HI, MOT due in a month, i reccon all will go smoothly. just a few questions,
have fitted angel eye lights, required modifiying of wiring loom from H4 dual filament bulb to 2x H7, (all i did was split earth and attach a few spade connectors) then i fitted aftermarket HID kit.
just wondering if it will be ok for MOT?
would it be worth taking out HID's for MOT?
also any quick ways to check beam alignment, (new lights, dunno if there aligned properly)
also anything else i should check before i give it in?
thanks!!

if u have not had the alignment done then there is a poss that it might fail, and all the usual stuff like brakes, and suspension and the obvious bodywork

i'd like to think that you will fail your mot for the HID's, and maybe get a good hard slap for them too, but in reality you have a good chance of passing even though they are illegal on your car. most testers dont really give a toss.

do the usual pre-MOT checks

Lighting Equipment

• All lights are tested for OPERATION, CONDITION & SECURITY.
• SIDELIGHTS and HEADLIGHTS
  - Are of the correct type.
  - Are correctly aimed (headlights).
  - Operate dip & full beam (headlights).
• STOP LIGHTS, INDICATORS & HAZARD LIGHTS
  - Are of the correct type.
  - Do not interact with each other's operation.
  - Indcator tell tale or audible warning works.
• REAR FOG LIGHTS
  - Must be fitted to the centre or offside of the vehicle.
  - Tell tale must work.
  - Must not interact with other lights.
  - Must not be obscured.
  - Must be red.
• NUMBER PLATE LIGHTS
  - All original lights must be present and working.
• REAR REFLECTORS
  - Two reflectors must be fitted fairly symmetrically
  - be secure and not obscured.

Notes: stop lights,indicators and hazard lights must be fitted to vehicles used on or after 1st April 1986, but if fitted must be tested. Rear foglights must be fitted to all vehicles used on or after 1st April 1980.
Steering & Suspension

• CHECKS UNDER THE BONNET
  - Upper Suspension Joints and any other suspension components which can be inspected from under the bonnet.
  - Security of steering rack or box and mountings.
  - Excessive play in steering rack or box.
  - Play in steering joints.
  - Any other parts of the steering system that can be seen from under the bonnet.
• CHECKS UNDER THE VEHICLE
  - Front & Rear Suspension.
  - No split pins, nuts etc missing.
  - No bent or broken components.
  - Condition of road springs.
  - Condition of supension joints for excessive play etc.
  - Shock absorbers for leakage & security.
  - Shock absorbers for damping action.
  - Excessive play in rack/steering joints under load test
  - Excessive lift/play in steering box.
  - Power steering for leaks etc.
  - Security of Rack/Box and mounting areas for corrosion or cracking.
  - Wheels an tyres for fouling vehicle body/hoses etc on lock to lock.
  - Condition of front and rear wheel bearings regarding play and noise.
  - Steering rack gaiters for splits, leakage, security etc.
  - Front outer C V boots for splits, leakage, security etc.
  - Metal/Rubber bushes for excess play or wear.
  - Locking or retaining devices.
  - Front drive shafts and C V joints (if applicable).
• STEERING INSIDE THE CAR
  - Steering wheel in good condition.
  - Steering wheel securely attatched to column.
  - Upper column bearings/bush for excess play.
  - Steering column for excess end float.
  - Clamping bolts checked for security.
  - Locking nuts and split pins.
  - Free play in steering.
  - Flexible couplings/universal joints for excess play.

Brakes

• INSIDE THE CAR
  - Antilock brake warning light (if fitted), is checked for operation and correct operating sequence
  - Reserve travel on footbrake so that it does not reach the floor.
  - Excess wear of brake pedal rubber.
  - Correct operation of brake servo.
  - Parking brake for reserve travel so that it does not reach it's end stop.
  - Parking brake mountings for corrosion and security.
• UNDER THE BONNET
  - Master cylinder/servo checked for leaks under load
  - Servo unit for correct operation.
  - Visible metal brake pipes for damage, corrosion, leakage or breakages.
• UNDER THE VEHICLE
  - With load applied to footbrake.
  - All visible metal brake pipes for condition and corrosion.
  - Brake discs and drums checked for external condition and contamination.
  - Security and condition of backplates and caliper mounting devices.
  - Condition of brake pads (if visible).
  - Condition and operation of handbrake linkages and cables.
  - Leaks from brake compensator (if fitted).
• BRAKE PERFORMANCE CHECK
  - The efficiency and balance of the front and rear brakes using a rolling road.

Tyres & Wheels

• TYRE CONDITION The reason for failure with respect to tyre wear is "The grooves of the tread pattern are not at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising: The central three-quarters of the breadth of tread around the entire outer circumference of the tyre". Tyres on any axle must be matched with regard to type, size and structure. Also general condition of tyres, condition of valves serious cuts, bulges or other damage.
• WHEEL CONDITION
  - Damage, distortion, cracks, distorted bead rim securely attatched to vehicle, missing wheel nuts or studs.
  - The security of any externally fitted spare wheel or spare wheel carrier .

