The ask an MOT tester thread

[The Mad Monk]

355spiderguy said:

On another current thread, the thread starter posts that his 911 convertible racked up 7 miles whilst in getting an M.O.T on a lovely sunny day....any suggestions as to what may of happened?

They took the car down to the local adult education centre to get the owner some English grammar lessons?

[Higgs boson]

The Mad Monk said:

355spiderguy said:

On another current thread, the thread starter posts that his 911 convertible racked up 7 miles whilst in getting an M.O.T on a lovely sunny day....any suggestions as to what may of happened?

They took the car down to the local adult education centre to get the owner some English grammar lessons?

OUCH!

[Mr Tidy]

Athlon said:

Your 'OBC' has no idea how much is left on the pads, it knows how far it has travelled since the last time it was told it had new ones and for how long but that's it. The tester has eyes that can actually see the pads and make a decision from that. Pads on the rear will go a long way on very little wear but if they are less that 3mm or so thick they will get advised.

There are fixed fails along with an advise for it, if the advise has a number sequence after it you can look up exactly what the description is in the manual.

Advises are there to let you know there is a potential problem in the future, they are there to help you.

Thanks for your reply.

But I'm not quite sure about that, as since I bought my current car in April the "mileage left" for both front and rear pads have both increased - or does it calculate that based on how I drive the car like it does for condition based servicing maybe?

Most of my mileage is on dual-carriageways and motorways outside of rush hours and I'm not heavy on brakes - to the extent that my 123d got past 80K miles on it's original brakes all round!

[JakeT]

Mr Tidy said:

Thanks for your reply.

But I'm not quite sure about that, as since I bought my current car in April the "mileage left" for both front and rear pads have both increased - or does it calculate that based on how I drive the car like it does for condition based servicing maybe?

Most of my mileage is on dual-carriageways and motorways outside of rush hours and I'm not heavy on brakes - to the extent that my 123d got past 80K miles on it's original brakes all round!

That's exactly it. There's a wear sensor that gets tripped when the pads are 'done', and then the computer gets told and analyses your driving style and how you use it. The car has pressure sensors, and will activate the brakes itself. It's a layer above the old 'change pads light' but doesn't actually tell you how worn the pads are. If you think about it, you could very well have pads that are at 2mm and they last 22,000 miles. If you drive it gently and on open roads.

[xjay1337]

Mr Tidy said:

Athlon said:

Your 'OBC' has no idea how much is left on the pads, it knows how far it has travelled since the last time it was told it had new ones and for how long but that's it. The tester has eyes that can actually see the pads and make a decision from that. Pads on the rear will go a long way on very little wear but if they are less that 3mm or so thick they will get advised.

There are fixed fails along with an advise for it, if the advise has a number sequence after it you can look up exactly what the description is in the manual.

Advises are there to let you know there is a potential problem in the future, they are there to help you.

Thanks for your reply.

But I'm not quite sure about that, as since I bought my current car in April the "mileage left" for both front and rear pads have both increased - or does it calculate that based on how I drive the car like it does for condition based servicing maybe?

Most of my mileage is on dual-carriageways and motorways outside of rush hours and I'm not heavy on brakes - to the extent that my 123d got past 80K miles on it's original brakes all round!

For bmw most of the time there is a small insert in the brake pad that wears down over time through various materials to generate a signal.

This combined with how many miles you are doing it calculates a mileage the pads will last.

[zippyonline]

Great thread - only just spotted it!

I have a crack on my windscreen caused by me being an idiot when trying to stop my rear view mirror wobbling....


064 (05-03-2019) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

I can't really see that crack inside my car, it's certainly not in my way - would that be an advisory?

[Athlon]

zippyonline said:

Great thread - only just spotted it!

I have a crack on my windscreen caused by me being an idiot when trying to stop my rear view mirror wobbling....


064 (05-03-2019) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

I can't really see that crack inside my car, it's certainly not in my way - would that be an advisory?

I would advise it as it is not really the view of the road.. others might not though so I would check with the station first

Edited by Athlon on Friday 20th September 19:33

[Little Pete]

Athlon said:

zippyonline said:

Great thread - only just spotted it!

I have a crack on my windscreen caused by me being an idiot when trying to stop my rear view mirror wobbling....


064 (05-03-2019) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

I can't really see that crack inside my car, it's certainly not in my way - would that be an advisory?

