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New UK MOT rules December 2011

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New UK MOT rules December 2011

my stilo passed last year with a red SRS light on the dash i know this because i viewed the car before it went for test! one of the guys i talked to at work still has his Class 4 MOT 'licence' and he says the ruling is changing come 2012, if it hasn't already, i can only assume he still gets the relevant info from the ministry.

as said srs systems, are usually if not always, rigged fail safe anyway and without getting into the whole OCS arguement it seems a little pointless to me that it should fail even on a red light if its fail safe!?
 
I thought i would revive this 3 week old post to clarify some of the things i've found out about these changes to the MOT test.
trawling through the Dft website there are a few nice documents explaining the changes but so far i've not found anything to suggest that they have brought into force anything regarding ECU changes or modifications this would quite simply be far to complicated to implement and enforce, however.....

Air Bag warning lights/MIL is now a fail if it does not illuminate with the ignition and extinguish, no light = fail, not extinguishing = fail. the airbags must be in working order as well so missing airbag = fail as does any airbag that appears to have been damaged or deployed.
at the airbag system usually includes the seatbelt pretensioners these are included too.
basically if these safety systems are not in full working order its an MOT fail.

another important change that will effect fiat ownership its that if your electric steering warning light is on this is a fail, as new rules come in to deal with cars that used electric power steering not previously covered by the MOT.

Engine Mounts and gearbox mounts are now also covered so if they are worn damaged or completely knackered then they can fail the car. and although worn brake pipes have been a fail for years worn fuel pipes have not this has now been changed to fuel pipes can fail your motor
catalytic converter must now be present, the absence of a Cat-converter is now a fail (unless the car was never fitted with one about pre 1992-93 i think)

I think the final thing thats of real importance is the use of a testing plug to ensure where fitted that Tow bar electrics are in good working order and the plug must be safe and properly secured, so no more dangling towbar sockets

there are a few little bits and bobs but nothing i see causing huge problems, unless i've missed something in which case please point it out
 
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There is no reason it wouldn't be both.

airbag issue is a problem to me too on my Punto 1.3MJT typical connection in above the glove box problem and nothing actually wrong with the system components. reset the light and it could take an hour or a month but the lightest touch of those wires turns the light back on grrrr.
 
if its a connector, switch your headlights on and disconnect the battery. wait a bit then pull it apart and squirt it with some switch cleaner.. that worked in my mums merc

most of the wires going to a airbag are sensor wires. only 1 wire triggers it, and it needs a +12v source. ive had my fair share of popping airbags for fun heh

for the airbag light,
no working actually makes it more easy to hack. a 555 timer circuit, transistor, resistor and LED. wire that lot up to a ignition live and you have a LED that would stay on for a bout 1 to 3 seconds. then just poke the LED through the old bulb hole and hold it in place with bluetac.

probably shouldn't be telling you guys this.. lol
 
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ball joints with rubber boots split is also a fail. unless it mangages to retain it's grease and does not let in dirt etc to accelerate the wear of a component.

this comes down to the testers dicrestion
 
Dragon Man said:
if its a connector, switch your headlights on and disconnect the battery. wait a bit then pull it apart and squirt it with some switch cleaner.. that worked in my mums merc

most of the wires going to a airbag are sensor wires. only 1 wire triggers it, and it needs a +12v source. ive had my fair share of popping airbags for fun heh

for the airbag light,
no working actually makes it more easy to hack. a 555 timer circuit, transistor, resistor and LED. wire that lot up to a ignition live and you have a LED that would stay on for a bout 1 to 3 seconds. then just poke the LED through the old bulb hole and hold it in place with bluetac.

probably shouldn't be telling you guys this.. lol
Click to expand...

Why turn the headlights off before disconnecting the battery :confused:
 
Dragon Man said:
for the airbag light,
no working actually makes it more easy to hack. a 555 timer circuit, transistor, resistor and LED. wire that lot up to a ignition live and you have a LED that would stay on for a bout 1 to 3 seconds. then just poke the LED through the old bulb hole and hold it in place with bluetac.
Click to expand...

I could write a book on how wrong this is

you would need a 555 configured to a monostable circuit so would need the timer a couple of caps a collection of resistors to the right values to attain the correct time delay. I'm not sure why you would need a transistor (care to elaborate?) and then you could connect it to the bulb that is already in place so no need for additional LED (which would require more components for voltage lowering)
555 is usually good for 16 volts so no need for voltage limiting or regulation but your time delay would vary dependent on the supply. and finally you would need a trigger i'e a feed from oil pressure or battery light.

all in all you could do this but you would be stupid to, and there are also much much easier ways of fiddling the airbag warning light if you were so inclined but I certainly wouldn't be encouraging anyone to do so ! then following up the ridiculous suggestion with
Dragon Man said:
its your life i guess. i know i would get the looked at.. messing around with a "keep you alive system" is a bad idea in any case.
Click to expand...

if thats what you think why say anything!?

and seriously Blutac? when did that become part of the Diy mechanics tool box ?
 
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hf turbo said:
ball joints with rubber boots split is also a fail. unless it mangages to retain it's grease and does not let in dirt etc to accelerate the wear of a component.

this comes down to the testers dicrestion
Click to expand...

actually i did read about this and i believe it says something like all ball joint boots if split can now be failed?
 
Shadeyman said:
If a visual inspection is all that is done they would have no idea if a car had been remapped, so remapped cars would be safe for now IMO.

However, Germany has had a complete ban on remapping in place since 2009 so I guess they have the means to some how detect a remaps. I don't suppose it will take long for the technology to be shipped here for use in our own MOT stations.

I still don't know if these new rules have been implemented here in the UK yet. Some say December 2011 and some say January 2012. Does anyone know for sure?
Click to expand...

dave said:
or mine
Click to expand...

your chip looks well tasty dave :)
 
i am not saying do it, i am just saying it could be made to be able to pass an MOT on a temporary basis.

i did say using a 555 timer circuit (with all the caps and timing resistors) as for the transistor i was getting mixed up, that was if the bulb was used and wattage dependent. if its an LED just run it strait from the timer output.

@ most easterly pandas, turn your headlights on to help drain any left over charge in the electrical systems of the car.https://www.fiatforum.com/members/most-easterly-pandas
 
Luckily, the airbag rule doesn't affect me at all, but it does annoy me. Why should they ban your car from the road for having a feature that doesn't work to it's full extent, when cars without that feature are just fine. It's one thing for the government to dictate your safety, but why should they be allowed to have double standards for it as well?
 
im buggered with the airbag thing in our 306... i changed the drivers seat and the light wont go off.

i have two soloutions... i have the original seat so i will swap the covers and put the original seat back in (which i couldnt be arse doing)

or

wire in a relay like a did in a mates rover 800 coupe turbo for his ABS light

i have a feeling it might be option 2.... i may have broken the connector...
 
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DlightSwitch said:
Luckily, the airbag rule doesn't affect me at all, but it does annoy me. Why should they ban your car from the road for having a feature that doesn't work to it's full extent, when cars without that feature are just fine. It's one thing for the government to dictate your safety, but why should they be allowed to have double standards for it as well?
Click to expand...

A lot of these come up with older cars like our 126 the cat converter thing for one, the air bags and many others same with our classic panda no airbags. I don't even know if these can be fitted. All i know is that if it wasn't part of the safety standard at the time of production then you can't be failed on the MOT for it. Suppose if you buy an older car you should already be aware of the lack of modern safety gadgets. We had a very in depth conversation about in the classic panda section when i bought my panda
 
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