Seatbelts

• GENERAL Most vehicles after 1965 must have seatbelts Irrespective of this requirement all seat belts fitted to a vehicle are inspected for:
  - Security of seatbelt mountings and locking stalks.
  - Security and operation of locking/release mechanism.
  - Condition of webbing.
  - Operation of retraction mechanism. Note: The inertia locking mechanism is not checked on some vehicles where the belt is attatched to the seat the security of the seat to the vehicle would also be part of the seat belt check. With regard to the retraction mechanism it is allowed to manually feed the belt back in.

General

• WINDSCREEN
  - Chips or cracks in the windscreen directly in front of the driver, in the area swept by the wiper blades, are acceptable if they are less than 10mm in diameter.
  - In thae rest of the swept area up to 40mm damage is acceptable.
  - Official stickers (parking permits, tax disc etc) in the swept area in front of the driver will fail if they are more than 10mm in diameter (40mm elsewhere).
• WASHERS AND WIPERS
  - Operation.
  - Extent of area swept by wipers.
  - Condition of wiper blades.
• HORN
  - Operation.
  - Control is easily reached by driver.
  - Loud enough.
  - Cannot be multi tone sequential type.
• EXHAUST SYSTEM
  - Part of the system missing will result in failure.
  - Excessive deterioration.
  - Support mountings are missing or broken.
  - Excessive noise.
• EXHAUST EMISSIONS
  - This check is carried out using special equipment
  - The exact details will depend on the age and model of the vehicle.
  - Excessive smoke (visual check).
  - Diesel smoke is tested using a smoke meter.
• BODY CONDITION AND SECURITY The body must not be so insecure or displaced that it could cause the loss of control of the vehicle when driven or cause a danger to other road users.
• CORROSION Corrosion is a complicated and wide ranging topic. It can be used as a reason for failure in many of the previous sections. A brief explanation follows:
  A vehicle will fail for excessive corrosion in a 'prescribed area' ie within 30cms of various components such as brakes, steering, suspension, seat belt mounts etc. Also excessive corrosion not in a 'prescribed area' which is likely to adversely affect the vehicles steering or brakes. Excessive corrosion can mean a hole or significantly weakened structure.
• SEATS
  - The front seats must be secure.
  - All seat backs must be securable in the upright position.
• MIRRORS Not all mirrors on all vehicles are subject to the test. This depends on the age of the vehicle but those which are must be:
  - Secure.
  - Visible from the drivers seat.
  - Not distorted or damaged so as to seriously impair the driver's view of the rear.
• FUEL SYSTEM
  - Any fuel leak or defect which will allow fuel to leak out will fail the test.
  - Fuel filler cap must fasten securely and seal must be in place and in good condition.
• REGISTRATION PLATES & VIN NUMBERS For any registered vehicle number plates must be:
  - Present.
  - Secure.
  - Not faded dirty or obscured.
  - Be composed of correctly formed letters, correctly spaced. VIN plates are required on all vehicles firstly used on or after 1st August 1980 and must be:
  - Permanently displayed.
  - Consistent.
  - Legible.

thanks a lot, thats reeeealy useful.
also, what are peoples gripes with HID's??
i understand people who have em on all day, and aimed wrong
but mine are not a dodgy shade, aimed as close as possible to what it should be and seriously improve night visibility...

• HORN
  - Operation.
  - Control is easily reached by driver.
  - Loud enough.
  - Cannot be multi tone sequential type.

Gutted!

lol, is that supposed to be directed at me??

Mr Wild said:

• HORN
  - Operation.
  - Control is easily reached by driver.
  - Loud enough.
  - Cannot be multi tone sequential type.

Gutted!

Click to expand...

Hahah Like the Dukes of Hazzard for example!

jug said:

i'd like to think that you will fail your mot for the HID's, and maybe get a good hard slap for them too, but in reality you have a good chance of passing even though they are illegal on your car. most testers dont really give a toss.

do the usual pre-MOT checks

Lighting Equipment

• All lights are tested for OPERATION, CONDITION & SECURITY.
• SIDELIGHTS and HEADLIGHTS
  - Are of the correct type.
  - Are correctly aimed (headlights).
  - Operate dip & full beam (headlights).
• STOP LIGHTS, INDICATORS & HAZARD LIGHTS
  - Are of the correct type.
  - Do not interact with each other's operation.
  - Indcator tell tale or audible warning works.
• REAR FOG LIGHTS
  - Must be fitted to the centre or offside of the vehicle.
  - Tell tale must work.
  - Must not interact with other lights.
  - Must not be obscured.
  - Must be red.
• NUMBER PLATE LIGHTS
  - All original lights must be present and working.
• REAR REFLECTORS
  - Two reflectors must be fitted fairly symmetrically
  - be secure and not obscured.