I would advise it as it us not really the view of the road.. others might notbgjough so I would check with the station first

An advise from me too.

[zippyonline]

Thanks both.

When I did it, I thought "oh, time for a new windscreen", but then didn't notice it at all from inside, and kept an eye on it since and it's not going anywhere, or leaking or anything, so just wondered what would happen at MOT time!

[Baldchap]

I have a banger for a rally and decided to take the dog out in it. Little did munched the rear belt so it looks frayed.

If I remove the rear seat and belts, can it then pass an MOT, assuming all else is well?

Thanks.

[Athlon]

Baldchap said:

I have a banger for a rally and decided to take the dog out in it. Little did munched the rear belt so it looks frayed.

If I remove the rear seat and belts, can it then pass an MOT, assuming all else is well?

Thanks.

Yes. No seat, no seat belt required. It will be advised, or should be..

[Yorkshire Dangermouse]

So...just had the first MOT on my Z4 last week, went to pick it up, and had "passed...with no advisories".

Come to check online this morning, and there IS an advisory - "Covers fitted obstructing view". Is this a thing ? I'd have thought the tester would at least have had to specify what the covers were obstructing the view of ? Just to be clear, this is a completely stock vehicle.

I'll be calling today to ask, but thoughts in advance ?

[Sensibleboy]

The covers blocking view is normal. The MOT tester is justifying not checking various hose and pipes etc because they can't be seen as they are protected by covers .

[Athlon]

Yes it is a thing, we covered this one already. Some cars (e.g. The Elise) have lots of covers underneath making iit very difficult to check joints and bushes, pies and wiring so an advise was created to explain we could not guarantee that we had been able to check everything.
When it was first implemented it was overused and added to just about every mot! Now it gets used less and usually on the Elise or Ferrrari's etc.
As has been stated it is a butt covering advise for the tester and does not reflect on the car so I really would not be worrying about it.

[Accelebrate]

How strict are the new rules around cat removal on cars with multiple cats? A popular modification on one of my cars is to swap the standard manifold which contains some restrictive pipework and a cat with an aftermarket manifold sans-cat.

Apparently the car would still pass the emissions test due to the second cat located in the mid-pipe, but I guess it would fall foul of the directive that any OE cats shouldn't be removed? That said, it's mostly concealed by heat-shields and I can't help but wonder how many testers have an encyclopedic knowledge of OE cat locations.

[Yorkshire Dangermouse]

Athlon said:

Yes it is a thing, we covered this one already. Some cars (e.g. The Elise) have lots of covers underneath making iit very difficult to check joints and bushes, pies and wiring so an advise was created to explain we could not guarantee that we had been able to check everything.
When it was first implemented it was overused and added to just about every mot! Now it gets used less and usually on the Elise or Ferrrari's etc.
As has been stated it is a butt covering advise for the tester and does not reflect on the car so I really would not be worrying about it.

Magic - thx OP. Apologies...had tried searching, but couldn't find any earlier references.

[Athlon]

Accelebrate said:

How strict are the new rules around cat removal on cars with multiple cats? A popular modification on one of my cars is to swap the standard manifold which contains some restrictive pipework and a cat with an aftermarket manifold sans-cat.

Apparently the car would still pass the emissions test due to the second cat located in the mid-pipe, but I guess it would fall foul of the directive that any OE cats shouldn't be removed? That said, it's mostly concealed by heat-shields and I can't help but wonder how many testers have an encyclopedic knowledge of OE cat locations.

The rule is if it had them from new they should be there. That said, if I can see a cat fitted and it sails through the gas test with no issues I won't look too hard..In my mind the important thing is that it is clean, I test many cars that are standard but only used around town and have to put some effort in to wake up the cat, an arsey tester would probably fail them even though they are ok.

[longbrownlog]

What's the most disgusting thing you've found in a car you've tested?

[Athlon]

longbrownlog said:

What's the most disgusting thing you've found in a car you've tested?

Lots of stuff but by far the worst are cars with young kids. How parents carry on at home making sure little Jonny's bottles are super sterile etc in case they catch a bug then stick them in a skip full of rotting food and crap is beyond me.
Cars with owners that own long haired dogs but no grooming kit is another one, do they not notice how utterly awful the wet dog smell is?

Apart from that I see many interesting things in cars from weed to feminine pleasure products...all part of the job and why I always wear gloves!

[Baldchap]

Do low level front fogs need to work for MOT?