edcayton Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Generally give my cars (in this case a 1995 VW camper) a service and check-over before taking it for the test, but this year I had man-flu and couldn't. They found two things. One of the flexible hoses to the front brake caliper was swelling up under pressure. I doubt that I would have found this working by myself, and this is the first time in 40+years of driving and autoDIY that I have come across this. T'other thing was a suspension arm ball joint. He failed it on the dust cover/boot being split, but found the joint had a huge amount of slop in it-showed me the joint and it seemed ready to fall out. This had all developed in a year and about 8000 miles, and if there had been a problem last year he would have given an advisory at least. This re-emphasises to me the importance of a thorough independent assessment once a year and I am grateful to thegarage. I asked them to service it for me once they were doing the work. It's a lovely place to go because the owner is into "classic" cars, his son likes very fast trackday and racing machines and the mechanic is a railway modeller who likes all things Southern and is involved with the Swanage line. I took my shiny new Quad-arts (thanks to Mozzer and the RMWeb raffle) to show him and he was very impressed. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 A good story, and a great example of why the MOT is a good idea - to verify the safety of a vehicle. Makes a nice change from the usual "failed on a cracked number plate" stories. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hi Ed, As an ex-mechanic, [specialised in Triumphs] it's nice to hear positive stories about the motor trade, esp. MOT testing. A lot of people don't realize that all but 2 items on the MOT are purely for safety reasons, not just to be difficult or make money for the garage! Cheers, Jeff PS anyone going to take a guess what they are? and why? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted August 9, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2012 SWMBO's Legacy failed just before we went away for a two week holiday on amongst other things a severely corroded rear shock - the mounting that takes the spring was all but collapsed. We got the car back at midday on the Saturday and towed a caravan with confidence Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted August 9, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2012 Hi Ed, As an ex-mechanic, [specialised in Triumphs] it's nice to hear positive stories about the motor trade, esp. MOT testing. A lot of people don't realize that all but 2 items on the MOT are purely for safety reasons, not just to be difficult or make money for the garage! Cheers, Jeff PS anyone going to take a guess what they are? and why? Would the light on the number plate be one. I cannot see any saftey issue apart from it being easier for the police to catch the idiots. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Would the light on the number plate be one. I cannot see any saftey issue apart from it being easier for the police to catch the idiots. ..it is a legal requirement.................... SWMBO's Legacy failed just before we went away for a two week holiday on amongst other things a severely corroded rear shock - the mounting that takes the spring was all but collapsed. sadly the above is a reflection of the [manufacturing] times we live in, and is a very common point of failure on modern shocks which have the spring mount built-in........ If a front mount fails, then the results can be a pain.....with the tyre and steering getting fouled ..[a good reason not to rely upon power steering to enable one to 'palm' the steering wheel.....the much-maligned 'shufflers' really have got it right!]......if a rear mount fails, then 'tis likely to be no more than a sudden let-down [life's full of them]... There is little or no anti-corrosion protection on the mounts these days...and they're not made of very thick steel either! [being simply tack welded to the shocker body, or so it appears from those new one's I've examined?] The lower mounts are often well hidden from normal view, covered in crud, with any water unable to exit the pan itself. Worth a strip-'n' drill session if worried? My rear one failed after hitting a bump not long ago...a simple job to fit a new one..... especially as, with the spring almost de-compressed, I didn't have to use compressors. Might be worth getting some of that spray grease [white] and giving the areas around the lower spring mounts a squirt now and then? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 I do wonder which is better for road safety, The bumps,ramps and pillows slowing the traffic, or the detrimental effects on suspension, steering components and tyres. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted August 9, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2012 Good point Ed, the same Legacy had a blow out on the A1 on the way to Scotland - all four tyres were though to the metal on the inner sidewalls - impossible to spot with the normal visual checks unless you have an inspection pit! It spends most of it's life running over speed cushions which explains the unusual wear pattern Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted August 9, 2012 Author Share Posted August 9, 2012 A colleague had a brand new Citroen which he commuted from Milton Keynes to Welwyn Garden City daily, so as you can imagine it racked up the miles. He had it serviced by a Citroen garage. Any way, he had a puncture one day (this car did have a spare wheel), and couldn't find the socket for the locking wheel nuts. Turned out that removing the wheels was not part of even the big services, so the suppling garage had never noticed the missing tool. One of the things I do in my pre-MOT is to remove each wheel and have a good look at the inside of the tyres as well as the steering, suspension and brakes. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted August 9, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 9, 2012 On the advice sheet I was told that I had a small radiator leak, is that one of the things that is not safety related? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted August 9, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 9, 2012 emissions checks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 A colleague had a brand new Citroen which he commuted from Milton Keynes to Welwyn Garden City daily, so as you can imagine it racked up the miles. He had it serviced by a Citroen garage. Any way, he had a puncture one day (this car did have a spare wheel), and couldn't find the socket for the locking wheel nuts. Turned out that removing the wheels was not part of even the big services, so the suppling garage had never noticed the missing tool. One of the things I do in my pre-MOT is to remove each wheel and have a good look at the inside of the tyres as well as the steering, suspension and brakes. Ed They'd have used their own air-tool for removing the wheel-nuts- they either come back over-tight for a manual wheelbrace (annoying) or loose (potentially lethal). They will have had to remove the wheels at some point, as brake-pad and disc wear is covered by one of the services. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Believe it or not the speedo is not on the MOT! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Believe it or not the speedo is not on the MOT! One reason may be, the vehicle would have to move to demonstrate a 'working speedo'....and then, even if the thing moves, the confirmation that it reads within the parameters set out in the C&U regs would be open to dispute. There is much to do with car construction that is law, but isn't within the realms of the MoT......and why should it be? There are good reasons why a test drive is no longer part of the MoT. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Would the light on the number plate be one. I cannot see any saftey issue apart from it being easier for the police to catch the idiots. Don Must admit I forgot that one, so make it 3! emissions checks Yes, and the other is the No. plates themselves Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Emmisions checks are safety related, just not directly Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 But not related to the safety of the vehicle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Trevellan Posted August 10, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 10, 2012 I do wonder which is better for road safety, The bumps,ramps and pillows slowing the traffic, or the detrimental effects on suspension, steering components and tyres. Vertical traffic calming is just one effect of the majority being penalised because of a minority of offenders and it's (usually) cheaper than other enforcement options for local authorities. Horizontal traffic calming (chicanes, gates etc) is deemed less effective and highway authorities have to be wary of potential litigation. There have been tales of boy racers taking chicanes at speed and hurting their poor little selves by piling into planters or other obstacles after losing control. Emergency services are also inconvenienced by vertical calming and I know of at least one occasion when the water tank on a fire appliance fractured after taking a deflection at too high a speed. The answer is actually quite simple: more consistent enforcement and stiffer penalties for those who flout the rules. Sadly, a large chunk of the motoring lobby would then bleat about the "war on the motorist". You can't win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.