What's made you smile today?

[PuntoHowTo]

I will never understand the mentality of spaffing a load of cash on a car that was never desirable. To relieve the experience of driving an Escort L...if you always wanted an RS turbo and couldn't afford one in the day fair enough but it's all gone a bit mental at the moment.



If I'm remembering correctly construction and use regulations are that the tyre fitted must be rated to a higher speed than the top speed of the car.

So for example oem tyres on the Mazda due to being large and reasonably low profile were only available in a Y rating. That's 168mph...it could do 117 on good day. It would be entirely legal to drop a V or H rated tyre on it. They just weren't available in that size, when I went to all seasons they were actually V rated but still entirely legal as it couldn't do 149mph.

I also wonder about people driving the same knackered car from one Decade to the next and blowing hundreds and hundreds of pounds on keeping it going each MOT.


Going back to the Arteon, The R apparently has a top speed of 168mph which would put it on the edge of the speed rating for a W, I think my punto 17” wheels had W rated tyres, just in case you do a 168mph in a 120hp diesel……

The other thing with a lot of these cars is that they require a specific fitment, my Bridgestones on the Golf are apparently “Audi fit” and rated for extra load, so all these other little things probably add to the premium.

I watched the Carwow review of the Arteon R which was the shootingbrake version, He did a 0-60 in 4.5 seconds!! That’s just insane!

For comparison the Ferrari F355 did 0-60 in 4.7 seconds.and it’s replacement the Ferrari 360 did it in 4.6 seconds.


The Arteon will lug around a whole boot full of luggage and your kids for £51k which is a lot cheaper than the £120,000 of the Ferrari, 20 years ago. Which neatly wraps around to prove that nostalgia doesn’t pay because if you wanted a Ferrari 20 years ago because it was fast and you’ve spent 20 years saving to buy one, there is now a VW family estate car that’s quicker lol

 

[StevenRB45]

I also wonder about people driving the same knackered car from one Decade to the next and blowing hundreds and hundreds of pounds on keeping it going each MOT.


Going back to the Arteon, The R apparently has a top speed of 168mph which would put it on the edge of the speed rating for a W, I think my punto 17” wheels had W rated tyres, just in case you do a 168mph in a 120hp diesel……

The other thing with a lot of these cars is that they require a specific fitment, my Bridgestones on the Golf are apparently “Audi fit” and rated for extra load, so all these other little things probably add to the premium.

I watched the Carwow review of the Arteon R which was the shootingbrake version, He did a 0-60 in 4.5 seconds!! That’s just insane!

For comparison the Ferrari F355 did 0-60 in 4.7 seconds.and it’s replacement the Ferrari 360 did it in 4.6 seconds.


The Arteon will lug around a whole boot full of luggage and your kids for £51k which is a lot cheaper than the £120,000 of the Ferrari, 20 years ago. Which neatly wraps around to prove that nostalgia doesn’t pay because if you wanted a Ferrari 20 years ago because it was fast and you’ve spent 20 years saving to buy one, there is now a VW family estate car that’s quicker lol

The First bit...well a certain Ford Focus has been a fixture of my life for far too bloody long. He's only spent 4k in the last 2 years keeping it going.

His mentality is...I only do 1k miles a year I don't need a new car depreciating on the drive, which is fair enough but it's reached the point now where 5k even in the current market would buy something infinitely less troublesome and at least 5 years newer.

The Arteon..automatic 4wd drive cars with a generic boosted 4 have never appealed to me.

It can produce very impressive and improbable numbers but there's a good chance a small flex of the foot puts you into instaban territory. I'd imagine it will hit 100 from a standing start before the C3 would hit 60. I would also imagine it will insulate you almost completely from the feeling of speed so when the officer asks you how fast you were going and he tells you it was 3 figures you'll be genuinely surprised.

Dunno..they kinda fail as a dad wagon in that the interior is too nice for kids and they are too fast to use especially if you had the kids in it. 2.0d would be just as fast in the real world given you only ever tend to go as fast as the car in front and be similarly involving.

 

[portland_bill]

These days, tyres are rated separately for load and speed. Years ago, the load went with the speed rating, so a higher speed rating usually also had a higher load rating. I remember Dad's Triumph Stag having to use H rated tyres, despite its top speed bwing just within a standard S rating, but needed the extra load rating of the H rated tyres. Most Stags at that time, and probably now, were fitted with S rated tyres, but of course, then as now, you won't find a policeman who knows what it all means, or what each car should have. He'll only really be interested in whether there is tread on it. As will some (but sadly not all) owners.

When shopping for tyres for the Panda, it amuses me that there are several load choices. No idea what might use that size and require a higher load. My friend's Suzuki van also uses 155/80 13, but needs proper van tyres, with stronger sidewalls, so the higher rating of the caar tyres is not for the vans.

 

[Cheest]

Can you guys enlighten a confused Yank? What the hell is MOT? It sounds like an annual vehicle inspection.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

This should give you a fair idea about it without getting too technical: https://www.halfords.com/mot/advice/whats-checked-in-an-mot.html
It's linked to the Police computer system so the ANPR cameras at the roadside and in police vehicles will pick you up as you drive past if your vehicle does not have a current certificate. - MOT stands for Ministry Of Transport. It's quite a strict test and many fail on "stupid" things like blown light bulbs or windscreen wipers. I value it as a second line of inspection to back up my service and maintenance regime.

 

[varesecrazy]

ANPR..
Automated License Plate Recognition

Or .......Number Plate in UK English

 

[Cheest]

Ahh, makes sense. There is something similar in most of the east coast states and California. In Illannoy, where I live, there is only emission testing for cars and that is dependent on mailing address. Nothing where I live. For trucks, though, it's a different story. Anything rated over 3/4 ton requires a thorough state inspection annually. And, depending whether or not the inspector has had their morning coffee or gotten laid the night before, your vehicle can be perfect and fail. Greasing a palm can fix that sometimes, though.

