Blatman Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 And the bull terrier in me would point out to the inspectors that, had the MOT mans word been taken, Bootleboy was potentially going to be on the receiving end of a large bill for the purchase and fitment of un-necessary parts, because of the incompetence of this examiner.........Good job for him, and the MOT stations PL insurance, that he checked before parting with any money. Had he found out after having work carried out, their bill for compensation would have been a lot higher..........So he's done the MOT place a favour by keeping their costs down, and notified the Ministry of a potential failing in their system, just like any law abiding citizen would/should. The least they could do would be to pass a perfectly legal car......... [/rant] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Mack Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 on the emissions front, Paul is right. Q registered cars are smoke test only. If the inspector argues, tell him to look at the flow charts for "Exhaust Emissions- Spark Ingnition- no CAT test 7.3". There is a box bottom right that says exactly this. I have a copy in front of me that was faxed from the MOT helpline on 24th April this year! You do not need to lose your old MOT certificate. All that does is cause more problems. In fact you need to prove it was registered pre-1998 as the rules for SVA'd cars are have been change with a later special notice. (basically must be tested to the same rules as at SVA time) Also, look at the MOT manual, there is no mention or reversing lights either. In fact, you don't even need any lights at all....... Sorry to bang on about this one but it annoys the hell out of me that MOT testers cannot be bothered to read their own regs or contact the MOT helpline if they aren't sure If anyone lives in the Farnborough area (JasonR! ) go to Regency garage in Hawley. Alan (the tester there) knows all about the emissions rules as I pointed them out to him and he happily tested my car. Alan is sensible and fair, likes unusual cars and doesn't shut you up behind a glass window Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootleboy Posted July 24, 2003 Author Share Posted July 24, 2003 BIG THANKS for all of the help on this one guys Went back to MOT centre today fully armed with printouts from the MOT guidline book. Highlighted the bit regarding treating 'Q' reg cars as pre '75 for emmisions, and pre '71 for everything else. Oh and with my new wiper blades!! They didnt stand a chance Especially as i had misplaced previous MOT's overnight too! It passed Thanks again Fellas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studbuckle Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 Glad to hear it.... I take back my comment about hazzards as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markl Posted July 24, 2003 Share Posted July 24, 2003 Its another great storey for Money Money and Money! go for the appeal with the IMO!!! http://www.via.gov.uk/about_u....als.htm Nice.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Having read all the foregoing with my barrack room lawyer's instincts well fired up, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea if we all posted the names and 'phone numbers of our local favoured MoT stations - the ones that we know from personal experience are clued up on the rules apropos of kit cars. I'll start the ball rolling with Chiltern Tyre at Hazlemere crossroads north of High Wycombe. 01494 711727. Most of the blokes there have been doing MoTs longer than a lot of people have been on solid food. It's the fairest test station I've ever encountered and one of the testers is a Triumph TR Register member and is sympathetic and more knowledgeable than you have any reason to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.c Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 I've been in that place to have my tracking done, and they couldn't get my car on the ramp (ground clearance) Is the mot bit in the same place? I know they have a number of buildings tucked round the back. Also saw a really good Stratos replica in there once Place I use for mine is Holmer Green Service Station (about a mile down the road) and the tester was very helpfull. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Same company, David, but in the exhaust part. I've been there for years and they have never failed anything on any car I have taken that's been unfair or wrong. Not a soft touch, though. By no means. Don't start me on tracking..... I bought a Gunsons Trakrite device to check and set my own because, of all the things that "garages" do, tracking is the thing most often bu**ered up. "You Can't Get Worse Than a Thickfit Fitter" in my experience. £50 is a small price to pay for getting the tracking set correctly. IMHO For nice motors, have a look in the old fashioned green painted fascia'd Morris/MG place along the road towards Penn - about halfway to Beaconsfield on the right. Enough to make you want to sell your house, buy a fake snake or GT40, and roar off into the distance! Clive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Any piccys or info on the Gunsons Trackrite thingy? Sounds good..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Don't worry............found it........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Don't worry............found it........... How ? did you do a...............................search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 In my experience of Trakrite, it is pretty good. A simple thing, really, it is a platform that rests on rollers and is allowed to move in a frictionless (to all intents etc) manner in one direction. The movement of the platform on its base (via the rollers) acts on a pointer that, when set to zero, will show movement either side of centre via a quadrant shaped scale. You place the device on the ground in front of your car's front wheel, about a metre away, and drive over the platform in as "neutral" a manner as you can - no acceleration, positive or negative - and hands off the steering wheel. If the tracking is parallel, then the wheel under test will have no inherent side forces acting on it and the top slide will not move and therefore the pointer stays put, too. If there's any toe in or out, the wheel on the road dominates the system and the tested wheel, now allowed to relieve the tendency to side-slip by the movement of the platform, causes a read out at the pointer. The aim is to have it read as parallel. It might not be quite as accurate as a well set up conventional tracking test instrument but, where the hell do you find those? I've used it on several cars and set the tracking accordingly, with no noticeable odd tyre wear over quite a few thousands of miles. The drawback is the trial and error nature of setting the tracking if it's out of kilter. Oh, and finding a flat smooth surface that isn't part of the M25! Gunsons Clive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.c Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 For nice motors, have a look in the old fashioned green painted fascia'd Morris/MG place along the road towards Penn - about halfway to Beaconsfield on the right. Wicked garage I remember wondering round there in some tatty old decorating clothes looking at the lambo's and a very nice old roller and they didn't seem to mind. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 It might not be quite as accurate as a well set up conventional tracking test instrument but, where the hell do you find those? Make some tracking bars. I have. Cost less than a tenner for the metal tubing etc, and about 2 quid for the fishing line. A few hours measuring and working out how/where to attach them to the car, and bobs a close relation....... Tracking my car, front or rear, now takes less than an hour, and is free.......... You can achieve the same effect by using some tube with markings supported on axle stands front and rear (ie, two tubes, one at the front, and one at the rear, running across the car), with fishing line running alongside the car (making a square around the car). It takes a bit longer to set up the base line measurement, but careful measurement has shown this to be 100% accurate for tracking purposes, and no special tools required, just a steel engineers ruler...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidersurfer Posted July 25, 2003 Share Posted July 25, 2003 Anyone know of a decent tester in the Taunton area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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