cossiestu

Just been hearing about the new regs, including the seat runners having to be operational, Cats having to be fitted etc...
Anybody had any aggro getting their trackday cars with fixed seats MOT'd?
Sorry if this has been discussed already...

Ben26

Im just speculating but im thinking IF the seat has runners then it must work .

Like if a car has a spare wheel then it must have legal tread , but if u dont have a spare wheel then they cant test it

hopefully anyway as this could effect alot people out there

cossiestu

My drivers seat is bolted to the floor, with the runners removed. Might have to revert back to std seats, just for the MOT.... Also heard that cats need to be fitted?

STeve

iTrader: (11)

loads of these rules have been in place for ages and most in the know simply use certain MOT stations if you get my drift, end of the day a car needs to be road legal to pass a MOT so it should be no surprise if anyones fails for mods

cossiestu

I've heard theres a load of new rules that came in on Jan 1st?
Stupid rules, like parking aids (cameras) have to work. Feck me, if you need to have a camera to reverse a car, you shouldnt be on the road...

Ben26

i dont know about the reversing aids but fitting the CAT back is a defo yea for the emmisions

Brendan

iTrader: (1)

what is the fail code for defective driver...... because that is far worse than no cat (prior to 1992) or fixed seats..... sounds a bit loud.....

I did the sckool run this morning in the toy watched some one nearly take out 2 kids in their honda prius (didn't hear it) Then I got dirty looks as I blip the throttle before pulling out!

you can't win now days!

dojj

iTrader: (3)

apparently this will scare the pants off of you

http://www.confused.com/car-insuranc...sletter22April

but only if you believe whatever she says, some of her past stories have had very little merit to them, she seems to be able to get a job because shes a woman who thinks she knows about cars

dojj

iTrader: (3)

dojj

iTrader: (3)

and start reading this

http://www.confused.com/news-views/b...rent-child-bay

talk about missing the point altogether

booner999

We have a light on our dash for the air bag, passed the MOT fine with this lit. Heard this was a new rule but seems not

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

There were a load of new rules bought out on trial late last year due to come into force later this year, but they have been delayed.

Airbag light is a classic one which will be a fail in future.

You need to look into the exact wording of the rules and you will find its not as bad as people think.

eg airbag wording is something like "airbag defective or obviously missing".

its not "missing" if its been removed and replaced with a proper new wheel.... however an airbag wheel with a hole where airbag was clearly falls under "obviously missing".

So its a big play on words as always.


They will struggle to enforce the rules as theres so many discrepancies.

eg the cat rules for example. Just fit a pre-1992 engine and you get engine age related emissions and cat rules are irrelevant.

more discrepancies - this bullshit noise limit crap the police are peddling at 74bd, 83db or whatever they make up.......

Yet SVA vehicles are entitled to 101db and IVA vehicles are 99db.

The Mot side of it is exhaust modified to be significantly louder than OEM.

However you can heavily modify a car, register it with DVLA as radically altered (maybe do IVA ) and then the MoT cant fail you because there is no "OEM standard" to compare it to

Another one, FIA harnesses now legal for IVA after a company spent thousands proving that FIA standards were better than BS/E marking standards.

DVLA also released differing statements to motorsport organisations so that vehicles obviously modified for motorsport can get round the seat rules, airbag shite etc.

Yet who defines "obviously modified for motorsport". Lower levels of motorsport have little regulation - who is an MoT man to say you dont use your car for minor autotests or road navigation rallys???


Its a can of worms with as many loopholes as there are shutting doors.

studabear

track cars are fine for fixed seats, removed airbags etc.

The mot manual is all available online so a bit of reading will give pretty much any answers to questions people may have.

turbochild

I was talking to the guy who owned the garage I get the van mot'd at he said our mot is quite easy to get through compared to some European countries and if we where brought in line with some of them cars would fail for having odd makes of tyres even the slightest sign of surface rust he also said they where on about having to test brake fluid in the future

cossiestu

Don't sound quite as bad as I'd feared then? Mine is an April 92 car, so fingers crossed... I thought it used to be August 92 that needed a cat?
Warren: by FIA harness, do I assume that's with aircraft type catches?

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

yep thats right cossie stu.

they can still be opened by one hand which is the actual safety standard that needs to be met to comply with the intent of construction and use and limited volume type approval.

cossiestu

Cool, that's what I have on mine, so at least that's something will pass! Lol

stevieturbo

You mean a lot of the rules we've had for years, and more rules implemented over a year ago....still arent on the VOSA test on the mainland ? WOW

You guys really do get it easy.

But Brendan is 100% right. Where the fuck is the fail for defective driver ? They cause more accidents than any vehicle ever did !

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

Stevieturbo, no we dont have it easy, youve just been fucked over by your own stupid politicians for years

stevieturbo

I'm not saying the test is difficult, it isn't. It is still largely a very easy and basic safety check.
The only one area ours is more lax, is up to 2002 cars here just do a basic emissions test.
And after that, cat test is just a visual.

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

Why is it even different in NI?

is there any valid reason for it to be different??

stevieturbo

They did introduce the full test on two different occasions. 2-3 months later it stopped both times. Not 100# sure why. I think part is because they are civil servants. Complaints about noise and fumes ( diesel ) meant potential claims. Plus they blew up a few engines diesel test. More potential law suits there. Petrol fell in there somewhere too. Just not sure where.

gingerturbo

iTrader: (2)

Solid runners are legal if fitted by a certified engineer......(properly)

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

So the northern irish DVLA and VOSA just make things up for shits and giggles it seems??

I know insurance companies still make up premiums for a laugh in NI but didnt realise it was the rest of the car beuracracy were just as bad!!

Is it the case that a mainland MoT is valid in NI?? even though the standards are different?

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

Where does it say certified engineer??

The wording is "not functioning as intended"

A fixed slide mechanism clearly is working as intended if its a fixed seat mechanism you have retrofitted ie if no fore and aft mechanism then how can it fail??

stevieturbo

Either MOT is valid anywhere in the UK. Insurance here is a joke...and then another joke.

And the main body here is DVA, Driver Vehicle Agency, no VOSA here.

Some of the new stuff for you, has always been in place here...especially things like a speedo ! Here it must be able to display both mph and kph. Seems that's because Ireland use kph and there is a direct land border.
Mind you, like ABS and other things, they dont actually check the operation of the speedo as normally the vehicle barely gets driven. But it must be present, and if there were obvious indicators it didnt work, ie odometer trip at zero, then it would be road tested to ensure it did work. ( and by ABS etc..I mean all they check is correct operation of the system check light )

Of course, in the recent changes, the most mental one is headlamp washers for HID equipped cars. There are many cars here, seems most are Jap imports etc but not all. These never had washers fitted, some owners have had letters from the car manufacturer stating they were never fitted and not needed, and cannot be retrofitted....yet the MOT guys here are steadfastly failing these cars.
The wording here stats they MUST be fitted, your VOSA test was changed to be worded if fitted, they must work.

It's fucking mental to say the least. Especially as with everything, a lot of discretion could be used by the tester...some are even totally blind given some stuff Ive seen that has passed. But they'll still fail lack of headlamp washers on an HID car !!

Back to the validity of the test...most certificates state it is only valid at the time of the test anyway. So really...it's a crock of shit !

I'm not saying no inspection should take place though....it should.

Straight_4_N/a

new guidlines for the new mot rules was emailed to every mot test station last month which thay came into afect on iirc 23rd of last month detailing that the new laws dont applie to modifid cars ect... there was lots of things on there saying you dont need this and that (things like the seats and brake servo ect)
So dont worry.......

Rsmat

iTrader: (2)

Exactly it's a load of bollox

gingerturbo

iTrader: (2)

We had a vosa inspector call today at my work so I thought I'd ask he printed off the refusal for seats and just said it states in no way it its a fail as in if its function is to not move then they can't fail it but if its not structurally sound as in BODGED then they can fail it, as in every modification or alteration to the vehicle should be done by a certified engineer accompanied by a full report, but like most people we just get on with it ourselves

stevieturbo

Problem is, the term "certified engineer" means shit, as does any report.

As for seats. A friend bought a seat base for a Subaru from some place in England. I must get the name of them to name and shame them. But they were selling it to allow competition rails to bolt to OEM subaru rails.
It was a complete piece of shit made from B&Q flat bar, bent and welded. It broke before it was even bolted into a car !! Absolutely lethal piece, especially as the seat belt would anchor off it. How anyone would have the audacity to sell it as a piece for any car is beyond me.

Straight_4_N/a

Yep. Its got nothing to do with if the car is safe or not its just to make money.

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

Where's the legislation for that then?

You wont find a "engineer" (in real terms) in virtually any garage or dealership or in fact in many companies offering modifications

cossiestu

Lol, that's the spirit Hayley! Lol