MOT changes?

RTNI

caz2703 wrote: »

Daft girly question. The fan belt in the car is squealing like a pig in an abattoir. Is that something it could fail on or am I ok? Just got my MOT letter today and normally I'd just take the car in and see if it fails then get it fixed (never failed on previous car). This is a different car however and as I'm on my own with 2 kids, I can't risk the car failing nor can I afford a pre-MOT check.

What else should I look out for? There's no lights apart from a spanner symbol and a negative mileage figure on the dashboard which I presume is because I haven't taken the car for it's service. Tyres are all less than a year old and I can take a look at the oil level myself.

Oh and my wipers are leaving nasty streaks on the windscreens but Halfords don't stock the right ones so it's a rip-off dealer visit to get new ones. Again, can a car fail on the wipers?

Sorry for so many daft questions but the ex bought the heap from auction and it's been nothing but trouble & money and I don't want to throw good money after bad if I can help it. Thanks in advance folks

Fan belt - will not fail MOT for squeaking I believe

Wipers - as long as they go back and forth then that's all they check for I believe. I have had an iffy back wiper blade and no issues before.

Tyres - in the grooves in the tyres are little blocks - take finger, insert into tread and feel for these. If the blocks are flush with the contact surface of the tyre then it will need replaced.

What type (make & model) is the car? The examiners know what common faults to look for - perhaps someone could post if they have the same car and experience of any issues!

caz2703

Will check the oil AND tyres tomorrow then! Thanks Robin.

I'm embarassed to say what I drive ...... it's a C4 Grand Picasso covered in dings! Yes, he got a real 'bargain' at the auction with 4 almost bald tyres, 2 dodgy wiper blades and the fan belt which is ready to give up the ghost plus some questionable stains on the drivers seat and a nasty looking dent where you'd stick a car jack. Oh and with it being ex-mobility, I can only assume that is why the driver had some many issues with letting the alloys kiss the kerb stones so often. But apart from that it's a gem

RTNI

caz2703 wrote: »

Will check the oil AND tyres tomorrow then! Thanks Robin.

I'm embarassed to say what I drive ...... it's a C4 Grand Picasso covered in dings! Yes, he got a real 'bargain' at the auction with 4 almost bald tyres, 2 dodgy wiper blades and the fan belt which is ready to give up the ghost plus some questionable stains on the drivers seat and a nasty looking dent where you'd stick a car jack. Oh and with it being ex-mobility, I can only assume that is why the driver had some many issues with letting the alloys kiss the kerb stones so often. But apart from that it's a gem

'Klass' as we would say! But the *big* question is what colour is it!?! :rotfl:

I have a clio and know that the suspension springs can go on them, hopefully with any luck someone who owns a C4 or even a Citroen might be able to give advice on what to look out for.

In general though as long as there is no smoke coming out of the back end of her then that's a good start. Depending on when it was last serviced, the brakes may need adjusting (that is the foot brake and the handbrake) to give the required level of stopping force, but I cant think of a way to measure it. Again, as long as it pulls up in a straight line (doesn't dive to one side when you brake hard) then that's a good start!

dmxdave

caz2703 wrote: »

What else should I look out for? There's no lights apart from a spanner symbol and a negative mileage figure on the dashboard which I presume is because I haven't taken the car for it's service.

Oh and my wipers are leaving nasty streaks on the windscreens but Halfords don't stock the right ones so it's a rip-off dealer visit to get new ones. Again, can a car fail on the wipers?

Sorry for so many daft questions but the ex bought the heap from auction and it's been nothing but trouble & money and I don't want to throw good money after bad if I can help it. Thanks in advance folks

Hey no daft questions, most people on here like Robin are very helpful.

MOT is based on safety checks so fan belt or oil level should not matter, however you should fan belt checked as it will give up completely, as for wiper blades Halfords are not exactly cheap, try a local motor factors.

If you let us know what area you are in I am sure there are some great local mechanics like I have that will keep you right.

ATB

OOPS too slow typing so missed last two posts!

s_b

is this thread for real?
it starts out decent enough then goes into some kind of parallel universe where wipers that are useless will pass an mot and squeeky fan belts fail the mot too

please wake me up and say it was a dream

dmxdave

s_b wrote: »

is this thread for real?
it starts out decent enough then goes into some kind of parallel universe where wipers that are useless will pass an mot and squeeky fan belts fail the mot too

please wake me up and say it was a dream

Thanks for the helpful post.....Must ask for a "No Thanks" button

RTNI

s_b wrote: »

is this thread for real?
it starts out decent enough then goes into some kind of parallel universe where wipers that are useless will pass an mot and squeeky fan belts fail the mot too

please wake me up and say it was a dream

Are you saying that wipers that leave streaks will fail the mot? The same with the fan belt?

Hate to say that this is not a dream and I'm just trying to be helpful.

s_b

RTNI wrote: »

Are you saying that wipers that leave streaks will fail the mot? The same with the fan belt?

Hate to say that this is not a dream and I'm just trying to be helpful.

hi:)
if the wipers dont clear the screen sufficiently they fail
they can be slightly ripped on the edges these days and pass which is stupid but hey ho what do pen pushers in vosa know
the fan belt might send the tester nuts but its not a fail although it could warrant an advisory if they argue its going to break at any moment

RTNI

s_b wrote: »

hi:)
if the wipers dont clear the screen sufficiently they fail
they can be slightly ripped on the edges these days and pass which is stupid but hey ho what do pen pushers in vosa know
the fan belt might send the tester nuts but its not a fail although it could warrant an advisory if they argue its going to break at any moment

Agree about the fan belt - annoying and may give way at any time.

Didn't realise that about the wipers - I have never had the examiner look at the clearing ability - in fact at the last two times I have taken cars to MOT the test centre has not even checked the washers work. Maybe that has been taken off.

Just wondering as you mentioned VOSA - do they apply here in N. Ireland (Is VOSA only a mainland thing)? Is that the same as our test centres? Would they have different criteria to pass a car etc?

dmxdave

s_b wrote: »

hi:)
if the wipers dont clear the screen sufficiently they fail
they can be slightly ripped on the edges these days and pass which is stupid but hey ho what do pen pushers in vosa know

So what has vosa to do with DVANI?