SportKa MOT advisories question - oil leak

Joe_Horner

In that case it's worth just tidying it up and seeing what they say. If it does fail then you can always remove the belt for the retest (assuming it has a centre lap belt).

You only need "statutory" belts fitted, which are defined (in very basic terms) as the driver's, the front seat passenger's, and two rear belts regardless of the number of rear seats. In a 4 seater, that obviously means you need both belts in the back but, if there's a 3rd seat in the centre with a belt fitted, then you only need that one and the other side one.

eta: They even have an explanatory note on the subject:

Seats requiring belts

Seatbelt requirements depend on vehicle age, type and number of seats. To determine the requirements refer to the flow charts on pages 3 to 8 and then the relevant table on pages 9 to 10 in conjunction with the following notes. Unless stated, seats are not required to be fitted with seat belts

Re-edit: Just re-checked the manual and, with only two rear seats, you only need a belt on ONE of them provided it's a 3-point inertia reel type (which it will be). So, removing the belt would allow it to pass an MOT regardless of whether there's a centre one or not

AliceBanned

Joe_Horner wrote: »

In that case it's worth just tidying it up and seeing what they say. If it does fail then you can always remove the belt for the retest (assuming it has a centre lap belt).

You only need "statutory" belts fitted, which are defined (in very basic terms) as the driver's, the front seat passenger's, and two rear belts regardless of the number of rear seats. In a 4 seater, that obviously means you need both belts in the back but, if there's a 3rd seat in the centre with a belt fitted, then you only need that one and the other side one.

eta: They even have an explanatory note on the subject:

Seats requiring belts

Seatbelt requirements depend on vehicle age, type and number of seats. To determine the requirements refer to the flow charts on pages 3 to 8 and then the relevant table on pages 9 to 10 in conjunction with the following notes. Unless stated, seats are not required to be fitted with seat belts

Re-edit: Just re-checked the manual and, with only two rear seats, you only need a belt on ONE of them provided it's a 3-point inertia reel type (which it will be). So, removing the belt would allow it to pass an MOT regardless of whether there's a centre one or not

Sorry, I'm a bit lost. Pages of which manual? Thanks. I'm probably being a bit dim.

Joe_Horner

AliceBanned wrote: »

Sorry, I'm a bit lost. Pages of which manual? Thanks. I'm probably being a bit dim.

Sorry, my fault. The MOT testing manual, which is available in handy online form here:

http://www.motinfo.gov.uk/htdocs/m4i00000101.htm

It doesn't allow linking directly to the individual sections, but if you click on the "contents" link at the top you can navigate through the sections from there.

AliceBanned

Thanks Joe.


I'll scroll through and have a closer look later. I hope it passes with all seatbelts intact. I will give it a go anyway.

AliceBanned

In case anyone still subscribing/reading this thread. I put the Ka through its MOT early today as a few things are wrong, including the switch for the light and the engine warning light going off and on.


It did fail its MOT and the garage has to look into this more tomorrow - it failed on emissions only though. Meaning at least my handiwork with the corrosion got it through.


It may be that it wouldn't have failed based on the rust already there, but at least I've held it back.


Thanks for all your help and advice!


Looks like filler cap area isn't a problem at this point either.


They are going to do a compression test tomorrow as it had a new lambda sensor at the last MOT and they are not yet sure why it is failing on emissions. Also a coil spring has broken - the second in just over a year.


I might have a largish bill this time (£500 maybe including MOT, depending on what they find re the engine warning light and emissions failure - it may be one and the same thing - but it is 13 years old and seems to be getting a few problems).

Joe_Horner

Good to hear it's still plodding along Bear in mind that, if all else fails, the old MOT is still valid until it's expiry date and emissions is hardly the worst "safety issue" out there

As for the repairs, good to hear that they haven't developed - wasn't there an advisory on some of them originally? In which case no advisory this time is a good result

Oh, and I hope the mechanics made suitably chauvinistic comments about it being well looked after for a girl's car :eek::rotfl:

AliceBanned

Thanks Joe. I think I've found a mechanic who wouldn't dream of saying such things.


So far so good with my local one. I didn't mention having done the bodywork myself but will tell them when I go to pick it up, of course.


I don't have the paperwork (haven't quite got it through MoT yet and had engine warning light issue sorted - though that did stay on for two days and then go off on the day I took it in) but will see whether any advisories and will let you know.


I guess if it is costing me £500 a year now in MOT, service and maintenance that is not horrendous and worth keeping the one that I know as it has generally been pretty good. Especially if I saved a few hundred on the rust treatment that's a good feeling.


Still not sure whether it will make classic status - a few years to go.

BeenThroughItAll

AliceBanned wrote: »

Thanks Joe. I think I've found a mechanic who wouldn't dream of saying such things.


So far so good with my local one. I didn't mention having done the bodywork myself but will tell them when I go to pick it up, of course.


I don't have the paperwork (haven't quite got it through MoT yet and had engine warning light issue sorted - though that did stay on for two days and then go off on the day I took it in) but will see whether any advisories and will let you know.


I guess if it is costing me £500 a year now in MOT, service and maintenance that is not horrendous and worth keeping the one that I know as it has generally been pretty good. Especially if I saved a few hundred on the rust treatment that's a good feeling.


Still not sure whether it will make classic status - a few years to go.

If you think that it costing you £500 for a year's motoring doesn't sound good value, think of it in terms of it costing you £1.36 a day - or about £42 a month. That sounds pretty good to me.

AliceBanned

Thanks you are right. Maybe even up to £700 is worth it - problem is would it last another year? If so then I might go ahead.


They still haven't found cause of engine light being on but they are concerned it is more serious eg pistons? They are doing compression test in couple of hours.


We are up to at least £300 so far and they haven't found cause of emissions failure yet - and misfiring. But it always seems to fail on emissions - last time was lambda sensor.

AliceBanned

ps 'would it last another year?' was intended as a rhetorical question!:cool: