Hello I have my MOT on Wednesday, and am wondering if there are any common things that minors fail on? Because then I can attempt to fix it up and hopefully pass first time. The two obvious problems I had were brake readjustment and my indicators not working, but I have fixed both of these things now, and there is nothing obvious that I can see it failing on... but I know they can be picky! so yes, if anybody can tell me any things that the Minor fails on frequently, that would be great thanks!
does that include modifications? like, i have a set of speakers hooked up to the battery - they work fine when i plug them in but do they HAVE to in order to pass the MOT? that just seems a bit silly to me is all
frankly i'm unsure of how to do it. I tried to do it through the fuse box but it didn't work, and connecting it directly to the battery worked fine, so I just ran with that :/i fitted an inline fuse so I don't see why it would be any less safe though
will do, bmecosse. lights are fine, i think the wiper blades are fine , they do their job anyway... exhaust doesn't appear to be leaking, steering is fine and there's no rust. thankyou.
Most common M OT failure reason these days is that most modern MOT testers do not understand classic cars.
Take the car to a garage that is familiar with and friendly to classic cars. The reason is many aspects of the MOT test are actually very subjective and so you need to find a tester that will inspect your car sympathetically and not expect it to be like a modern car. Plus, many modern mechanics are ignorant of and actually don't like classic cars.
My Morris Minor 1000 failed last Friday because of rust that was invisible to me. I had had the car up on ramps, crawled underneath looking for rust and used Kurust and paint. However at MOT the tester with his little hammer and screwdriver managed to find some small areas of rust near the leading rear spring mountings and also in the drivers door hinge pillar. Failed and expensive welding repairs needed! Handbrake wasn't good enough on the rollers although seemed OK to me. The handbrake holds better on a steep slope than the brake on my Ford Focus which has disc brakes and rolls backwards.
Mike
Is this allowed? I tell him to bugger off attacking my car.
Handbrake balance is quite a common one, I check it by lifting the back of the car with a trolley jack then putting the handbrake on enough clicks that I can still turn the wheels with a bit of drag.
If the drag is different between them adjust on the cable till they are near enough them same.
"Once you break something you will see how it was put together"
Change the mot garage to one that is sympathetic with classic vehicles, Ive owned my car for twentyone years its due for mot soon always take it to the same garage.
He uses the old style ramps just for classic cars and only does a visual inspection tapping the chassis legs and body with a small rubber block over the years he can tell the sound of bad steel, worth looking round next time or check with other owners in your area. Hammer and screwdriver it makes you weep...
Checking the handbreak ditto as MarkyB.
i am indeed taking it to a place that is familiar with minors he is also not as picky as some others, or at least that's what the person who recommended him said. when i pulled up outside he said that 'there's not a lot that usually goes wrong with minors' so here's hoping he is indeed sympathetic!
Anything electrical fitted HAS to work. Is wrong. Only the prescribed items can be tested. For instance if your mog is 1972 and it has a rear fog light that doesn't work it's not a fail because cars wern't req to have them before 1st April 1980. likewise if a modern cars nearside rear fog don't work thats not a fail because the the test only requires 1 rear foglight mounted centrally or to the off side.
EG rear wipers and front fogs fitted but not working won't fail because their NOT testable items.
Handbrake imbalance is NOT tested. As a Mog has a single hydraulic brake system the handbrake needs to be a minimum of 25% brake efficiency on a rolling brake tester (RBT) it has to act on at least 2 wheels on a 4 wheeled vehicle, but the imbalance is not tested. Only the steered axle's wheels are tested for imbalance so it's only those that can fail.
Rust, If corrosion in the prescrbed areas is noticed/suspected upon visual inspection then an MoT approved corrosion assesment tool (CAT) can be used it looks like a very small toffee hammer it's handle is light aluminium with a spade end this is used to LIGHTLY scrape at the flakey rust or underseal but not to "gouge it out" the hammer end is round blunt plastic and is used to LIGHTLY tap the suspect area to assess if that structure is weakened by rust. An ordinary hammer and a screwdriver or chisel is NOT an authorised tool and shouldn't be used. If a tester does use one then he needs reporting to VOSA who will "have a few words in his ear"
The MoT test is a MINIMUM standard of roadworthyness around say the 20% mark on a graph when a new vehicle is 100% and good service/maintenance is around say 80%. This means for example that disc's that I would change on our fleet vehicles on a routine service could still pass an MoT
I've witnessed some horrendous MOT tests over the years. One discount place with one tester and the customer has to sit inthe car and work the controls, whcih was fien by me, but whilst up on the ramp, I could feel the car shake as he went round banging and poking and scraping for rust with some sort of steel crowbar. Don't think he believed a tidy looking Wolseley Hornet was ok. Needless to say, I didn't go back even though it passed....
After I moved, I was lookign round for another 'decent' tester. One guy I took my tatty looking Marina camper to (primered doors and repairs to scuttle panel and arches) said "there's no point in testing that is there, I can see from here its going to fail", referingto the part finished repair round the base of the windscreen and door piller. He wouldn't be convinced that there was new steel beneath the filler and primer, but at least he didn't charge me for a test. I took it somewhere else and it passed first time and later took pleasure in driving past his place everyday for the next few months...
Previously he'd passed a prewar Railton, mainly just on appearence and said "I'll not botherputtign it on the brake tester, it seems a shame for a car like this and if your silly enough to drive it with no brakes thats your problem" !!!
I'm now lucky to live near a very helpful test station. The sort of place where they will tighten a loose nut and fit a split pin, and cover mild surface rust on brake pipes with grease, rather than fail it... I've been under a car with him discussing various points and even suggested he should fail an item rather than advise it...
The MOT testing system is good, but the standards of the testers vary considerably.
cheers
Iain
Fairmile Restorations.
'49 MM, '53 convertible, '55 van, and a '64 van.
Marina p.u., '56 Morris Isis Traveller, a '59 Morris JB van, a'66 J4 van, a '54 Land Rover, Land Rover 130, Renault 5, '36Railton, '35 Hudson, a Mk1 Transit and a Sherpa Camper...
A car can be restored at any time, but is only original once!
A nominated tester (NT) can't do anything on a test other than test the prescribe items with the authorised equipment and tools.
He definatley can't apply grease to brake pipes. Or fit split pins or nuts whilst testing. I would fit pins or locknuts after the test then pass it as repaired at vts or on whats called PRS, thats a very minor repair done when full test finished but before Cert is issued, this then is shown as a fail then a Pass all in one go.
As for locking devices if you inform the tester that you used a thread locking compound then thats a pass.
Never thought of the thread locking compound answer...
The fail and then pass as repaired at VTS station is I think what my current favorite tester uses, though the item is usally 'fixed' during the test. There's so much allowed time for testing a simple older car that its a a sort of common sense method if not strictly to the rules...
cheers
Iain
Fairmile Restorations.
'49 MM, '53 convertible, '55 van, and a '64 van.
Marina p.u., '56 Morris Isis Traveller, a '59 Morris JB van, a'66 J4 van, a '54 Land Rover, Land Rover 130, Renault 5, '36Railton, '35 Hudson, a Mk1 Transit and a Sherpa Camper...
A car can be restored at any time, but is only original once!
I have my MOT on Wednesday, and am wondering if there are any common things that minors fail on? Because then I can attempt to fix it up and hopefully pass first time. The two obvious problems I had were brake readjustment and my indicators not working, but I have fixed both of these things now, and there is nothing obvious that I can see it failing on... but I know they can be picky! so yes, if anybody can tell me any things that the Minor fails on frequently, that would be great 