Notes: stop lights,indicators and hazard lights must be fitted to vehicles used on or after 1st April 1986, but if fitted must be tested. Rear foglights must be fitted to all vehicles used on or after 1st April 1980.
Steering & Suspension

• CHECKS UNDER THE BONNET
  - Upper Suspension Joints and any other suspension components which can be inspected from under the bonnet.
  - Security of steering rack or box and mountings.
  - Excessive play in steering rack or box.
  - Play in steering joints.
  - Any other parts of the steering system that can be seen from under the bonnet.
• CHECKS UNDER THE VEHICLE
  - Front & Rear Suspension.
  - No split pins, nuts etc missing.
  - No bent or broken components.
  - Condition of road springs.
  - Condition of supension joints for excessive play etc.
  - Shock absorbers for leakage & security.
  - Shock absorbers for damping action.
  - Excessive play in rack/steering joints under load test
  - Excessive lift/play in steering box.
  - Power steering for leaks etc.
  - Security of Rack/Box and mounting areas for corrosion or cracking.
  - Wheels an tyres for fouling vehicle body/hoses etc on lock to lock.
  - Condition of front and rear wheel bearings regarding play and noise.
  - Steering rack gaiters for splits, leakage, security etc.
  - Front outer C V boots for splits, leakage, security etc.
  - Metal/Rubber bushes for excess play or wear.
  - Locking or retaining devices.
  - Front drive shafts and C V joints (if applicable).
• STEERING INSIDE THE CAR
  - Steering wheel in good condition.
  - Steering wheel securely attatched to column.
  - Upper column bearings/bush for excess play.
  - Steering column for excess end float.
  - Clamping bolts checked for security.
  - Locking nuts and split pins.
  - Free play in steering.
  - Flexible couplings/universal joints for excess play.

Brakes

• INSIDE THE CAR
  - Antilock brake warning light (if fitted), is checked for operation and correct operating sequence
  - Reserve travel on footbrake so that it does not reach the floor.
  - Excess wear of brake pedal rubber.
  - Correct operation of brake servo.
  - Parking brake for reserve travel so that it does not reach it's end stop.
  - Parking brake mountings for corrosion and security.
• UNDER THE BONNET
  - Master cylinder/servo checked for leaks under load
  - Servo unit for correct operation.
  - Visible metal brake pipes for damage, corrosion, leakage or breakages.
• UNDER THE VEHICLE
  - With load applied to footbrake.
  - All visible metal brake pipes for condition and corrosion.
  - Brake discs and drums checked for external condition and contamination.
  - Security and condition of backplates and caliper mounting devices.
  - Condition of brake pads (if visible).
  - Condition and operation of handbrake linkages and cables.
  - Leaks from brake compensator (if fitted).
• BRAKE PERFORMANCE CHECK
  - The efficiency and balance of the front and rear brakes using a rolling road.

Tyres & Wheels

• TYRE CONDITION The reason for failure with respect to tyre wear is "The grooves of the tread pattern are not at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising: The central three-quarters of the breadth of tread around the entire outer circumference of the tyre". Tyres on any axle must be matched with regard to type, size and structure. Also general condition of tyres, condition of valves serious cuts, bulges or other damage.
• WHEEL CONDITION
  - Damage, distortion, cracks, distorted bead rim securely attatched to vehicle, missing wheel nuts or studs.
  - The security of any externally fitted spare wheel or spare wheel carrier .

Seatbelts

• GENERAL Most vehicles after 1965 must have seatbelts Irrespective of this requirement all seat belts fitted to a vehicle are inspected for:
  - Security of seatbelt mountings and locking stalks.
  - Security and operation of locking/release mechanism.
  - Condition of webbing.
  - Operation of retraction mechanism. Note: The inertia locking mechanism is not checked on some vehicles where the belt is attatched to the seat the security of the seat to the vehicle would also be part of the seat belt check. With regard to the retraction mechanism it is allowed to manually feed the belt back in.

