My regular tester's gone to Portugal for a couple of weeks. I've been impressed with his assistant, a lad in his 20s, who seems to have the right attitude to the job.
I took my lad's 2000 Astra sport yesterday and it passed without any comments or advisories.
When I got it back home, I looked on my list and saw the Jowett expired yesterday so I rang and booked it in today. When I dug out the old ticket this morning, it actually expired on June 16th....I'd written down the date I could have it done after. Still, no probs, it would automatically follow on.
Due in at 1pm...bums..it was raining. The car's not been in the rain for 6 years !
Got it out and parked it on the front for it's admiring public !
s479.photobucket.com/albums/rr152/1400ted/12/?action=view¤t=StationApril2011001.jpg
My man wasn't too confident about testing it...He couldn't find the seat belts, hazard lights or indicators although he was impressed by the semaphores. We checked underneath together and I tightened up the sump nuts while it was in the air. We had a brew to make up some of the hour then put her on the rollers. The big drums nearly pulled his gear out of the concrete. Not sure of the car's weight, we made up some percentages for brake efficiency. No emission check needed so that was it, amother 13 months ticket. I get them for £35 so I slipped him a tenner for a drink, waited 'til the hour was up and went home.
I've got the Naughty Note booked in for Saturday but that should go straight through.
I've a bit of work on the Vulgar Vitars, anti-roll bar drop links are gone, I have some in stock. Then I can do the test any time after June 10th. That only leaves daughter's Puma in November.
Funny how they come in bunches, I only did SiL's Blingo and Megane last week !
Ted
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Nice to see she whistled through, Ted! Good luck with the others.
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I bet that Puma is probably more rusty underneath than the Jewett! That said my mates got a W reg Puma and has not failed on anything rust related yet.
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I've taken a fair number of old cars for MOTs over the years, and they often involve a certain amount of talking-through to help the tester understand particular features.
I remember a very short tester who couldn't see over the long Triumph bonnet and was scared to drive it to test the brakes. I had to do that part of the test for him.
More recently a tester couldn't understand the LandRover's separate windscreen wipers, hadn't a clue how to operate them, and was amazed that they operated independently on each half of the screen.
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>> old cars... often involve a certain amount of talking-through to help the tester understand particular features
The opposite of most of us then, who're comfortable with mechanics and hydraulics but often baffled by CANBUS and assorted electronic sensors :)
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>>Got it out and parked it on the front for it's admiring public !<<
A veritable feast for the eyes ~ thanks!
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I am the opposite, I understand how CANBUS works and what sensors to etc. I understand exactly what is inside an ECU but simple mechanics baffle me.
I just do not have common sense some people have when it comes to using spanners, but I am learning :).
I think it is more a fear of breaking something more than anything else.
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When you break it fix it.
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I think that is where the problem, is I don't have the knowledge to fix what I have broken :p.
Really wish I had kept my old Corsa because I could have learnt basic stuff on that. I could buy another banger I suppose and stick it in the lock up but its far too much hassle.
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>>Really wish I had kept my old Corsa because I could have learnt basic stuff on that<<
The FIRE engines started life in 1985 and are simple straight-4 engines with five bearings and overhead cam heads so I wouldn't worry too much, unless yours is the T-Jet engine.
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>> I am the opposite, I understand how CANBUS works and what sensors to etc. I
>> understand exactly what is inside an ECU but simple mechanics baffle me.
I was mostly the same Rattle. Feel comfortable with some complex computing topics, but could not bring myself to undo the brake caliper first time.
Talked myself into it on the basis that loads of other people manage to do DIY mechanics and haven't looked back since
Last edited by: Skoda on Wed 18 May 11 at 13:51
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I am lucky, I have been brought up and worked with electro/mechanics since my first apprenticeship.
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>> I am lucky, I have been brought up and worked with electro/mechanics since my first
>> apprenticeship.
Yeah, i'd like to make sure my kids (if / when we get around to that!) have exposure to this kind of stuff (if they want it) too. Balancing act though, don't want to stuff things down their throats.
Knowing my luck my offspring will want to be ballet dancers or musicians... :-)
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Yeah I have the 1.1 FIRE 8V, one the reasons I decided on a Panda because that engine is well proven and in developing countries many of them have done well in excess of 300,000 miles.
I won't be doing any DIY on my Panda while its on warranty part from basic things like wiper blade changes.
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If you want to learn about mechanics Rattle, find a knackered old single cylinder motorcycle or moped that you can pick up for a song, buy a Haynes manual and get the spannering.
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>> If you want to learn about mechanics Rattle, find a knackered old single cylinder motorcycle
>> or moped that you can pick up for a song, buy a Haynes manual and
>> get the spannering.
Excellent suggestion. Another route might be to go to the local tip and see if anyone's dumped any petrol mowers. Most of the guys at our local one will let you take anything for "a drink". You can download complete service manuals for those Briggs & Stratton sidevalve engines off the interweb.
To learn the principles of suspension systems, shock absorbers and transmission systems, the Tamiya radio controlled car kits are great, as well as great fun when you've finished building. What's more, they're so quick and easily crashed that you'll get pretty good at stripping and rebuilding too :-)
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>>the Tamiya radio controlled car kits are great, as well as great fun when you've finished building. What's more, they're so quick and easily crashed that you'll get pretty good at stripping and rebuilding too :-)
>>
Blimey DP, I though I was the only saddo here. Three Tamiya cars and two Kyosho R/C bikes!
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>> Blimey DP, I though I was the only saddo here.
It's a requirement, I'd have thought. Me included.
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Tamiya, Kyosho?, very nice but too expensive to maintain, Mardave were the home mechanics, tight blighter, choice, made in Leicester, you could buy every single part at very good prices via mail order from them.
My kids loved them.:)
The suspension of the Mardave was superb, with oil filled dampers you could adjust them infinitely, limited slip diff, aluminium plate chassis, they were superb kits and very robust.
I can't have been the only Mardave fan can i?
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>> Tamiya, Kyosho?>>
Posh yongsters, whats wrong with Meccano ?
tinyurl.com/6gohypd
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I had a few Tamiya cars. A Hornet, a "Mud Blaster" monster truck, and then a 4WD Escort Cosworth (which my cousin still has somewhere in his attic, I believe). Really enjoyed building them and working on them afterwards.
I went to Halfords one Sunday about 4 years ago for some car polish, and came back with one of these, much to Mrs. DP's outrage:
archive.hpiracing.com/kits/nitrorush_evo/rush-m.htm
This one came ready built, but it all comes apart for repairs or cleaning. It's needed a couple of glowplug replacements, and a clutch, but otherwise it's been great.
It comes with a full build manual to tell you how to do pretty much anything to it. Good for about 40 mph on open ground, with lots of accompanying noise and 2 stroke smoke! :-)
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We had a a garage near us ,gone now new houses build on the land where the garage was.
Two old boys used to run it took my VW Beetles in for the MOT.They used to let me potter about in the garage good times.
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MOT week ! - Dave_
