It's that time again an MOT for Christine

[Porcine_Aviator]

Did you know the MOT is changing again on 1st Jan 2012 ?

Just found the following on VOC posted by Luxobarge so a tip of the hat to them.


"Steering lock operation - Steering locks not engaging when the ignition key is removed will fail.
Engine warning lamps, brake fluid warning lamps, ESP lamps, EPB lamps illumination - ANY of the above illuminated indicating a fault will fail.TPMS (Tyre pressure monitoring systems) warning lamps - Again, if illuminated indicating a fault, will fail.Airbag/SRS lamp illumination - If this warning lamp is illuminated it will fail.
HID Headlamps - Now, a little grey area here. They will be included in the new test, and will fail if they prove to be outside of the specified conditions... but the conditions and reasons for rejections haven't been written/decided yet, so sit tight.
Wiring - Any wiring (loomed or otherwise) that is damaged, or fitted in such a way that could cause damage to said wiring, or other systems will fail.
Engine mountings - Engine mountings will be a part of the test. incorrect mounting, corrosion in a prescribed area etc will fail.
PAS (Power assisted steering) fluid level will be tested.
Rear doors must open in the new test. Previously (and currently), if the tester feels he can access the testable items in the rear (seatbelts, prescribed areas etc) without needing the doors open, they don't need to open. This will now be a failure.
13 pin towbar sockets - tested for correct operation using a plug in testing tool.
Inappropriate modifications or repairs - The wording on this is quite vague at the moment, but if a major component has been modified, and that modification/repair makes the vehicle dangerous or seriously weakens the original component, expect it to fail.
ANY ball joint dust cover - The small rubber boots over ball joints must be intact and free or splits, tears or holes, or it fails.
All CVJ gaiters will be tested - Currently, only the front outer] CVJ gaiters are tested. This new rule extends it to inner and outer, front and rear.
A catalytic converter missing WILL be a reason for failure, regardless of whether or not the emissions limits are met.
Fuel pipe chaffing or damage - Currently they only fail when they are leaking, this rule means that any chaffing or rubbing causing damage will fail.
The braking imbalance limit is lowered to 30% across all axles.
Vehicles built post July 2010 will have to have at least 58% braking efficiency to pass (currently it's 50% for a dual circuit braking system)
Insecure batteries will become a failure
The main beam warning lamp must illuminate with the main beam lamps
All light switches must operate the corresponding lights immediately. No tapping, or wiggling to make it work!"

[p fandango]

"Steering lock operation - Steering locks not engaging when the ignition key is removed will fail.

i'd like to see them test that on classic Saabs (gearlever lock instead of steering). Like the time they tried to fail my old mans 900 because the handbrake wasn't working, he'd got the rollers on the rear wheels lol (handbrake turns weren't much fun in that0

[Porcine_Aviator]

i'd like to see them test that on classic Saabs (gearlever lock instead of steering).

Funny you should say that because other people have said the same.

[RANT START]

These are new stupid EU laws that they want to force in across the whole of Europe. It's a way to force cars off the road that they think are to old, to put money into the pockets of car companies, trying to do anything to a car with a brain is a knightmare. Soon it will be illegal to change the oil at home, the same as Germany, you have to go to a special station.

The cretins in Brussels also want to change our road signs, speed limits, drink laws and a whole raft of other things.

And what will our goverment do ?

Bend over and take it and say thank you Mr Barosso more of the same please.

I have a long memory when it come to people lying to me, Ted Heath did it when he said

"There is no question of eroding any national sovereignty; there is no blueprint for a federal Europe. There are some in this country who fear that in going into Europe, we shall in some way sacrifice independence and sovereignty. these fears I need hardly say are completely unjustified"

And then there was Jack Straw who said


"There is a date for the referendum. It has to take place sometime before the end of 2006,"
that was on 21st June 2004.

Yet we get more and more lies, and more and more of our hard earned cash flows into the EU!!! We were stuffed from the moment we were taken into the Common Market without a vote.

[p fandango]

The cretins in Brussels also want to change our road signs, speed limits, drink laws and a whole raft of other things.

hasn't europe got a higher drink drive limit than us, ie you can have a higher blood/alcohol count before its an offence

[M-R-P]

hasn't europe got a higher drink drive limit than us, ie you can have a higher blood/alcohol count before its an offence

Some bits of Europe, I think Spain is lower but not 100%, It was when I went there in 1998.

[Porcine_Aviator]

She is still in having her MOT, I told you she's a cow. The rear fog will not work and they can't issue an MOT until it does. So they are getting an auto electrician in in the morning. They have been trying for two hours this afternoon but nothing seems to work.

Mutter mutter grumble spit spit bloody car.

[Porcine_Aviator]

hasn't europe got a higher drink drive limit than us, ie you can have a higher blood/alcohol count before its an offence

They are just starting trials in Northern Ireland where they are cutting the amount by a half

[Porcine_Aviator]

The garage has called and said that it's a relay that's failed in the back so the rear fog won't work. And as per normal the local Volvo people don't have one so it's on order for tomorrow. So Christine is having another nights B&B with them. I can hear the bill getting larger as I type

Nothing is simple where Christine is concerned.

[p fandango]

The garage has called and said that it's a relay that's failed in the back so the rear fog won't work. And as per normal the local Volvo people don't have one so it's on order for tomorrow. So Christine is having another nights B&B with them. I can hear the bill getting larger as I type

Nothing is simple where Christine is concerned.

a normal £2 4pin relay should be able to do the job, i bet it'll even fit in the Volvo holder

[M-R-P]

The garage has called and said that it's a relay that's failed in the back so the rear fog won't work. And as per normal the local Volvo people don't have one so it's on order for tomorrow. So Christine is having another nights B&B with them. I can hear the bill getting larger as I type

Nothing is simple where Christine is concerned.

