Felly friends,

iMOT time's coming up for my Red Arrow - just booked it in for Wednesday 30 Jan., 8.20 a.m. local time (7.20 GMT) which will also be deadline for entries.

So what about the outcome:

Pass with a blank slate?

Pass with some minor remarks/reminders (and if so, what?)

Something that needs to be fixed before a re-test (and if so, what)?

You have plenty of time to make up your mind and in the meantime I'll decide on a mighty fine prize for the winner.

Only correct answers will do, coming close is not enough!

Useful facts:

1998 Felly estate; 50,000 miles; front dampers+brake pads+disks only a few months old; stainless exhaust; no fog lights, tow bars or other extras.

Can I start the guesses with corroded brake pipe? But we all know you're going to read out guesses and go fix them before the MOT and give it a clean bill of health

i will go for headlight alignment and nothing else

headlamp alignment

I'll go for

1 - Headlight adjustment

2 - Brakepipes prob advisory

3 - CV boot joint

4 - Maybe indicator bulbs (wrong colour)

Fail - minor

Something wrong with the nut behind the wheel

I'll say fail, but £200 will make it pass.

Why, because whenever a garage does anything on mates cars it always costs £200.

I'll say fail, but £200 will make it pass.

Why, because whenever a garage does anything on mates cars it always costs £200.

Your mates need to find a garage that doesn't do the repairs itself, then there's no profit in failing the car for the hell of it. Last place I had an MOT done at couldn't be bothered doing the work despite the signs suggesting they did such work, and even recommended a place that was likely to be cheap. Called around and they indeed turned out to be the cheapest of the few places I got quotes from.

Well hopefully you'll have the same as mine did on Monday ...

Passed flying colours!

99 T Octy TDI on a mere 133k

Can I start the guesses with corroded brake pipe? But we all know you're going to read out guesses and go fix them before the MOT and give it a clean bill of health

Trust me, dear Sir, I will NOT crawl on my driveway in wet January weather and replace corroded brakepipes or even try to inspect them! I'll just let the chips fall were they may... OK, will probably check all bulbs a day or so before but they can just as well break on the way to the test so no guarantee there

4 - Maybe indicator bulbs (wrong colour)

Honesty pays off, so that entry will be disregarded - forgot to mention that fresh beautifully yellow bulbs were mounted during autumn.

Should also mention that in Sweden MOT tests are done solely by test stations run by a public authority - no risk for dishonest garageowners who "construct" faults. The £200 method is said to have worked now and then, though - but I've never tried it and will not this time either:)

I'm just clutching at straws and going off what mine failed or was advised on

Cause mine needed a new CV boot joint and the indicator bulbs were whitish as the orange coating was flaking. This year.

in 2006 all that needed doing was the brake pipes greasing. They may need replacing this year though.

Touch wood your Felly is impeccably maintained and should go through with flying colours

I make a point of using the local authority testing station after several years of the £200 method, it is invariably cheaper than £200.

It could possibly be worse than my 25 year old Ford.

I'd say fail on something minor like a seized rear brake compesator valve.

:bump:

Less than 24 hours till Judgment Day

Here are your guesses so far:

gcr31463: pass with flying colours - I like that one

anewman: fail - corroded brake pipe

harryhill: fail - headlight alignment

iansmith: ditto (but came in later)

Captain Sisko: fail - headlight alignment, brakepipes (advisory), CV boot joint

fordfan: fail - rear brake compensator valve

babs: fail - nut behind the wheel :P

cheezemonkhai: fail - unspecified but will cost £200 to fix :eek:)

New guesses are welcome and old ones may be adjusted.

Haven't done anything to the car since first posting apart from filling petrol - promise!

Deadline tomorrow Wednesday at 7.20 GMT

And there's a prize for the correct answer!

I will go for

1 frayed seatbelt

2 split wiper blade

3 exess play in rear wheel bearing

4 advice on corroded brake pipe

Fail on CV boot, nothing else

I think fail on leaky rear damper

:rolleyes:I reckon that while you're walking towards the car to drive it to the MOT station you'll slip on a banana skin, slide towards the car, knock the drivers door mirror off and graze your left arm!;)

I reckon Dave's off to buy a banana and a return ticket to Sweden

DOOMED! And NO winners!

Fail - worn lower left front suspension ball joint :P

Otherwise everything was ship-shape and Bristol fashion. Excellent emission data and perfectly balanced brakes, no corrosion.

The joint is just £15 and since my garage will NOT charge me £185 for the job not even cheezemonkhai will get the prize.

But thanks for your concern - even if some of the entries came close to insults Do you really think I'm going around with frayed safety belts and split wiper blades :eek:

To prevent forthcoming problems with nut behind wheel (thanks for the warning, Babs) I'll order this:

Pilot Wrench - $18.99 : KaleCoAuto, Hard to find automotive items!

Ho hum, glad its only something minor at least!

aww it failed i was bout to say it would pass with flying colours but i guess i meant the retest:D

aww it failed i was bout to say it would pass with flying colours but i guess i meant the retest:D

:P

That Pilot Wrench is a fake - just look at the shipping weight! If you want something big enough for the head on the nut behind my steering wheel you're looking at a 48-inch Stillson, minimum, and they weigh about as much as me. I reckon that one's made in China from expanded polystyrene....:eek:

Congrats on the near-pass. My trick with MOT stations, by the way, is to turn up in my overalls. Amazing how much respect you get when the test operative thinks you might know more about cars than him!

Cheers, Richard - I'll remember the overall trick till next year

Note to self: dirty nails and a smear of ball bearing grease on the brow will "lend versimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative" (Gilbert&Sullivan)