Motoring Discussion > MOT rules to change	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: RattleandSmoke	Replies: 35

Tue 9 Nov 10 00:17   MOT rules to change - RattleandSmoke

From december next year wrecks2riches.co.uk/2010/10/2011-changes-to-mot/ It seems that ECUs will be checked to ensure they have not not been mapped and the condition of wiring will also be checked (that will end the DIY bodges I did on my Fiesta!). Certain headlight kits will be an MOT fail too. The boy racers won't like this much. Personaly it won't effect me unless I keep my Panda along time and the wiring becomes damaged which is fairly likely being a FIAT. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 00:44   MOT rules to change - rtj70

So the wording there is incorrect surely? e.g. "Easy to spot as Xenon cars have suspension level sensors, in car beam adjuster, and usually headlight washers." Well if you have factory fit Xenon HID lights you will have headlight washers (mandatory) and won't have any in car beam adjustor.... the car has to adjust automatically. No doubt the article is wrong and the changes are coming though. Dave best plan to take out the HID's from the Vectra if you don't swap cars before then ;-) or is that :-( Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 00:47   MOT rules to change - RattleandSmoke

I wonder if it refers to after market ones rather than factory fit ones? Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 01:08   MOT rules to change - rtj70

Of course it does ;-) My HID lights have power washing system and self level. They recalibrate each time the car turns on too. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 01:08   MOT rules to change - VxFan

>> Dave best plan to take out the HID's from the Vectra As the factory wiring is still there, what's stopping me unplugging the wires that are currently connected to the ballasts, remove the HID bulbs, refit H7 halogens and plug the wires onto the back of the halogens? Then when I get home I reconnect the HID kit once again. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 01:12   MOT rules to change - rtj70

A conscience? The lights are illegal and you know it :-) You've said in the past they will pass because the test only checks alignment. Now it will look for illegal HID lights. So yes you could remove the HIDs, plug in the old style bulbs before MOT, and swap back.... Have an accident and your insurance could be an issue with the car not being able to pass an MOT. We all know an MOT is a snapshot in time test and swapping things later changes things. Take it to the extreme and swapping exhausts, wheels etc. could also be done. Some new poster on here was after chariot style hubs! Not having a go at anyone. Just thought Dave might swap the Vectra for a 2.8T Insignia before the date anyway. Last edited by: rtj70 on Tue 9 Nov 10 at 01:13 Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 01:22   MOT rules to change - VxFan

>> A conscience? The lights are illegal and you know it :-) Yes and no. It's currently a grey area, which is probably the reason for the MOT change. Unlike some people who fit these aftermarket HID kits, I make sure that I adjust the beam height when carrying stuff in the boot, passengers, etc, so as not to dazzle other motorists. As I've said before, I can count on one hand the times I've been flashed at by other motorists in the 14 months I've had them fitted. When I previously had H7 halogens I got flashed at a hell of a lot more - can't explain why that was though. The headlights are actually designed for HIDs - ie, they have projector style lenses which focus the light beam accurately to the road. >> Just thought Dave might swap the Vectra for a 2.8T Insignia before the date anyway. I don't need the boot space that I previously did. Come change time, I'm contemplating an Astra - providing the list of faults now being highlighted doesn't get any bigger. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 01:34   MOT rules to change - rtj70

I've got flashed more than you - and my HID do auto adjust :-) But the lights are illegal if they do not have headlight washers too - a sponge don't count. Not sure if my next car will have HIDs or not but I do know on a late at night test drive in 2007 they convinced me to go for them. Standard on the Mazda6 2.0d Sport.... alternative was the TS2 which was cheaper. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:46   MOT rules to change - FotheringtonTomas

>> I've got flashed more than you - and my HID do auto adjust :-) And people still think there's no problem with these things. Sigh. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 01:36   MOT rules to change - rtj70

>> The headlights are actually designed for HIDs I actually thought the newer lights relied on the light unit itself to focus the light. Just remember by Golf, two Passats and two Audi A4s. The headlight plastic did not do any focussing. Vectra C will be the same. This may be your point though. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 02:11   MOT rules to change - VxFan

