MOT time.. and this time I was quite confident going in... but then the beast ran in to the same mechanic (who we shall cal Doctor Death) who eventually passed it last year.. more because of my persistence in bringing it back than because he really wanted to.
Last time out, the tailgate struts had been a bit sloppy for a while but I had learned to dodge the tailgate lid whenever it sagged.. The Doctor obviously had no idea and it did thump him rather hard on the head. Then it smoked out his workshop for good measure, since it was honestly a bit smokey... (kind of fire in a Kuwaiti oilfield level of smokey). The Doctor seems to have been a little offended at these displays of petulance and has been out to get Gerrard ever since.
This time out, I had recently fitted a new turbo boost valve, which greatly reduced the smokiness... there's still some, but it's not visibly black like before (more just grey) and it doesn't blot out the sun so much that dinosaurs start to worry. But it's a Euro-III and it smokes a bit.. so what?
The tailgate struts are also brand new Stabilus items, so no expense spared for the Doctor's head... but he still hasn't forgiven the beast and he failed it on a few points.
Ignoring the seat-belt, which is a fair cop.. most of these items seem like a crock of made-up cobbolers... so anyway, I won't be bringing the beast back to that particular establishment ever again.
But if I clean the grease off the suspension arm pin, so the next regeneration of The Doctor can see that it's new, and fit new TREs so that the next regeneration of The Doctor can see that they're new... that leaves the exhaust smokes/or does it?
The Doctor failed it under 8.2.2.2(f) (too smokey to do an emissions test) but how does he decide what's too smokey? The GOV MOT guide talks about a smoke level limit.. but that seems to be used intechangeable to mean "emissions". Is there such a thing as an "approved diesel smoke meter" and is that the emissions gear, or is it something else?
Obviously before I takes the beast to someone else (ideally an old blind bloke) to test, I want to be reasonably sure that it can pass. Last year it had a diet of every fuel injection/exhaust smoke cleaner going, and it eventually "just" passed.. but this year the exhaust looks a lot better, even before I gave it the same battery of potions.
I dunno if they just see an old car with moon-shot mileage and expect it to have the same emissions as an electirc/hybrid/Fanny-Boy Special.. or if there's some other skull-duggery at work, like racking up their "Fail" count.. I dunno what black arts go on... but this one feels a bit fishy.
Ralf S.
Last time out, the tailgate struts had been a bit sloppy for a while but I had learned to dodge the tailgate lid whenever it sagged.. The Doctor obviously had no idea and it did thump him rather hard on the head. Then it smoked out his workshop for good measure, since it was honestly a bit smokey... (kind of fire in a Kuwaiti oilfield level of smokey). The Doctor seems to have been a little offended at these displays of petulance and has been out to get Gerrard ever since.
This time out, I had recently fitted a new turbo boost valve, which greatly reduced the smokiness... there's still some, but it's not visibly black like before (more just grey) and it doesn't blot out the sun so much that dinosaurs start to worry. But it's a Euro-III and it smokes a bit.. so what?
The tailgate struts are also brand new Stabilus items, so no expense spared for the Doctor's head... but he still hasn't forgiven the beast and he failed it on a few points.
- Rear seat belt doesn't retract. It's been wrapped around a child seat for the last 4 years so that probably hasn't helped. I should have left the seat in.. but I thought I'd make things easier for the Doctor. Made it easier for him to fail it.
- The suspension annoyed him too. He says there's excessive movement in the O/S Track Rod End. These are a) three years old and b) were last touched by his workshop when they adjusted the tracking a fortnight ago. No mention that they were FUBAR.. though the lads who did it did seem to struggle to undo them and still left the steering wheel slightly askew.
- The suspension arm bush pin is apparently "badly worn" despite being just 3 weeks old.
- And the perennial favourite of the Doctor .. it smokes too much so he didn't carry out the emissions test.
Ignoring the seat-belt, which is a fair cop.. most of these items seem like a crock of made-up cobbolers... so anyway, I won't be bringing the beast back to that particular establishment ever again.
But if I clean the grease off the suspension arm pin, so the next regeneration of The Doctor can see that it's new, and fit new TREs so that the next regeneration of The Doctor can see that they're new... that leaves the exhaust smokes/or does it?
The Doctor failed it under 8.2.2.2(f) (too smokey to do an emissions test) but how does he decide what's too smokey? The GOV MOT guide talks about a smoke level limit.. but that seems to be used intechangeable to mean "emissions". Is there such a thing as an "approved diesel smoke meter" and is that the emissions gear, or is it something else?
Obviously before I takes the beast to someone else (ideally an old blind bloke) to test, I want to be reasonably sure that it can pass. Last year it had a diet of every fuel injection/exhaust smoke cleaner going, and it eventually "just" passed.. but this year the exhaust looks a lot better, even before I gave it the same battery of potions.
I dunno if they just see an old car with moon-shot mileage and expect it to have the same emissions as an electirc/hybrid/Fanny-Boy Special.. or if there's some other skull-duggery at work, like racking up their "Fail" count.. I dunno what black arts go on... but this one feels a bit fishy.
Ralf S.