OT:MOT...

veronese68

Talking to my cousin, a mechanic for Honda Italy, about what car my sister should get and we were both saying modern diesels are more trouble than they're worth unless you're doing very high mileage at speed as all of the emmissions stuff is so complicated and prone to clogging up.
Lowish mileage at town speeds petrol engines are a much better bet for a hassle free life.
I agree with KB, always go to a garage that only does MOTs and doesn't do repair work on cars.

roger_merriman

rjsterry wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

It's normally fine since car is a low mileage well looked after beastie, and is small and cheap. Most of the time it passes first go.

You'd think, wouldn't you (see previous post). The local speed bumps (they are brutal around my area - the 'pillow' type, but there are always cars parked on the road, so you cannot put two wheels either side) have already caused one lot expensive repairs to the suspension - it's done about 2/3rds of the mileage, and weighs less than half GTV's Merc.

avoid those road? or really slow down if it really is the speed bump? some folk do crash though them.

gtvlusso

Veronese68 wrote:

Talking to my cousin, a mechanic for Honda Italy, about what car my sister should get and we were both saying modern diesels are more trouble than they're worth unless you're doing very high mileage at speed as all of the emmissions stuff is so complicated and prone to clogging up.
Lowish mileage at town speeds petrol engines are a much better bet for a hassle free life.
I agree with KB, always go to a garage that only does MOTs and doesn't do repair work on cars.

Interestingly, the car has passed for the last 3 years from the same place, so, I am more concerned that I have a genuine problem at the moment......and consequently sh*tting bricks....

I agree with modern diesels being complex, mine has 2 bloody fuel pumps for low and high pressure fuelling! We will be selling the Merc and getting a 1.6 A class or equivalent - a very cheap small'ish petrol car.

veronese68

roger merriman wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

It's normally fine since car is a low mileage well looked after beastie, and is small and cheap. Most of the time it passes first go.

You'd think, wouldn't you (see previous post). The local speed bumps (they are brutal around my area - the 'pillow' type, but there are always cars parked on the road, so you cannot put two wheels either side) have already caused one lot expensive repairs to the suspension - it's done about 2/3rds of the mileage, and weighs less than half GTV's Merc.

avoid those road? or really slow down if it really is the speed bump? some folk do crash though them.

Speed bumps are bad, little pillow types are worse. You rarely completely straddle them unless you have a very wide car. Running over the sides splays the wheels slightly and loads the suspension in the wrong way causing premature failure. Also frost damage roughens the edges and chews up the inside wall of your tyres, that can prove costly.
My old Triumph Vitesse was so narrow it could easily fit between the speed cushions.

Paul E

A lot of small cars now are switching to 3 or even 2 cyclinders petrols engines now and adding the good old turbo to them to bring the power and torque back up but without all the emmisions.

My car, small hyundai (a gift) only failed on a cv boot but I was bricking it too, only other thing is the aircon needs regassing, not that it's been warm enough anyway.

roger_merriman

Veronese68 wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

It's normally fine since car is a low mileage well looked after beastie, and is small and cheap. Most of the time it passes first go.

You'd think, wouldn't you (see previous post). The local speed bumps (they are brutal around my area - the 'pillow' type, but there are always cars parked on the road, so you cannot put two wheels either side) have already caused one lot expensive repairs to the suspension - it's done about 2/3rds of the mileage, and weighs less than half GTV's Merc.

avoid those road? or really slow down if it really is the speed bump? some folk do crash though them.

Speed bumps are bad, little pillow types are worse. You rarely completely straddle them unless you have a very wide car. Running over the sides splays the wheels slightly and loads the suspension in the wrong way causing premature failure. Also frost damage roughens the edges and chews up the inside wall of your tyres, that can prove costly.
My old Triumph Vitesse was so narrow it could easily fit between the speed cushions.

I'm sure that speed bumps and pot holes doesn't help but equally and probably more so, the speed some folks thump their cars over them and the deep gouges in the speed bumps, from sumps and what not.

Yukirin

Veronese68 wrote:

You need a friendly tester. Ideally one that owes you a favour. I'm taking my Gran's old Micra for testing this week, shouldn't be a problem.
I think mail order MOTs are the way forward.
Alternatively buy an old car. Aren't they scrapping MOTs for pre '62 cars. Theory being they are run by enthusiasts so are well looked after. Seeing as I sell parts for classic cars I have plenty of experience in this field. It scares the bejesus out of me. The average level of competence is appalling.

