new MOT tests - oil leak
Discussion
My bangernomics car went into it's MOT yesterday, and failed on (amongst other things), 'excessive oil leak from engine'.
The engine definitely has an oil leak, and has had for years (so the engine bay is coated), but it is slow - it gets through about 1l oil every 10,000 miles (so 0.1ml every mile), including what burns off as well as what drips.
The MOT manual https://www.mot-testing.service.gov.uk/documents/m... (also quoted below) mentions a vehicle should be failed if it creates a 75mm puddle within 5 minutes of idling - my car definitely does not do this - I tested this morning and there were 2 drips on a piece of paper after 5 minutes.
Am I right in asserting that if a vehicle doesn't create a 75mm puddle, it should pass, or can the tester still consider whatever drips to be 'excessive' and fail it anyway? The fix (oil cooler seal) is awkward, and I'd rather not spend £150 and 8 hours on a car unlikely to last another year if I can help it
The engine definitely has an oil leak, and has had for years (so the engine bay is coated), but it is slow - it gets through about 1l oil every 10,000 miles (so 0.1ml every mile), including what burns off as well as what drips.
The MOT manual https://www.mot-testing.service.gov.uk/documents/m... (also quoted below) mentions a vehicle should be failed if it creates a 75mm puddle within 5 minutes of idling - my car definitely does not do this - I tested this morning and there were 2 drips on a piece of paper after 5 minutes.
Am I right in asserting that if a vehicle doesn't create a 75mm puddle, it should pass, or can the tester still consider whatever drips to be 'excessive' and fail it anyway? The fix (oil cooler seal) is awkward, and I'd rather not spend £150 and 8 hours on a car unlikely to last another year if I can help it
mot_manual said:
8.4.1 Fluid leaks
You must check for fluid leaks on all vehicles other than Class 3. You should do this with the engine idling.
A leak of fluids such as engine coolant, screen wash and fluid required for Selective Catalyst Reduction aren't reasons for failure. You should fail a vehicle if a fluid leak creates a pool on the floor within 5 minutes that's more than 75mm in diameter or if there are many leaks which collectively leak fluid at the same rate.
You can refuse to carry out the test if there's an excessive fluid leak. For details see item 4 in the 'Introduction' of this inspection manual.
Defect Category
Fluid:
leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Major
leaking continuously and likely to pose a serious risk to road safety
Dangerous
You must check for fluid leaks on all vehicles other than Class 3. You should do this with the engine idling.
A leak of fluids such as engine coolant, screen wash and fluid required for Selective Catalyst Reduction aren't reasons for failure. You should fail a vehicle if a fluid leak creates a pool on the floor within 5 minutes that's more than 75mm in diameter or if there are many leaks which collectively leak fluid at the same rate.
You can refuse to carry out the test if there's an excessive fluid leak. For details see item 4 in the 'Introduction' of this inspection manual.
Defect Category
Fluid:
leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Major
leaking continuously and likely to pose a serious risk to road safety
Dangerous
Get a bag of rags. (Motor factors etc)
Clean the engine bay/engine/gearbox etc. If it's slathered in oil you're not helping yourself.
Book re-test.
Stop round corner from test station en route to re-test.
Use rags to mop up any oil.
Go to test station.
Clean the engine bay/engine/gearbox etc. If it's slathered in oil you're not helping yourself.
Book re-test.
Stop round corner from test station en route to re-test.
Use rags to mop up any oil.
Go to test station.
Edited by paintman on Tuesday 24th July 20:04
paintman said:
Get a bag of rags. (Motor factors etc)
Clean the engine bay/engine/gearbox etc. If it's slathered in oil you're not helping yourself.
Book re-test.
Stop round corner from test station en route to re-test.
Use rags to mop up any oil.
Go to test station.
Yep, clean it. Jetwash and degrease it if possible. Clean the engine bay/engine/gearbox etc. If it's slathered in oil you're not helping yourself.
Book re-test.
Stop round corner from test station en route to re-test.
Use rags to mop up any oil.
Go to test station.
From what I can see MOTs come with a certain amount of artistic licence.
I see cars with engine warning lights air bag warning lights on the advisory list, isn't that a failure? I have seen cars with illegal plates with comments like plate distorted but not likely to be misread. Green front led lights with ’bulbs slightly discoloured’ on the advisory sheet.
I also know of garages where I live that do advisory free Mots Even if the car had umpteen previous advisories.
I see cars with engine warning lights air bag warning lights on the advisory list, isn't that a failure? I have seen cars with illegal plates with comments like plate distorted but not likely to be misread. Green front led lights with ’bulbs slightly discoloured’ on the advisory sheet.
I also know of garages where I live that do advisory free Mots Even if the car had umpteen previous advisories.
MOT testing seems to be moving away from the simple requirement of examining a car to make sure it's roadworthy and more towards either encouraging owners to have non saftey related repairs done or nudging thoughts towards buying a replacement by piling on a long list of advisories and minor wear and tear items you'd find on any older car.
Since the government makes money out of every repair and really cleans up every time somebody changes their car and the government sets the requirements and format of the MOT test it's not hard to work out whats going on.
Since the government makes money out of every repair and really cleans up every time somebody changes their car and the government sets the requirements and format of the MOT test it's not hard to work out whats going on.
surveyor_101 said:
- VAT 20%
I dont want s
t heaps on the road leaking oil, if people cant be bothered to maintain their cars properly then thats tough luck on them.surveyor_101 said:
Mr2Mike said:
How do you work that out?
- VAT 20%
Decide to change your car and under the new VED arrangements seller and buyer both loose a months VED meaning both pay 13 months and not 12 for that year. Multiply that by however many cars change hands each month and you'll see exactly why that pernicious little scam was introduced.
Not only that but your insurance company will be delighted to knob you for an extortionate admin fee for some poor sap earning peanuts in a Indian call centre to press a few buttons on a keyboard at 2am .
Replacing cars also stimulate peripheral sales for accessories from spare keys to bike racks to new floor mats and polish.
It's all about making money from you...
thanks for all the replies. I've decided to take a multi-pronged approach, spraying the hell out of it with degreaser, then jetwashing it to buggery, wiping it all down, then taking it to the centre and (if it fails) asking them to show me a 75mm puddle. if all that fails, i'll get on with the seals.
It seems the answer to the original question is 'at the testers discretion', which is ok, but not quite what I expected. Incidentally this was classed as a failure, rather than an advisory or a dangerous fault (all 3 categories can exist for a fluid leak)
It seems the answer to the original question is 'at the testers discretion', which is ok, but not quite what I expected. Incidentally this was classed as a failure, rather than an advisory or a dangerous fault (all 3 categories can exist for a fluid leak)
swagmeister said:
Yup going back to the same place, and a good chance the same tester, questioning his judgement, yeh I can see that working well for you.
well going back to the same place is free. Going to a different place is £50, and a risk they'll find other stuff that's likely wrong with the carSheepshanks said:
Can you get at it? I'm wondering if there's some automotive equivalent of Fernox LS-X - that you'd use on a plumbing weep - that you could slather all over it?
sadly not, its buried behind a heat shield, behind an exhaust manifold. details here -> https://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk/index.php?...Forums | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff