Hi guys, just had my M.O.T.

[Calumcco]

Hi guys, just had my M.O.T. and it passed but I was given 7 advisories, however some I don't understand what they mean and I was wondering if anyone here can help me?

Front balljoint covers grease present?
Struggled with cat test?
Rear brake imbalance?
Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components?
Engine covers fitted obscuring some components in the engine bay?

Thank you

 

[Tazz666]

1. Grease showing on ball joint(leaking from rubber boot)
2. didn't warm the cat up causing high c02 numbers.
3. rear brake imbalance, breaks not braking even sticky caliper
4. same as 5 M O T'er being anal

 

[EmilysDad]

Hi guys, just had my M.O.T. and it passed but I was given 7 advisories, however some I don't understand what they mean and I was wondering if anyone here can help me?

Front balljoint covers grease present?
Struggled with cat test?
Rear brake imbalance?
Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components?
Engine covers fitted obscuring some components in the engine bay?

Thank you

He's suggesting that gaiter might be split or the clip not seated properly because of the grease.
Take it off the car ...... your car doesn't need one (sod the tree huggers )
One side of the car is braking better/worse than the other side. Is that for the foot brake or the parking brake? Clean up of pads/shoes would possibly sort it.
Under trays & engine trays ....... he's 4rse covering by saying that, he's saying that if there's severe corrosion etc under them, he couldn't see it.

 

[turbopete]

it means that the front ball joint covers have grease on them, but there is no visible splits or holes in the rubbers (that would mean a fail)

if the car is the one in your profile, a 1990 car should not have been subjected to a cat test.

rear brake imbalance simply means 1 brakes a bit harder or a bit more quickly that the other

the other 2 refer to the engine covers and the under engine trays etc, meaning that they cant check items hidden by them as theyre not allowed to remove anything to inspect if removal requires tools. advisories are simply a way of saying that there may be a problem (eg oil or water leak) that cant be seen, but may exist and that they have carried out the checks as well as they can, within the MOT test guidelines.

 

[Calumcco]

Hi pete my current car is a 1998 (R) S280. Why would a 1990 car not be subject to a cat test?

What do ball joint covers do?
What are engine covers and engine trays? Where are they located?
Thank you

My car feels fine but I do notice a knocking noise under my accelerator when I am travelling at slow speeds up to about 30mph!!!

 

[EmilysDad]

Hi pete my current car is a 1998 (R) S280. Why would a 1990 car not be subject to a cat test?

What do ball joint covers do?
What are engine covers and engine trays? Where are they located?
Thank you

My car feels fine but I do notice a knocking noise under my accelerator when I am travelling at slow speeds up to about 30mph!!!

Because K reg cars & before don't need a cat fitted.

Keep the grease in and crap out of the ball joint

Stop you from working on your car, look pretty help stream line underneath your car.
Where are they fitted? The clue is in the name

 

[turbopete]

Hi pete my current car is a 1998 (R) S280. Why would a 1990 car not be subject to a cat test?

What do ball joint covers do?
What are engine covers and engine trays? Where are they located?
Thank you

My car feels fine but I do notice a knocking noise under my accelerator when I am travelling at slow speeds up to about 30mph!!!

a 1990 car is before fitting the car with a cat was compulsory. that came in 1993 IIRC.

the ball joint covers keep the grease in, and the dust and grit etc out of the ball joints to keep wear to a minimum.

the engine covers are the big lumps of plastic you see when you open the bonnet, hiding the engine and the trays are the large plastic trays that you would remove to carry out an oil change etc.

 

[Calumcco]

So are these advisories a lot of bull then?
And I have just noticed since 02.06.2010 my car has only done 5740 miles!!!
The mileage at MOT on 02.06.2010 was 96121
On 12.05.2011 it was 96469
On 04.05.2012 it was 96717

Quite unusual hey?

 

[turbopete]

So are these advisories a lot of bull then?

pretty much, yes. if you get a pass with no advisories on a modern car, either the tester cant be bothered to mention the engine covers/child seats etc, or the owner has removed all such items prior to taking the car for MOT.

 

[EmilysDad]

So are these advisories a lot of bull then?
......

I'd have a look at the gaiter, just to make sure there's no split.
Depends how much of an imbalance on the brakes - though there can't be too much if he gave you a pass - and which brake .... foot or parking. Judging by the little use it's had, it might just need a bit of use.

 

[toby1]

You have 12 months MoT. Put your feet up and have a cup of tea.

 

[EmilysDad]

pretty much, yes. if you get a pass with no advisories on a modern car, either the tester cant be bothered to mention the engine covers/child seats etc, or the owner has removed all such items prior to taking the car for MOT.

I've had one advisory & no fails on my Vauxhall for the past 10 tests that I've taken it too ........... all covers in place.

 

[turbopete]

I've had one advisory & no fails on my Vauxhall for the past 10 tests that I've taken it too ........... all covers in place.

like i said, many testers just cant be bothered with the hassle of writing out advisories when pretty much every car has these covers nowadays!

my car gets 4 advisories (if done by the book to the letter) before it even enters the testing lane. top engine cover, bottom engine tray, and 1 for each of the child seats i have in the car!

 

[Calumcco]

But they have written out advisories about these covers, so why do they bother doing that when most modern cars have them?

 

[turbopete]

because theyre being anal, doing things to the letter of the rule book and covering their own backsides! if theres a failure point hidden by these covers that hasnt been seen, theyre covered. without the advisory, it could be argued that the test hadnt been done correctly