I used to go with a mate to take his morris minor to the garage. Once left it there to get the tracking done, got a phone call half hour later, the guy didnt know how to take the chrome hub caps off!

It also failed an mot once for not having rear seatbelts.
And my mk1 fiesta got a fail for only having one wing mirror.
After pointing out that this is how they were manufactured they were then passed, thankfully.

veronese68

Scary how many testers either don't know the regs or choose to ignore them according to how they feel.
I was once turned away from my pet testing station and told to return later. Turned out the man from the ministry was there doing a spot check so they would have had to be strict with me.

EKE_38BPM

Veronese68 wrote:

Scary how many testers either don't know the regs or choose to ignore them according to how they feel.
I was once turned away from my pet testing station and told to return later. Turned out the man from the ministry was there doing a spot check so they would have had to be strict with me.

I thought you liked it when they were strict with you? Telling you that you had been a naughty boy and threatening you with a caning.

veronese68

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

Scary how many testers either don't know the regs or choose to ignore them according to how they feel.
I was once turned away from my pet testing station and told to return later. Turned out the man from the ministry was there doing a spot check so they would have had to be strict with me.

I thought you liked it when they were strict with you? Telling you that you had been a naughty boy and threatening you with a caning.

Well, there is a time and a place for that kind of thing.

redvee

Another one for saying giving the engine a quick motorway/high speed run before the MOT. My dad was advised to do this by the owner of the garage he used to take his car to.

rjsterry

roger merriman wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

It's normally fine since car is a low mileage well looked after beastie, and is small and cheap. Most of the time it passes first go.

You'd think, wouldn't you (see previous post). The local speed bumps (they are brutal around my area - the 'pillow' type, but there are always cars parked on the road, so you cannot put two wheels either side) have already caused one lot expensive repairs to the suspension - it's done about 2/3rds of the mileage, and weighs less than half GTV's Merc.

avoid those road? or really slow down if it really is the speed bump? some folk do crash though them.

They have been pretty thorough with the implementation, so there's no escape. I think they are actually counterproductive, as the one road in the immediate area without bumps is used as a dragstrip despite being narrow, winding, and full of parked cars. Mrs RJS is not a fast driver by any means, but I reckon you'd have to slow below 10mph to avoid jolting the suspension.

gtvlusso

So - the beast is now back at the dealers. They are checking over the fitted parts and running diagnostics to find the cause of the issues.......

Bicycles are so much easier.....

willy b

All my cars have failed there MOTs, never had one pass first time I dont know if i'm unlucky or just buy nails.

Anyway, love not having a car now.

roger_merriman

rjsterry wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

roger merriman wrote:

It's normally fine since car is a low mileage well looked after beastie, and is small and cheap. Most of the time it passes first go.

You'd think, wouldn't you (see previous post). The local speed bumps (they are brutal around my area - the 'pillow' type, but there are always cars parked on the road, so you cannot put two wheels either side) have already caused one lot expensive repairs to the suspension - it's done about 2/3rds of the mileage, and weighs less than half GTV's Merc.

avoid those road? or really slow down if it really is the speed bump? some folk do crash though them.

They have been pretty thorough with the implementation, so there's no escape. I think they are actually counterproductive, as the one road in the immediate area without bumps is used as a dragstrip despite being narrow, winding, and full of parked cars. Mrs RJS is not a fast driver by any means, but I reckon you'd have to slow below 10mph to avoid jolting the suspension.

Plenty of modern cars do seem to soak up the bumps quite well, though what it's doing to the suspension.

Oddly my folks who for many years lived down a old railway line (still do but it's tarmaced now) only had problems with morris 1000's and suspension, all other cars did fine, though the undersides where often remarked as to how battered they where.

The Rookie

Where my Dad plays golf there are some really vicious speed bumps, he and 3 other people all had Mercs and all had to have new cat's as they had broken up due to the shaking...

SimonAH

To be fair GTV, your car was smoking like a diesel soaked panatella when I was following you late November last year..... in fact I seem to recall mentioning it to you at the time.

veronese68

Thought I may have tempted fate by my earlier comments. Just got back from taking the car. Sailed through with no comments.
It probably helped that he rang me this morning to ask for a price on a race fuel tank so I made sure I had some good news for him when I got there.

gtvlusso

SimonAH wrote:

To be fair GTV, your car was smoking like a diesel soaked panatella when I was following you late November last year..... in fact I seem to recall mentioning it to you at the time.

