MOT pass - anything to redress here in the advisories

[d215yq]

Well in the end I got a pass, as usual with a rather long list of advisories but there are just a few that are suspension/brakes critical.

1. The front ball joint (doesn't say whether top or bottom) rubber gaiters are cracked/broken
2. One of the rubber gaiters on the central steering bar is cracked/broken
3. Both front and rear pads are incredibly low - guy wanted to fail it but said he couldn't as it passed the rollers.
4. Rear tyres were manufactured in 2014 so are past 5 years old and need changing - I only put them on the car "new" 4 years ago

The guy told me that 1 and 2 were not worth worrying about as that is normal and that it doesn't affect anything where as 3 and 4 needed immediate attention and car shouldn't really be driven. This goes against what the guys at a brake and tyre place told me which was the pads could be done "soon" and they didn't even mention this 5 yr tyre rule.

So questions

1. Do I just ignore rubber gaiters or is there a way to fit new ones without dismantling the suspension and replacing the joints anyway (which themselves are fine with no play)?

2. Does anyone replace tyres when they are 5 years old despite looking in good condition?

3. Any way to tell which one is right on the brakes - other than perhaps under very heavy braking where there's a slight judder/noise from one side, the brakes are silent. I don't mind replacing them but I've got a million things to do before heading to UK and could do with leaving it til October. Although it's a 3k mile trip it will essentially be not using the brakes hardly at all.

 

[ioweddie]

Its your life and ours at risk here...Sort the brakes immediately...get the tyres checked by a reputable tyre company...as for the other bits...just keep a close eye on those...

 

[John Laidlaw]

2. I can’t imagine ever having 5 year old tyres

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Bearing in mind your 3k road trip the pads should be done

As regards the tyres this is subjective my view is that it’s all about condition if on close inspection there is no cracking either between the treads or on the sidewalls I don’t see any reason to change. The sceptic in me thinks the tyre industry would love to see a 5 year rule enforced it would massively increase their turnover overnight. Interestingly I was having a similar conversation with a caravan owner and it would appear that they are enforcing the 5 tyre rule at MoT although he did mention that they are inflated to 60psi so little wonder

 

[davidsl500]

I thought 10 years was the recommended max age for tyres and keep an eye on them past 5 years for severe cracking on the sidewalls?

 

[daibevan]

Do the brakes. If you get down to the rivets you will score the disks and have to replace them as well. (Guess how I know - though it was on an ancient Cortina).

 

[d215yq]

Its your life and ours at risk here...Sort the brakes immediately...get the tyres checked by a reputable tyre company...as for the other bits...just keep a close eye on those...

I did try and get the front pads (and discs) changed but the brake replacement guys just said to chill out, the discs are fine and the pads can be done when I come back. I don't think anything is "at risk" except for the discs being chewed up as the car more than exceeds the force on the rollers. That said I wouldn't want to ruin the discs as that would just end up costing more money.

Re tyres they are just doing it on age he said there isn't cracking or anything dangerous or it would be a fail - maybe it's because in Spain the hot temperatures degrade rubber faster - though as they've only been on the car 4 years I'll leave them another year. By then I hope they'll be warn out - they've already done 75k miles but have 3-4mm of tread, maybe I need to modify my driving style so they wear out quicker...

It is also the law here that you have to have same tread pattern make and date of manufacture of tyres on an axis...partly why i don't want to replace them at all knowing just one puncture and that's two new tyres gone to waste.

 

[EmilysDad]

Do the brakes. If you get down to the rivets you will score the disks and have to replace them as well. (Guess how I know - though it was on an ancient Cortina).

Rivets? They've glued/bonded linings onto shoes & pads since Adam was a lad.

 

[EmilysDad]

Don't know about Espana, but in the UK there's no legal age limit on tyres. But obviously cracks etc are reasons to change them. EmilysMum's car only does about 3000 miles a year so no where near wearing them out in 5 or 6 years, but I have changed them before now due to cracks etc

 

[EmilysDad]

.... and there is a min pad thickness for a UK MOT. I found it & posted a link here not long back.

1.5mm

https://www.mot-testing.service.gov.uk/documents/manuals/class3457/Section-1-Brakes.html#section_1.1

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

UV kills tyres I have a set of spare alloys and tyres for the 212 kept in a dark garage. As an aside when I last visited the Battle of Britain flight hangar in Lincs all the aircraft tyres were covered so common practice

 

[d215yq]

.... and there is a min pad thickness for a UK MOT. I found it & posted a link here not long back.

