MOT changes?

caz2703

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

Errr sorry what side of bed did you get out of?

I asked a couple of simple questions. I'm not well versed in mechanics (well not the car kind anyway) and am faced with a couple of issues that I

1. cannot afford to fix and
2. would normally have relied on the ex to fix/check

I didn't say the wipers were useless, I said they were leaving nasty streaks. I have no idea what the impact of a squeaky fan belt could be in regards an MOT. This thread was MOT related so rather than start a new one (and presumably have incurred your wrath for doing so) I asked here hoping that someone would have quick answers - which they did.

Sorry Robin & Dave. I appreciate your help but best stop talking about such things

glenderg

squeaky fan belt are you sure, could be water pump bearing that's squeaking!

RikM

I had a fan belt squeal on my previous car.
One of these hideous screechy noises shortly after starting, which stops after a short while. Gradually getting worse over time.
I had it looked at during a service, expecting to get hit for a replacement, but no, they just took a sander to it. No more noise.
As a quick fix, it seemed quite effective, as (so far as I know) it was never replaced over the next few years.
YMMV.

caz2703

glenderg wrote: »

squeaky fan belt are you sure, could be water pump bearing that's squeaking!

Local garage said it was the alternator belt (which I believe is the fan belt) and it would cost about £50 to replace.

RikM wrote: »

I had a fan belt squeal on my previous car.
One of these hideous screechy noises shortly after starting, which stops after a short while. Gradually getting worse over time.
I had it looked at during a service, expecting to get hit for a replacement, but no, they just took a sander to it. No more noise.
As a quick fix, it seemed quite effective, as (so far as I know) it was never replaced over the next few years.
YMMV.

Initially the squeal started shortly after starting the car but would go away after a few minutes. A few minutes became quite a few minutes became the entire journey. Thank god it's the winter and most people have their windows closed as the sound would waken the dead.

yorkie98

caz2703 wrote: »

Local garage said it was the alternator belt (which I believe is the fan belt) and it would cost about £50 to replace.



Initially the squeal started shortly after starting the car but would go away after a few minutes. A few minutes became quite a few minutes became the entire journey. Thank god it's the winter and most people have their windows closed as the sound would waken the dead.

Unless the fan belt (alternator belt) is totally had it, you should be able to get rid of the squealing by getting someone handy to just adjust the tensioner a bit and tighten it. £50 seems a bit steep, most alternator belts cost £5-10 so it's the labour which is most of the cost you're being quoted.
Unless this is a particularly awkward car to work on (some modern cars can be) then I would class this almost as a DIY job which should take no more than half an hour. If you know someone who's handy, they should be able to do it for you.

Re, wipers, I would not go to Halfords, or the main dealer, both as bad as each other for price, just go to a local independant motorspares place for the best deal. Most towns have several of these type of shops. There's bound to one near you.

tommie

cavey76 wrote: »

Tommie, It is only advisory until the end of April...so they will note it and tell you BUT not fail your car...get your test before then, then look up an Accord forum for details of more reasonable priced fix than the actual honda stealership

As you said Cavey. The Accord went through the MOT today ok, the inspector said to get the `VSA` warning light fixed before next MOT or it will fail.
The `cheap` way out of this one is either take a chance on a s/h unit from a scrappy or there`s a company in england who will reburbish with a lifetime guarantee for around £200

ballyblack

Squealing belt?

Temporary fix;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carplan-WBU400-CarPlan-Belt-400ml/dp/B00499DFNM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330162934&sr=8-1-fkmr0

caz2703

yorkie98 wrote: »

Unless the fan belt (alternator belt) is totally had it, you should be able to get rid of the squealing by getting someone handy to just adjust the tensioner a bit and tighten it. £50 seems a bit steep, most alternator belts cost £5-10 so it's the labour which is most of the cost you're being quoted.
Unless this is a particularly awkward car to work on (some modern cars can be) then I would class this almost as a DIY job which should take no more than half an hour. If you know someone who's handy, they should be able to do it for you.

Re, wipers, I would not go to Halfords, or the main dealer, both as bad as each other for price, just go to a local independant motorspares place for the best deal. Most towns have several of these type of shops. There's bound to one near you.

The problem with the wipers is trying to find the right ones. From what I've read there were 2 model varients with differing wiper assemblies. The first time I tried Halfords the wipers I got according to their systems (checked on the reg plate) were wrong. Now when they check there's no suitable wipers.

Will have a look on Yellow Pages for Bangor/Ards area. It's been a while since I looked in an independant.

ballyblack wrote: »

Squealing belt?

Temporary fix;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carplan-WBU400-CarPlan-Belt-400ml/dp/B00499DFNM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330162934&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Now that is my kind of car mechanics

pineapple

I got my last wipers at a motorists discount shop and they were fine.
I might add I have the technical brain of a gnat

getzls

ballyblack wrote: »

Squealing belt?

Temporary fix;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Carplan-WBU400-CarPlan-Belt-400ml/dp/B00499DFNM/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330162934&sr=8-1-fkmr0

Also WD40:D