That was the oil soaked manifold.....

Anyway - MOT passed, at a cost of £1075.....new injector, new ball joint and allot of engine cleaning.....

davis

gtvlusso wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

To be fair GTV, your car was smoking like a diesel soaked panatella when I was following you late November last year..... in fact I seem to recall mentioning it to you at the time.

That was the oil soaked manifold.....

Anyway - MOT passed, at a cost of £1075.....new injector, new ball joint and allot of engine cleaning.....

Grrrr..... must... control.... pedantry.

Flippin'eck. That's pricey! That'll be them high-pressure common rail injectors, right? Which car, anyway?

veronese68

gtvlusso wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

To be fair GTV, your car was smoking like a diesel soaked panatella when I was following you late November last year..... in fact I seem to recall mentioning it to you at the time.

That was the oil soaked manifold.....

Anyway - MOT passed, at a cost of £1075.....new injector, new ball joint and allot of engine cleaning.....

Lorks-a-lordy! That's more than my car is worth.

jonomc4

I have a solution!

Buy a new car no MOT for 3 year - man I am always so helpful.

First.Aspect

£1k for an MOT. Sh1t oh f?cling dear.

Mine on the other hand failed on a trivial sensor and needed some precautionary new tyres on the front.

£600.

I'd hate to know what it would have been if the hand brake cable needed tightening or anything drastic like that.

Is there not an inherent conflict of interest in the garage doing the MOT, repairs and re-test? I might try the approach of telling the MOT place that I will get repairs done by the dealer next year.

davis

First Aspect wrote:

Is there not an inherent conflict of interest in the garage doing the MOT, repairs and re-test? I might try the approach of telling the MOT place that I will get repairs done by the dealer next year.

Don't go for an MOT at a place that does repairs

rolf_f

gtvlusso wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

To be fair GTV, your car was smoking like a diesel soaked panatella when I was following you late November last year..... in fact I seem to recall mentioning it to you at the time.

That was the oil soaked manifold.....

Anyway - MOT passed, at a cost of £1075.....new injector, new ball joint and allot of engine cleaning.....

Ouch! That's a carbon Veloce n+1 up in smoke :shock:

EKE_38BPM

Rolf F wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

To be fair GTV, your car was smoking like a diesel soaked panatella when I was following you late November last year..... in fact I seem to recall mentioning it to you at the time.

That was the oil soaked manifold.....

Anyway - MOT passed, at a cost of £1075.....new injector, new ball joint and allot of engine cleaning.....

Ouch! That's a carbon Veloce n+1 up in smoke :shock:

Carcinogenic smoke.

First.Aspect

Isn't that WHO press release a bit like "Stop Press News: Pies make you fat." ??

EKE_38BPM

They've upgraded diesel fumes from "Probably carcinogenic" to "carcinogenic". I don't think anyone is surprised, but to put it in context, they also say alcohol is carcinogenic.

I had better stop sitting in a closed garage reving a diesel engine and drinking G&Ts, then.

First.Aspect

EKE_38BPM wrote:

They've upgraded diesel fumes from "Probably carcinogenic" to "carcinogenic". I don't think anyone is surprised, but to put it in context, they also say alcohol is carcinogenic.

I had better stop sitting in a closed garage reving a diesel engine and drinking G&Ts, then.

Hate to tell you, but toast, coffee and barbacued food is also carcinogenic. As is old age. Interestingly, there is some correlation between stress and cancer as well, so if you worry too much about being bathed in carcinogens every waking moment, this also is carcinogenic.

EKE_38BPM

First Aspect wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

They've upgraded diesel fumes from "Probably carcinogenic" to "carcinogenic". I don't think anyone is surprised, but to put it in context, they also say alcohol is carcinogenic.

I had better stop sitting in a closed garage reving a diesel engine and drinking G&Ts, then.

Hate to tell you, but toast, coffee and barbacued food is also carcinogenic. As is old age. Interestingly, there is some correlation between stress and cancer as well, so if you worry too much about being bathed in carcinogens every waking moment, this also is carcinogenic.

Yeah, I've heard all of that before. I think the WHO may be run by the Daily Fail, or vice versa.