if needed in the future.

One year I took my 416 for its MOT, and the garage took my brand new battery out and fitted a smaller one to get it through.
Doesn't matter what we think, the examiners can be very strict.

They are supposed to check the battery is securing fixed, the box is not adequate for that. My MOT includes my removing the box cover, so he can clip his leads onto the battery, so the battery not properly fixed is not easy to miss.

OK, not UK MOT, but on the Dutch equivalent APK I was failed for a missing strap. The tester said that "part of the vehicle as originally fitted and approved for retaining the battery, was missing,". He doesn't have to make a judgment as to whether it works without it or not; the vehicle was designed to have it. Type approval was based on its presence, and he can't test its functioning if it's not there ... so there! Expect the MOT-man's explanation of any failure on that basis would be similar.
Not really extra 'picky'; rules are rules.

:eek: Must admit my local MOT tester has never checked the battery strap

I didn't think the English mot would have allowed for removal of the lid for inspection. In saying that on my past few cars, I didn't notice them checking it, they have on older models though.

It is a critical safety item though. In an impact, travelling from 70 to zero, the battery will still have some of that momentum if not secured. Additionally, if it rolls over, falls out and shorts on a bare metal part of the bonnet, leaking fuel, sparks ...... Etc

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I thought similar, that mot testers couldn't remove items to check anything?
Hopefully one of the mot testers will let us know :}