First Look

Nodzed

Nodzed

Zorg Expert (II)
Supporter
British Zeds
M Power
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Points
246
Location
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England
Model of Z
Z3M Imola and Z4 (e89)
If I can find the gearbox and diff I'll change the oils :rolleyes:

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Seem to be more covers under many cars these days, is it to keep things cleaner, improve airflow/road noise or just to impede DIY maintenance ? Also, I've seen MOTs that say they can't check various components because of covers.What happens about that , our MOT guys?
 
Doubt if it's changed since I was MOTing, weren't allowed to remove covers, boot floor, carpets, etc. Seems ridiculous, but them's the rules, and the VI send people out to try to catch you breaking the rules. How on earth you're supposed to do a check on the brakes without taking the wheels off I just never understood, try it on your own cars. And yes, I did once have a total failure of a brake pipe whilst actually on the brake tester, the dodgy bit was hidden away behind the fuel tank and completely invisible. Customer took some convincing, after all he'd been driving it right up to the point where he brought it in with no problems at all.
Look on the bright side, think how much an MOT would cost if the tester was expected to remove everything removable to do a thorough check.:wideyed:
 
In the Isle of Man you have a very thorough government vehicle test which is a lot more comprehensive and is very stringent. After that it’s up to the owner be sensible. If your in an accident and your car is not deemed road worthy the police will throw the book at you and your insurance might wipe there hands of you. The police at any time can inspect a vehicle and if they have concerns they can make you take your vehicle to be tested. So better in some regards.
 
Althulas said:
In the Isle of Man you have a very thorough government vehicle test which is a lot more comprehensive and is very stringent. After that it’s up to the owner be sensible. If your in an accident and your car is not deemed road worthy the police will throw the book at you and your insurance might wipe there hands of you. The police at any time can inspect a vehicle and if they have concerns they can make you take your vehicle to be tested. So better in some regards.
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Not that different here, if your car is a bit on the dodgy side the police can haul it away, insurance company may invalidate your cover, and there's always the chance of police/vehicle inspectorate pulling you over, too. Used to happen in Folkestone every now and again, mostly to deal with the boy racers in their sh/te hatchbacks with the ridiculous tailboxes racing round the town centre. Having a few cars taken away put paid to them. For a while, anyway.
 
Z Victor 1 said:
Seem to be more covers under many cars these days, is it to keep things cleaner, improve airflow/road noise or just to impede DIY maintenance ? Also, I've seen MOTs that say they can't check various components because of covers.What happens about that , our MOT guys?
Click to expand...
As far as an mot goes you can only test what you can see if its covered you cannot remove it that applies across the board for example a non transparent power steering or brake fluid reservoir you are not allowed to open it to see if anything in it .
 
I well remember the bit on my assessment thingy by the local VI bloke (do a full real test with an official watching your every move). It was an elderly Mini, proper one, and the drivers' footwell was pretty damn rusty and holed. He asked me what I reckoned to it, I said I'd fail it, and he said I couldn't as the rusty holes weren't within 30 cms of a seat belt mount/ brake pedal mount etc. To quote the words that I'll never forget "it can be totally Flintstone so long as the holes aren't within 30 cms of some safety-critical mount it had to pass".:wideyed: And no lifting carpets for a better look. 'kin ridiculous, but them's the rules.
 
the Nefyn cat said:
I well remember the bit on my assessment thingy by the local VI bloke (do a full real test with an official watching your every move).
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They haven't done this for quite a few years now apart from as a "new" tester. They don't now do spot checks where they bring back in a previously tested car for a re inspection. The last time this happened it was an old nail of a Merc from the garage across the road. The VOSA guy had just got it back on the ramp when the man from the garage across the road came back and drove it off the test ramp stating his customer wanted his car back. Nothing the VOSA guy could do about it and as there was nothing else at that point to bring back in he left without doing what he came for. The guy from across the road and the VOSA guy had some history and it made his day to upset his plans.
The MOT always has been and always will be a lottery on some points but it is much better than nothing and the standard of cars on the road from when I started in the late 70's until I packed it in last year is light years ahead. The big downside in my opinion is all the advisory comments added to pass cerificates which don't mean anything and cause even more confusion.
They now rely totally on outsourced "training" at various centres around the country instead of using local training centres run by themselves. Purely a money saving measure.

Tony.
 
That was, indeed, as a new tester. Last century, mind. And having seen the piles of sh/te brought in for tests there's a need for the MOT test. I have met people who thought an MOT was the same as a service, and vice versa. Definitely a need for some form of training in looking after the car as part of the driving test, sure I remember it being part of the German driving test, don't know if it still is.
 
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