>> I actually thought the newer lights relied on the light unit itself to focus the light. Both the pre-facelift and facelift headlights have projector lenses the bulbs sit behind which does the focusing. The headlight plastic is only there to protect the internal workings of the headlights. What does annoy me are the people who fit aftermarket HID kits to headlights with standard reflectors. Some people go to the bother of actually fitting the correct bulbs (they have a blackout sticker on the top of the bulb to help stop unnecessary reflections), but these HID bulbs are slightly more expensive and therefore people end up buying the cheaper and incorrect bulbs. Ignorance and lack of research before buying the HID bulbs plays a huge part in why these aftermarket kits get bad feedback from other motorists. I spent some time and also put some effort into making sure I bought the right kit. The Vec-C (and Signum) is renown for having poor headlights (the amount of posts on vectra-c.com can confirm that). Whether legal or not, I consider that the fitting of an HID kit to my Vectra is an added safety feature. I no longer struggle to see where I'm going, and thus feel less fatigued while driving at night. I think you made the comment before that HIDs/Xenon headlights should be a standard fitment to all vehicles. If they were then maybe the price would come down. It's certainly worked for the aftermarket HID kits. At one time they were over £300; now you can pick them up as cheap as £30 for non canbus cars. Thats the same sort of money you could end up paying for high performance halogen bulbs. Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 9 Nov 10 at 02:14 Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 02:13   MOT rules to change - R.P.

I think the outcome of other discussions on this topic previously were that non OE HID lights may be unlawful in the strict sense of the law but not illegal - a subtle difference. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:03   MOT rules to change - Bromptonaut

Presumably what will happen is that like re-spaced plates people will keep two sets. One for test day and another for the other 364 days of the year. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:35   MOT rules to change - bhoywonder

How can chipped ECU be an MOT failure. I have a Passat at present which can be chipped to 180bhp from 130bhp. If I got it chipped and informed my insurance company and the car passed the emissions test then I do not see how or why they can fail the car. Last edited by: bhoywonder on Tue 9 Nov 10 at 10:37 Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:40   MOT rules to change - Zero

How about because you didn't uprate the Brakes, tyres, or suspension? Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:46   MOT rules to change - FotheringtonTomas

>> Have an accident and your insurance could be an issue with the car not being >> able to pass an MOT. We all know an MOT is a snapshot in time >> test and swapping things later changes things. Nothing to stop you doing that (especially if if you've told the IC of the changes to CYA). Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:33   MOT rules to change - Mike H

>> It seems that ECUs will be checked to ensure they have not not been mapped Can't understand why this should be an issue, as long as they meet emissions standards. And if they are manufacturer approved and dealer-fitted, even better. My Saab 9-5 Aero has been professionally chipped by a reputable company, and appropriate brake and suspension upgrades made. >> The boy racers won't like this much I don't either, and I'm not exactly a boy racer at 57! Luckily I no longer live in the UK so it's not an issue for me personally (the insurance company weren't even interested in whether the car was chipped, I asked them the question), but there are many responsible owners of, erm, more mature years, and I'm sure the vast majority of users of this forum of whatever age don't drive around like maniacs - they just want a bit more power and/or torque for a more relaxing drive. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:46   MOT rules to change - John H

>> Can't understand why this should be an issue, as long as they meet emissions standards. >> Could it be because your road tax is based on the original factory build spec.? Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 11:05   MOT rules to change - Zero

>> Could it be because your road tax is based on the original factory build spec.? Ting - lightbulb goes on. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:46   MOT rules to change - Fursty Ferret

Wonder how they're going to check ECUs? While it's possible to check this, it's necessary to either take the car for a test drive and compare live data values with what they should be, or checksum the car's brain, both of which require a wide range of kit and good degree of training. What they may be looking for here are those nasty little tuning boxes. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 10:55   MOT rules to change - Redfire

I expect the actual enforceable regulations will be diluted from the proposal. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 11:17   MOT rules to change - bhoywonder

>> Could it be because your road tax is based on the original factory build spec.? Ting - lightbulb goes on. Forgive me if I am wrong. But is road tax not based on emissions. If my car goes for its MOT and is within the tolerances then what is the issue. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 11:37   MOT rules to change - Redviper

>> What they may be looking for here are those nasty little tuning boxes. >> Alfa, my thoughts exactly. I dont see what the problem is with a properly remapped ECU. I would have thought, asyou have stated that its the boxes that you can get that are wired into the ECU (or however its done) that will be the check for a MoT fail. Reply to this message | Report message

Tue 9 Nov 10 13:39   MOT rules to change - L'escargot

"However, although a Vehicle Testing Station (VTS) may charge the full Fee as defined, and no more, it is left to individual businesses to charge less than the full fee at their own discretion, although VOSA officials may well view this as a cause for concern and further investigation." Interesting. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 12:25   MOT rules to change - Chris S

>> It seems that ECUs will be checked to ensure they have not not been mapped >> and the condition of wiring will also be checked (that will end the DIY bodges >> I did on my Fiesta!). >> How reliable is the original information? I did a Google serach and could only find other forums discussiong it. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 12:52   MOT rules to change - VxFan

>> How reliable is the original information? I did a Google serach and could only find other forums discussiong it. I mentioned it on another forum and one of the guys on there (an MOT tester) said he'd just come back from a MOT testers 5 yearly refresher course which mentions impending changes and long term changes and none of the items in the link were discussed. The only things he was told about were that brake discs can only fail now if seriously weakened, so it doesn't matter how corroded, scored or pitted they are. Another one is there is now no need to 'tap' the lights to see if they flicker. Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 10 Nov 10 at 12:52 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 12:55   MOT rules to change - madf

I cannot see ECU checking being feasible.. After all, some makers use a mix of fuel injection systems - and ECU settings - and the dealers are unable to tell you from the reg number.... it's a look and see job.. (see Fiat etc).. The database would be enormous and what of program upgrades to solve software issues? Impossible to track all changes... Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 13:17   MOT rules to change - Bellboy

everything you needed to know but were afraid to ask ps you will need half an hour to digest it goo.gl/zO7SC Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 13:37   MOT rules to change - L'escargot

>> From December next year >> >> wrecks2riches.co.uk/2010/10/2011-changes-to-mot/ >> >> It seems that ECUs will be checked to ensure they have not not been mapped .......... Your link casts doubts on the feasibility of doing this. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 13:44   MOT rules to change - L'escargot

How do cars with non-compliant number plates pass an MOT? Does the owner change the plates before submitting the car for test? www.motester.co.uk/CarOwnersGuidetoTheMOT/WhatIsTested.aspx Last edited by: L'escargot on Wed 10 Nov 10 at 13:45 Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 16:51   MOT rules to change - VxFan

>> Does the owner change the plates before submitting the car for test? Most probably. And then changes them back again afterwards. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 16:53   MOT rules to change - R.P.

I actually saw that happen at motorcycle shop - bike went out for a road test with a standard plate came back and was parked up, owner came to pick it up and put a Bobby Dazzler plate on blatant as anything. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 17:01   MOT rules to change - RattleandSmoke

Those dazzle plates can carry 6 points. I saw it on one of the cop programs, the bloke got done for attempting to pevert the course of justice. Reply to this message | Report message

Wed 10 Nov 10 21:44   MOT rules to change - Injection Doc

well if they are going to add that little lot then its about time they included a fully functional EGR valve, ( not blanked off or dumy programed ) and the de-cat'd diesels. I cannot see how they are going to detect chipped ECU's when the dealers can't even ID some of them. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 11 Nov 10 00:19   MOT rules to change - Bromptonaut

>> How do cars with non-compliant number plates pass an MOT? Does the owner change the >> plates before submitting the car for test? Yep, they keep a pair of MoT compliant plates for 'test day best'. There's a local twin cab pick-up with plates that read RIFLE. The last three letters of the allocated mark are FLE but the R! is achieved with distorted digits and miscoloured screws. I pass it most days and just once I saw the correct mark. Reply to this message | Report message

Thu 11 Nov 10 00:42   MOT rules to change - rtj70

I'd personally report it. Many on here might disagree (probably).... I'd check the registered reg via the tax disk. Some take the **** with these plates. But DVLA sell some that could be displayed incorrectly in the first place too. Reply to this message | Report message