1.5mm

https://www.mot-testing.service.gov.uk/documents/manuals/class3457/Section-1-Brakes.html#section_1.1

Just out of interest what sort of mms do pads come with and how long would 1,5mm last? I'm new to this brake stuff.

To be honest I don't really know how you fail a Spanish MOT. I went once and got a pass with an advisory only on tyres and then 2 months later had to have a wheel bearing tightened and a ball joint replaced, the play with the wheel lifted off the ground was incredible so can't have just failed after the test, particualrly as the car was all over the place when i went for the test, i was ocnvinced the test would have spotted anything so it's OK and maybe tracking was out but qucikly realised this wasn't the case... There's always been a huge rust hole in the bulkhead under the battery, no battery tray, loose battery and nobody says anything. Emissions can be done at idle instead of offical 3k rpm on the last 2 attempts if it fails the first 6 if you ask nicely...i've had to get duct tape out mid test as a door mirror was only held on by one fixing. Although it's solid they said it needed taping so I started duct taping it on and they couldn't be bothered to wait for me so just passed it if i promised to get a new mirror (which I never did and never got picked upon again) and it's still there solidly on one fixing.

That said as you go through the test you get instructed to the "pass" bay or "fail" bay, and there's plenty of newish cars in the fail bay so I'm not sure what they have done to get there. I imagine it's for things like no lights/tyres or something like that as the actual mechanical parts seem quite lenient...

 

[daibevan]

Rivets? They've glued/bonded linings onto shoes & pads since Adam was a lad.

Turn of phrase, probably inherited from my dad. I should have said "down to the bare metal".

 

[DREAMER NO2]

2. I can’t imagine ever having 5 year old tyres

May be your not like a some of us that just dont use the car every day , but keep it only for shows days .

 

[peterws1957]

2. I can’t imagine ever having 5 year old tyres

The tyres on my old barge were at least 40 years old when I got it. Even then someone pestered me to buy them for the sake of "authenticity" on their car. Needless to say I refused. Some people are gormless.

 

[EmilysDad]

Turn of phrase, probably inherited from my dad. I should have said "down to the bare metal".

I have actually seen shoes with riveted linings .... EmilysGrandad used to have a 1949 Triumph 'Razor edged' Saloon

 

[mioba]

1. Get them changed.
2. Change
3. Change
4. Use common sense, how dry are the tyres.

Thinks like this differentiate (well) maintained with ahh leave it, before you know it, the leave its build up and it too expensive for the owner and the car is on the scrap heap.

End of the day your car, your choice, your cash!

 

[fabes]

UV kills tyres I have a set of spare alloys and tyres for the 212 kept in a dark garage. As an aside when I last visited the Battle of Britain flight hangar in Lincs all the aircraft tyres were covered so common practice

Some of the tyre dressing gels provide active protection against UV degradation (a little like sun cream I guess)
I use them now as I am a low miler, so it make sense (as I use tyre dressing anyway).
Perhaps look at a layer of such protection if they are otherwise, in good nick/tread/make.

Wheel alignment is also worth a spend once every two or three years given the state of our roads....

Cannot comment on the rest, but I am a risk manager, so tend to play it 'safe'

 

[d215yq]

1. Get them changed.
2. Change
3. Change
4. Use common sense, how dry are the tyres.

Thinks like this differentiate (well) maintained with ahh leave it, before you know it, the leave its build up and it too expensive for the owner and the car is on the scrap heap.

End of the day your car, your choice, your cash!

Thanks for the no nonsense reply. To be fair this car has long been touching the "leave a fair few things to build up and scrap it", both from the PO and myself but it continues to go great distance reliably with minimal periodic expense here and there when absolutely necessary...but at the same time my questioning every spend and doing what is important and not what isn't has kept it safe, legal and reliable for very little cash over the last 5 years so no reason to change mentality now.

so when you say "change" for 1 & 2, do you mean change the rubber bit or do you mean the whole thing. Sorry if it's a silly question, but I cannot see a way of changing the rubber without changing the whole thing - and if the only problem with broken rubber is the whole part wears out quicker, but you have to change the part anyway then it doesn't make any sense to replace the part until it shows sign of wear in the joint itself?

 

[mioba]

Depending on your indy and what needs changing it might just the rubbers if the indy had a puller and a press. far cheaper than the entire part as after all its only the the rubber thats failed.