May be worth getting your mot done before January

[Cup_Phil]

Seatbelt failures - rare

4 point 3" FIA approved harness failures - rocking horse s**t

Also the injuries caused by Airbags are fairly large - they're nasty things
Surely should be our choice if we take them out

I'm 99% sure that all of these will fall under the same current "if fitted must be functional" ruling like fog lights and seatbelts. If they aren't there they are not applicable to the MOT

 

[Inferno]

Why do people get so worked up about all this?

Airbags - they're not going to actually test the airbag by setting one off are they? And they're not going to take your dash apart to make sure you still have one. All they're going to do is look for an airbag warning light on the dash - fixable with a bit of black tape. If there's no airbags fitted and the ecu is removed surely you'll just get an N/A the same as you do with seatbelts and pre-tensioners when you have harnesses

De-cat - they don't make you any more power, they make the car loud as hell which gets you attention from the police and they knacker your emissions. But again all they're going to do is a visual check to make sure you have one fitted and check the warning light. If you really want to keep your decat and you can pass an emissions test with it fitted then fit a silenced one that looks like a cat and stick a bit of tape over the dash light again

A bit of tape over the dash? As far as I know the tester is looking for the light to go on and off again when testing items such as air bags.

 

[Inferno]

I imagine most people will have a similar situation to myself when it comes to air bags - drivers side removed in favour of a smaller steering wheel, passenger side still present, but non-functioning.

So what happens there? Driver's side not present, not checked. Passenger side present, not functioning. Fail?

 

[Chip-mk1]

Seatbelt failures - rare

4 point 3" FIA approved harness failures - rocking horse s**t

Also the injuries caused by Airbags are fairly large - they're nasty things
Surely should be our choice if we take them out

I'm 99% sure that all of these will fall under the same current "if fitted must be functional" ruling like fog lights and seatbelts. If they aren't there they are not applicable to the MOT

The problem with harnesses is that its so easy to install them wrongly, I bought a car once and the previous owner had installed them on the rear strut brace which was held on by only the shock top nuts.
Thing is though, he was an MOT tester and it hadnt occurred to him that this was a problem.

I think they are trying to take a lot of the decision making away from the public and the MOT testers on what mods are safe or not, and TBH although thats very inconvenient to someone like me who builds lots of modified cars, I can actually see the safety advantages in a german TUV style system.

 

[Inferno]

Also as far as I know most harnesses aren't strictly road legal anyway unless they have a red button type release type mechanism.

 

[dmallett]

Ive known people fail MOT's on harness'es through poor mounting, its alright if you use holes/bolts already there for the original seats or seatbelts apparently.

I might just take mine, see what they fail it on and only fix those issues

 

[Cup_Phil]

A bit of tape over the dash? As far as I know the tester is looking for the light to go on and off again when testing items such as air bags.

If the light doesnt come on at all and their is no airbag system on the car you'll just get an N/A

I imagine most people will have a similar situation to myself when it comes to air bags - drivers side removed in favour of a smaller steering wheel, passenger side still present, but non-functioning.

So what happens there? Driver's side not present, not checked. Passenger side present, not functioning. Fail?

This shouldn't be the case
If you remove the drivers airbag and fit a resistor - leave the side impact sensors and airbag ecu in then there will be no warning light and the passenger airbag will work fine - so no problem

The problem with harnesses is that its so easy to install them wrongly, I bought a car once and the previous owner had installed them on the rear strut brace which was held on by only the shock top nuts.
Thing is though, he was an MOT tester and it hadnt occurred to him that this was a problem.

I think they are trying to take a lot of the decision making away from the public and the MOT testers on what mods are safe or not, and TBH although thats very inconvenient to someone like me who builds lots of modified cars, I can actually see the safety advantages in a german TUV style system.

I actually do agree - I've seen harnesses mounted in moronic places. And those cheap £39 3 point 2" harnesses from halfords OMG. Nice if you want a snapped collar bone
If they added TuV requirements it wouldn't bother me - I hate decats, and all my seats/harnesses/cage are all FIA approved so would be TuV approved too I suspect

Getting cheap mods off the road would be a good thing!

Also as far as I know most harnesses aren't strictly road legal anyway unless they have a red button type release type mechanism.

They have to have a button release - not an aerobuckle - as apparently that's too tricky for firemen to work out if they cut you out LOL

 

[Russ_16v]

By that logic you dont need seatbelts either.

no, seatbelts keep you from flyout out a vehicle, airbags do not, but i do see what you are saying mate, i think we really are all speculating until in comes into force

 

[Turkish]

I think that's the bottom line right there^

The litmus test will be when modded cars start heading to have their MOT's and any subsequent pattern of certain mods causing a fail. There's a certain amount of ambiguity to the wording in the link to the changes posted. There's also the issue that many MOT testers are as dumb as a rock which tbh could go either way in terms of you passing or failing.

 

[Brett]

Fortunately my MX5 doesn't really have many of the 'luxury' items on that list. No airbags, esp, traction control, hell it doesn't even have a fuel light.

Issue's I may have are its rusting to bits, wheel bearing fucked, CAT doesn't work etc..... :/

 

[Cup_Phil]

Yeah I'm kinda glad I have a cup - no ABS, no ESP, no Traction Control. Only thing they can fail it on is Cat or Airbags - and to be honest if they fail it on the airbags I'll just get a dodgy MOT same as I've had to for the last 5 years lol

 

[mugglesquop]

no cat (striaght thru 2.5"), no air bags, different engine, lowered 120mm, no bumpers, no ABS, no ESP, no ECU, bench seat in the front.

yet it will sail through

 

[Terry172]

Apologies if I missed the post that covered my next question....

What happens if you have taken your rear seats out and have a roll cage in their place? or in my case nothing atm coz I am on the hunt for another cage?

I have an aftermarket wheel so after reading this thread am I right in saying, that as long as my serv light turns on with ignition and goes off again after a few secs, it will pass?
Surely if this light doesn't turn on they will fail you as I am pretty sure I read that a few months back to stop people taking the bulbs out, in fact I am 99% sure I read it on a poster that was on the wall in the MOT garage about how many secs the light should appear...

 

[Cup_Phil]

Rear seats are fine - just make sure you've removed the seatbelts! - they just put N/A then for your rear seatbelts

If they really are going to start checking that the engine warning light comes on and then goes off again - that leaves us with Omex/DTA's completely s**t out of luck because the warning lights either on all the time or disconnected LOL

 

[gazzer]

If the above turns out to be the case I can make a box with connectors on each end. you then cut the cable to the warning light connect this in line and it will turn the lamp off after an adjustable amount of seconds. I will get prices on components and see how much they will cost.

 

[Cup_Phil]

Not that easy mate - the signal to the dash is a CAN signal

You'd have to de-solder the led and put a new one in the whole with cables attached. Night mare

 

[Chip-mk1]

Rear seats are fine - just make sure you've removed the seatbelts! - they just put N/A then for your rear seatbelts

If they really are going to start checking that the engine warning light comes on and then goes off again - that leaves us with Omex/DTA's completely s**t out of luck because the warning lights either on all the time or disconnected LOL

Remove bulb from the gauges, then put a new one just anywhere on the dash with a bit of writing next to it saying "ECU light" then just wire the light to be on when the fuel pump isnt, that was as soon as the ECU sees the engine turn over it will put the light out, problem solved.
pointless, but will work im sure

 

[Cup_Phil]

LOL not a bad idea actually

 

[Struggler]

these revisions surely mean NO harnesses, as it will be an obvious removal of the pretensioners!!

and also fixed buckets will mean that they cannot be moved back and forth, therefore a fail!!

all these revions are going to do is force people with modded cars to get bent MOTs!

my toy is going to have no airbags, no airbag computer, no side impact sensor, no wiring for it,
fixed buckets, 4point 3" OMP harnesses etc, basically.......im screwed!

 

[ben lee]

mot fail rates will be going up and ill be getting alot of new friends come January lmao

 

[Bluebeard]

I can't wait for all the new year MOT failures. My recovery/scrap collection business will be flat out!

 

[TimR26]

I can't wait for all the new year MOT failures. My recovery/scrap collection business will be flat out!

First one being that Mk1 Clio of yours?

 

[Will.]

I got mine done last week instead of the 4th of Jan like it was meant to be. Win.

 

[DEMONKNIGHT666]

Anyone got a picture of what lights should light then go out when ignition is turned?

 

[Fletcher]

Anyone got a picture of what lights should light then go out when ignition is turned?

All of them

 

[Dan]

got mine sorted today

 

[McGherkin]

Great. My airbag light's on. I've had a quick look at the wires under the seats and found nothing, looks like I'm going to have to get the soldering iron out.

 

[DEMONKNIGHT666]

All of them

Funny but how do I know which is off then, does the SERV light illuminate on ignition for example?

OK, another question, which light if it doesn't illuminate is a fail or don't we know yet?

 

[Gman]

Just to add the way i read it the new test items come in in january but from then until may these items will be a advisory and then from may on they will becomes failures.

 

[Bluebeard]

First one being that Mk1 Clio of yours?

Don't be daft, that will never be MOT'd. Recovery truck FTW!

 

[si_hartlepool]

I've got a .PDF copy of the December issue of the VOSA magazine if anyone wants it?

It outlines changes for reasons for refusal will be. Some come into force in January 2012 and some April/May 2012. It's a very comprehensive list.

I'll see if i can post them as a picture when i'm home later.

 

[Bren Rogers]

I've got a .PDF copy of the December issue of the VOSA magazine if anyone wants it?

It outlines changes for reasons for refusal will be. Some come into force in January 2012 and some April/May 2012. It's a very comprehensive list.

I'll see if i can post them as a picture when i'm home later.

oh yes please.

 

[Bren Rogers]

My cousin in Ireland says they have had similar rules come in for their NCT (our MOT), a lot of modded cars failing even on simple things like aftermarket exhausts. I'd prefer to see a full write up of the requirements and go from there. After all, retests are free so if it's just something like airbag lights etc then they can be sorted fairly easily.

My Airbag light is on thanks to dodgy wiring under hte passanger seat, and it won't go off now after fidling wiht it, my MIL light is on and I havea sports cat.. so could be interesting come MOT time. hopefully have a few things sorted prior to June/July.

 

[Silent_Scone]

What a load of cods wallop

 

[Cup_Phil]

This document -> http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/MoT - Issue 52 - Dec 2011.pdf

Page 8 describes all the new reasons for refusal starting Jan 2012
Page 9 describes the ones coming in during May 2012

 

[Cup_Phil]

The driver’s seat fore and aft adjustment mechanism not functioning as intended.

The "as intended" bit is interesting - if its FIA approved track car and the seats must be fixed then I'm sure that's not classed as "broken" - it's as intended surely?


The May one does state that missing airbags or missing pre-tensioners are a failure
I'm not sure how an MOT person would know that the airbag in my dashboard is missing though LOL
Steering wheel is a tricky one though

 

[dmallett]

Kept my steering wheel and airbag, I can put it in, no lights will come on but it won't work. Its visual things I guess

 

[Bren Rogers]

Kept my steering wheel and airbag, I can put it in, no lights will come on but it won't work. Its visual things I guess

Glad I kept mine too, in the shed ready to be refitted come MOT time.

 

[daveski]

That link isn't the testers manual though, thats what is really needed to see what will happen.

I'm doing as someone mentioned already, just going to wait and see what happens as more cars get MOT'd

 

[Cup_Phil]

That link isn't the testers manual though, thats what is really needed to see what will happen.

I'm doing as someone mentioned already, just going to wait and see what happens as more cars get MOT'd

Testers Manual -> http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/c...nualsandguides/mottestingmanualsandguides.htm
Consolidated Testers Manual -> http://www.dft.gov.uk/vosa/repository/2012 Consolidated PSV Inspection Manual.pdf

It's all public