MOT brake test

[beckie9521]

Hi all, I’m new so I apologise if this is in the wrong place!

My car had its MOT today 2014 fiat 500, and its passed with no advisories, but on the brake test report, it says the service brake total force efficiency is 55% & the parking brake total force is 17%.

I thought 55% seemed low so I’ve googled it and from what I can see it should be a minimum of 58% for cars used from 2010 onwards?

Should my car have failed? I got it tested at Halfords.

So confused! Thanks all for any help :-)

[M_A_S]

Does it show which, if any, wheels locked on the brake test?

[Davie_GLA]

Hmm. I’m very suspicious of these new folk with numbers and very precise details within.

Bot?

[littleredrooster]

I vaguely remember our Panda (same chassis as 500) doing this and I'm fairly sure it was because they are so feather-light at the back that the handbrake just locks the wheels and the meter records a low number.

[paintman]

1.2 Service brake performance and efficiency
1.2.1 Performance
"When conducting a test on an roller brake tester (RBT) where more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock the efficiency requirements for that system are considered to be met."

"Disregard any brake imbalance across an axle if the lower recorded effort is as a result of a locked wheel or if the higher brake effort from a wheel isn't more than 40kg."

www.mot-testing.service.gov.uk/documents/manuals/c...

[Coilspring]

beckie9521 said:

Hi all, I’m new so I apologise if this is in the wrong place!

My car had its MOT today 2014 fiat 500, and its passed with no advisories, but on the brake test report, it says the service brake total force efficiency is 55% & the parking brake total force is 17%.

I thought 55% seemed low so I’ve googled it and from what I can see it should be a minimum of 58% for cars used from 2010 onwards?

Should my car have failed? I got it tested at Halfords.

So confused! Thanks all for any help :-)

Regardless of whether it should have passed or not.

Did you get an advisory notice about the brake performance? Did they also give you some verbal information too?

Oddly, most people complain about the car failing than passing. Obviously you intend to attend to the perfrmance of the brakes, regardless?

[Athlon]

You will struggle to get better figures than that on that car, it is fairly light, thin tyres and decent brakes so it will lock the wheels on the rollers with little effort.

If over 50% lock then it is a straight pass regardless of the figures.

The struggle to pass car is the wee pug 106 base model that only ever seems to be able to pull 10-12% on the rears so fails on efficiency even though on the road they are fine. Stupid little drums with a bias valve.

[Richard-D]

Davie_GLA said:

Hmm. I’m very suspicious of these new folk with numbers and very precise details within.

Bot?

Yes, new users are required to be vague and imprecise with their questions. Oh no, hang on, we don't like that either. In that case new users should have a minimum of 500 posts. That would sort it.