General

• WINDSCREEN
  - Chips or cracks in the windscreen directly in front of the driver, in the area swept by the wiper blades, are acceptable if they are less than 10mm in diameter.
  - In thae rest of the swept area up to 40mm damage is acceptable.
  - Official stickers (parking permits, tax disc etc) in the swept area in front of the driver will fail if they are more than 10mm in diameter (40mm elsewhere).
• WASHERS AND WIPERS
  - Operation.
  - Extent of area swept by wipers.
  - Condition of wiper blades.
• HORN
  - Operation.
  - Control is easily reached by driver.
  - Loud enough.
  - Cannot be multi tone sequential type.
• EXHAUST SYSTEM
  - Part of the system missing will result in failure.
  - Excessive deterioration.
  - Support mountings are missing or broken.
  - Excessive noise.
• EXHAUST EMISSIONS
  - This check is carried out using special equipment
  - The exact details will depend on the age and model of the vehicle.
  - Excessive smoke (visual check).
  - Diesel smoke is tested using a smoke meter.
• BODY CONDITION AND SECURITY The body must not be so insecure or displaced that it could cause the loss of control of the vehicle when driven or cause a danger to other road users.
• CORROSION Corrosion is a complicated and wide ranging topic. It can be used as a reason for failure in many of the previous sections. A brief explanation follows:
  A vehicle will fail for excessive corrosion in a 'prescribed area' ie within 30cms of various components such as brakes, steering, suspension, seat belt mounts etc. Also excessive corrosion not in a 'prescribed area' which is likely to adversely affect the vehicles steering or brakes. Excessive corrosion can mean a hole or significantly weakened structure.
• SEATS
  - The front seats must be secure.
  - All seat backs must be securable in the upright position.
• MIRRORS Not all mirrors on all vehicles are subject to the test. This depends on the age of the vehicle but those which are must be:
  - Secure.
  - Visible from the drivers seat.
  - Not distorted or damaged so as to seriously impair the driver's view of the rear.
• FUEL SYSTEM
  - Any fuel leak or defect which will allow fuel to leak out will fail the test.
  - Fuel filler cap must fasten securely and seal must be in place and in good condition.
• REGISTRATION PLATES & VIN NUMBERS For any registered vehicle number plates must be:
  - Present.
  - Secure.
  - Not faded dirty or obscured.
  - Be composed of correctly formed letters, correctly spaced. VIN plates are required on all vehicles firstly used on or after 1st August 1980 and must be:
  - Permanently displayed.
  - Consistent.
  - Legible.

Click to expand...

OK so most MOT testers dont give a toss Jug?

Where in your list of checks does it say anything about HID fitment and the regulations about it? Nowehere! So an MOT tester CANT fail it. The MOT test is a list of regulated inspections using approved methods, not a testers personal opinion.

HID lamps if they meet the correct intensity and are set correctly alignment wise and beam pattern is correct then have to pass. An incorrectly fitted or poor HID kit will fail on beam pattern, original fitment units have to have self levelling systems, not the manual ones fitted in non HID, but this is not part of the test.

hmm, yeh ive read TONES of posts on loads of forums bout HID's, and the general feel is that its a bit hit and miss. so ima air on the side of caution and remove em for the test. thanks for opinons tho.

NumanR; Jug's list isn't a complete list and I don't recall him claiming it to be, he said it is the 'usual' checks. He didn't mention that the number plates for example have to be the correct type with legal spacing or that doors have to be easily openable from the inside.

Dont know if Jug is a tester but I am, so I do know what to look for and what I can pass and what I need to fail. It just amazes me how some people make a statement without having sufficient knowledge of the subject. Most MOT testers do give a toss because their jobs depend on getting judgements correct on the condition of vehicles. Computerisation of the MOT test has meant that testers are under constant scrutiny and are checked for excessive pass or fail statistics, we then have spot checks from the ministry and at least one quality control inspection a month.

didnt mean to start an argument, just wanted some informed advice, from what ive seen jug has given some very useful advice, if numanr can add to this id be greatful, seing as tho you are an MOT tester, what (as far as you are aware) are the regulations with reguards to HID's and aftermarket headlights? and is there anything thats punto's classically fail on? thanks.

Original HID headlights are designed to work as original equipment with automatic self levelling systems. What I will call secondary HID units are fitted as a replacement bulb units and these unfortunately dofa not have the same characteristics as a halogen type bulb. If you check any H4 type bulb for example the element is always at the same point, it always has a shield at the same position etc, this is ot the same as secondary HID, and because of this the beam pattern is incorrect, alot of cars fail mot due to incorrectly fitted headlight bulbs, its vey easy to spot as the pattern is completely screwed up. It is this that a tester can fail, purely on the beam pattern not being a recognisable pattern for the design of headlight.

Punto generally has few mot failures that are really repeat repairs.

Horns not working, washers not working, bulbs out, tyres and brake condition (disc warping etc), exhaust mountings etc, generally suspension, steering, hydraulics, etc are very good and last well, if you have the car serviced and maintained well MOT time should not be a frightening experience.

thanks allot, seing as tho my HID bulbs r the cheapest i could find, i will assume they are c*** also did notice there are certain bright spots, and some dark sopts, so i assume this is bad beam pattern caused by bulb?, so ill put halogens back in, and source higher quality 1's. any way to tell if a bulb is any good?