D'oh!

[Porcine_Aviator]

a normal £2 4pin relay should be able to do the job, i bet it'll even fit in the Volvo holder

They did check but it's a no go. Christine is a non-standard V70 P2, parts won't fit that should, and parts that do fail before they should. Dash cluster could be on the way out, and as Martin will tell you this is an arm and a leg to put a new one in. When Volvo/Ford went for the standardisation of the range ie: chassis, wiring and running gear, they didn't do it in one go, it was done piecemeal on the V70, some parts came in from other manufacturers and were slapped on as a quick fix.

The old Volvo quality seemed to go down the drain, the Geartronic box was one thing that failed over and over as we can attest to, three to date, the Magnetti Marrelli ETM, which was so badly designed it could do nothing but fail after a few years use, that why Volvo now fit Bosch units badged Volvo.

And a range of other things that seem to go with alarming regularity.

The trouble is once you put money into a car you want to get something back to show for it.

[M-R-P]

They did check but it's a no go. Christine is a non-standard V70 P2, parts won't fit that should, and parts that do fail before they should. Dash cluster could be on the way out, and as Martin will tell you this is an arm and a leg to put a new one in. When Volvo/Ford went for the standardisation of the range ie: chassis, wiring and running gear, they didn't do it in one go, it was done piecemeal on the V70, some parts came in from other manufacturers and were slapped on as a quick fix.

The old Volvo quality seemed to go down the drain, the Geartronic box was one thing that failed over and over as we can attest to, three to date, the Magnetti Marrelli ETM, which was so badly designed it could do nothing but fail after a few years use, that why Volvo now fit Bosch units badged Volvo.

And a range of other things that seem to go with alarming regularity.

The trouble is once you put money into a car you want to get something back to show for it.

Amen to that, Don't worry about tour DIM just yet, as I said, it may actually be an abs sensor or something playing up. If The dim does play up properly, getting the DIM resoldered is well worth the £30 punt before spending £700+ on a replacement.
When a car owes you so much money, it's hard to draw the line and say "no more" and get rid. But in your case, she'll probably be sat on your driveway the morning after you sell her - in a puddle of her own fluids!

[Porcine_Aviator]

Amen to that,
When a car owes you so much money, it's hard to draw the line and say "no more" and get rid. But in your case, she'll probably be sat on your driveway the morning after you sell her - in a puddle of her own fluids!

I used to ave that as an avatar on here a few years ago

[Mrs_PA]

I found some very nice replacement clocks in a fetching shade of blue, but the postage seems a tad high.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DASHBOARD-...#ht_1386wt_698

[M-R-P]

Although you could probably change the faces and dials around quite easily, it's the PCB which is coded to the car (trust me, I tried 7) And the 2004 models were plug n play so no good on both counts. Think the postage is indeed a little pricey lol

[Porcine_Aviator]

She's back and the bill is £408.85 the N/S/F shock was £157.40 - N & O/R Anti Roll Bar Link Arm £85, an Auto Electrician to find the problem with the rear fog £41.67 and an MOT.

The cow had better keep going for another 12 months or it's down the scrapyard

[Porcine_Aviator]

Here we go again it's MOT time and once again the garage has phoned to say that various things are wrong. It's failed on a ball joint, steering rack, anti-roll bar (fixed just a year ago and again this May), brake pipes (they could need doing) and rear shocks (two new ones were fitted in Jan 2009 a year previously it had both near and offside rear rubber bushes), handbrake comes all the way up (we had had an advisory on that going back four years and nothing has changed, it still pulls up to the same point.) and ABS warning light (spurious, fault in dashboard circuit board).

So it looks like she's going to cost us a mint yet again. What gets me is all this is happening on low mileage, couple of trips to Huddersfield, couple to the Isle of Wight and a few down to Devon. No high miles and no thrashing it at all, so we can't understand where the rear shocks, anti roll bar etc can have worn. The steering rack has had an advisory on it since 2008 so that one we can understand.

Just looked up the mileage from when the rear shocks were fitted until today and it's 16500 miles, and new shocks should last 50,000 miles!!!

[Porcine_Aviator]

Here you go the whole list

Reason(s) for refusal to issue Certificate

Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault (3.4.1c)

Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (3.1.6b)

Nearside Front Anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar has excessive play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar has excessive play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Suspension arm ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Steering arm has relative movement at its fixings (2.2.B.1h)

Nearside Front Steering arm has relative movement at its fixings (2.2.B.1h)

Nearside Front Brake hose excessively deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

Offside Front Brake hose excessively deteriorated (3.6.B.4d)

Advisory Notice issued

Nearside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Offside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Engine management light on

Traction control light on

Offside front tyre worn on in ner edge

Nail in offside front tyre

Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components

Fuel filter slightly corroded

[Kingsford G]

Wiv all these new law for mot scrappies gonna be busy as from nex year then.

[M-R-P]

Bloody hell PA, have you had the DIM fixed yet? If so, anybody with dice/vida can sort the abs and engine management warnings. The handbrake can be adjusted in the cabin in 5 minutes with a 10mm spanner. Front roll bar linkage, ball Joint and steering linkage can be sourced pretty cheaply rear anti roll bar may be pricey to have fitted. If someone local is any good at fitting powerflex bushes, you can sort the front wishbones for less than the price of a new one and it'll never fail again.
Brake hoses can be done pretty cheaply too.
It's not as bad as it looks mate.