The ask an MOT tester thread

[Triumph Man]

eltax91 said:

Another random one. I had a number plate lamp bulb blow on my disco 4. I bought two LED replacements. Nice and bright. Now the reverse camera is barely usable because of the glare!

If I put tape over, or even paint circa 1/3 of one of the two lights, could this be a point of fail/ advisory at all?

I had to chuckle because my question was also about a Disco 4 - and I now know not to fit LED number plate bulbs!

[M.F.D]

My van is away in the morning for an MOT.

Q. Does the rear of it need to be empty for the test?

It is an L3H2 Relay. Mid camper conversion. Only thing I have done so far is taken panels out the side and rear and fitted OEM spec windows.

I have insulation rolls and other things in the back, can these be left in situ or are they required to be removed?

Thanks!

[eltax91]

Triumph Man said:

I had to chuckle because my question was also about a Disco 4 - and I now know not to fit LED number plate bulbs!

Try to find oem standard ones. Impossible to buy because everyone thinks LED = ‘better’!! The usual Landy suppliers have them, at eye watering prices.

[StescoG66]

What’s the issue with LED bulbs? I was thinking of changing all the rear clusters to LED on my Sprint.

[ConnectionError]

StescoG66 said:

What’s the issue with LED bulbs? I was thinking of changing all the rear clusters to LED on my Sprint.

They are often too bright if used to replace a conventional bulb

[Dracoro]

Car failed MOT - ARB links and front drivers side wishbone replaced,
Car then passed MOT.
However, “hum” as speed rises (noticeable at 55mph+) - steering seems OK.
Jack up front end to check, front passenger has slight knock/plays when wiggling side to side.
I suspect wheel bearings (or maybe passenger wishbone).

Should MOT have spotted that, given it’s a safety issue. Given description above, what would MOT/Mechanic conclude?

[M.F.D]

M.F.D said:

My van is away in the morning for an MOT.

Q. Does the rear of it need to be empty for the test?

It is an L3H2 Relay. Mid camper conversion. Only thing I have done so far is taken panels out the side and rear and fitted OEM spec windows.

I have insulation rolls and other things in the back, can these be left in situ or are they required to be removed?

Thanks!

A clean MOT with no advisories answered my question.

[MG CHRIS]

M.F.D said:

M.F.D said:

My van is away in the morning for an MOT.

Q. Does the rear of it need to be empty for the test?

It is an L3H2 Relay. Mid camper conversion. Only thing I have done so far is taken panels out the side and rear and fitted OEM spec windows.

I have insulation rolls and other things in the back, can these be left in situ or are they required to be removed?

Thanks!

A clean MOT with no advisories answered my question.

Cars need to be emptied all though trying telling that too the booking team before hand. No requirements for vans to be empty as there isn't really anything in the back too check.

[wiliferus]

Do testers check the previous MOTs for advisories/fails?

Reason I ask is last year I got an advisory for play in the steering rack. I’ve done nothing about it at all.
This year, no mention of it.

Is this simply a case of last year the tester was more anal? I would have thought that a tester would view last years test to know where to pay attention to? Or do that not do this deliberately so you are testing ethically and taking a car as you find it?

[Athlon]

I usually have a look, not for any reason other than to see what my standards are compared to others, some of the advises on brakes for example are ludicrous and obviously an attempt at generating work, really annoys me.

[Little Pete]

Dracoro said:

Car failed MOT - ARB links and front drivers side wishbone replaced,
Car then passed MOT.
However, “hum” as speed rises (noticeable at 55mph+) - steering seems OK.
Jack up front end to check, front passenger has slight knock/plays when wiggling side to side.
I suspect wheel bearings (or maybe passenger wishbone).

Should MOT have spotted that, given it’s a safety issue. Given description above, what would MOT/Mechanic conclude?

Slight play could generate an advisory but it wouldn’t fail. The tester has only done what you have done, jacked it up, checked for play and spun the wheel to check for any roughness in the bearing. If you couldn’t hear any noise that would indicate a bearing issue, then neither would the tester.

[Athlon]

Dracoro said:

Car failed MOT - ARB links and front drivers side wishbone replaced,
Car then passed MOT.
However, “hum” as speed rises (noticeable at 55mph+) - steering seems OK.
Jack up front end to check, front passenger has slight knock/plays when wiggling side to side.
I suspect wheel bearings (or maybe passenger wishbone).

Should MOT have spotted that, given it’s a safety issue. Given description above, what would MOT/Mechanic conclude?

Difficult to say unless seen, remember the MOT is minimum standards..

[Little Pete]

wiliferus said:

Do testers check the previous MOTs for advisories/fails?

Reason I ask is last year I got an advisory for play in the steering rack. I’ve done nothing about it at all.
This year, no mention of it.

Is this simply a case of last year the tester was more anal? I would have thought that a tester would view last years test to know where to pay attention to? Or do that not do this deliberately so you are testing ethically and taking a car as you find it?

I never used to but I find myself doing so more often.

[Sheepshanks]

wiliferus said:

Do testers check the previous MOTs for advisories/fails?

Reason I ask is last year I got an advisory for play in the steering rack. I’ve done nothing about it at all.
This year, no mention of it.

Is this simply a case of last year the tester was more anal? I would have thought that a tester would view last years test to know where to pay attention to? Or do that not do this deliberately so you are testing ethically and taking a car as you find it?

On my old Merc, which I never used much, the dealer MOTs used to alternately show and not show scrubbed front tyres edges and a chip on the screen. It was always the same tester too. They contracted out one MOT when their rig was down and it came back with a completely clean pass.

Last few years it's been looked after by an indie. First two MOTs he contracted out to a truck place and it got clean passes. Then he started doing them himself and that produced massive advisory lists. At the last one he told me he'd reviewed the previous list - I said I thought you were supposed to test the car as it is, he got a bit defensive and said he wanted to make sure he hadn't missed anything. The list has been pretty well identical for 3yrs.

[Magikarp]

The wearisome and woeful Mercedes is having its first MOT under my charge in 17/02. I have attended to the advisories on the last MoT but the NS wing mirror indicator bulbs have failed. I had a look at the MOT and it didn’t seem to categorically state whether this is an advisory. They are LEDs and about £30 to replace.

Both front and rear indicators are working perfectly fine.

Is this a fail or an advisory?

[wolf1]

Magikarp said:

The wearisome and woeful Mercedes is having its first MOT under my charge in 17/02. I have attended to the advisories on the last MoT but the NS wing mirror indicator bulbs have failed. I had a look at the MOT and it didn’t seem to categorically state whether this is an advisory. They are LEDs and about £30 to replace.

Both front and rear indicators are working perfectly fine.

Is this a fail or an advisory?

If it's post April 1986 then it will be a fail

[stevemcs]

Yep, we fail a few of these. With some you can just buy the indicator, others come complete with the mirror housing.

[Magikarp]

Thanks! I have asked the garage to sort it. I’m also absolutely convinced that there will be myriad other fails I’m not aware of.

All is I ask for is a pass, so I can shift the enormous turd with 13 month’s ticket.

[Athlon]

Fail. Side repeaters must work, sorry.

[FatboyKim]

There seems to be an obsession with 'chameleon tint' (as the kids call them) windscreen lately. Basically people tinting their screen purple to get the look of infrared-reflective windscreens which are standard on certain more expensive cars. Porsche Cayenne, Merc S-Class, etc.

Ok fine, if that's what floats your boat, but this braindead individual has taken it further and applied an opaque sun strip to almost 50% of his windscreen, one assumes he's been watching too much GT3 racing.

Any problem for an MOT test?