Here, if you are pulled over for speeding, or whatever, and the cop sees a bum taillight, that's added to the ticket. And it's expensive. So it behooves me to keep things up to snuff.

From what I've seen in states that require the annual inspections, they appear to be state run scams.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

And, depending whether or not the inspector has had their morning coffee or gotten laid the night before, your vehicle can be perfect and fail. Greasing a palm can fix that sometimes, though.

Here, if you are pulled over for speeding, or whatever, and the cop sees a bum taillight, that's added to the ticket. And it's expensive. So it behooves me to keep things up to snuff.

From what I've seen in states that require the annual inspections, they appear to be state run scams.

A number of years back, when it was a paper based system, there were always rumors of "bent" MOTs being obtainable for cash (car unseen, transacted in a pub). Historically I've come across a number of cars shortly after being bought by friends who've subsequently asked me to check for "funny noises" or brakes pulling to one side, etc where I've found myself scratching my head in wonderment that the vehicle had a current MOT. However I've never actually known how you'd go about procuring one. For some time the MOT has been computer linked with the car's reg No being entered into the database at the time of testing and the outcome recorded at that time also on the computer where it's instantly uploaded to the database. This seems to have virtually eliminated crooked MOTs.

Tests are carried out at licenced garages with Government stipulated standardized testing equipment. It's quite an expanse for a garage to set this facility up but as most customers will opt to have the testing garage carry out repairs it can be very lucrative for the garage. Accusations of the tester being to enthusiastically strict are often made by people who's vehicles have failed, and there can be differences of opinion, especially on chassis/body corrosion, where one individual may interpret the written guidance more strictly than another, but by and large standards are pretty even across the board. The man doing the MOT will be a garage employee, tested and licenced by "The Ministry" and will be legally working for "The Ministry" whilst carrying out the test and the ones I know take their responsibility very seriously. In my experience there are some larger "money machines" who are best avoided but most of the other's will give a fair test. Best of all though to find either a dedicated MOT testing station which does not do repairs so has no vested interest or a small indy where they can get to know you are an enthusiast who takes care of your vehicle and knows just as much as them about when something is failable.

Having a tail light out is a classic reason to get "pulled" by the "boy's in blue" over here. Then they'll do a walk round check. If it's just a bulb and you don't get "cheeky" I would expect to either get a telling off and told to fix it or you might get a "producer" where you have to later go to a police station (you usually get to choose which one at the time) and prove the repair has been carried out (workshop receipt). Of course it's all change if they find a badly worn tyre or other serious defect during the walk round - better to check your lights regularly!

Far from being a scam - Our governing bodies get none of the fee - I think the test has been a good thing in the main. I think there is still an element of people who know nothing about their car and never check them being ripped off to a certain extent by some workshops talking them into doing repairs which aren't even a failure, but there's always been an element of this in "trades" - I've heard some absolute shockers concerning charges made to open someone's front door when they've lost their keys or clear a blocked drain!

 

[PuntoHowTo]

Here, if you are pulled over for speeding, or whatever, and the cop sees a bum taillight, that's added to the ticket. And it's expensive. So it behooves me to keep things up to snuff.

In essence here a private company checks your car is road worthy and tells the government.

Your insurance Co also shares data and you have to “tax” your car with the government and with a scan of these ANPR cameras we’ve automated the whole process of fining drivers for driving unlicensed, uninsured or unroadworthy cars.

If a car “pings” on the ANPR cameras the nearest police cars get notified.
They can also put “markers” on a car so if it’s known to be used for drug dealing then it may get stopped a lot and searched.

At least it keeps dangerous cars off the road or quickly puts a stop to them, also deals with all manor of other crimes.

It’s very rare anyone would get a fine for a dodgy tail light.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

In other news first landing today and it was a nice one, the only down side was the huge flock of seagulls hanging about over the airfield which I spooked when landing and then spent the next half hour cleaning a metric f%#k ton of bird poop off a Cessna

You think bird poop sticks to cars, try cleaning it off the flaps of and aircraft and the underside of the wings when it’s been applied at high speed liberally by a propeller spinning at 1000rpm, still epic weather for flying this evening and the sun was setting at the end of the runway as we finished.

 

[StevenRB45]

Took a chance on the weather.. left the house in drizzle and grey skies drove 50 miles north.

 

[Cheest]

In essence here a private company checks your car is road worthy and tells the government.

Your insurance Co also shares data and you have to “tax” your car with the government and with a scan of these ANPR cameras we’ve automated the whole process of fining drivers for driving unlicensed, uninsured or unroadworthy cars.

If a car “pings” on the ANPR cameras the nearest police cars get notified.
They can also put “markers” on a car so if it’s known to be used for drug dealing then it may get stopped a lot and searched.

At least it keeps dangerous cars off the road or quickly puts a stop to them, also deals with all manor of other crimes.

It’s very rare anyone would get a fine for a dodgy tail light.

Interesting. Regarding my previous comment about a state run scam, my oldest lives in Maine, aka, New England. She had an old Volvo 245DL wagon that she took with her to Maine from Illannoy. (Wonderful little car, btw) There was a small crack in the taillight lens. The inspector purposely broke the taillight lens and threatened to impound my kids' car unless she paid up front. As my kid is no dope, she pulled out her State of Maine Employees badge while calling the State Attorneys Office to report this dick. End result was that the dick had to replace my kids taillight out of his own pocket, lost his inspectors and business license with the state, and all of his previous reported inspection failures were investigated resulting in the state having to make restitution to affected parties. Had my kid not stood up for herself, the state probably would have swept this under the rug.

As my kid has a way of telling people off without them realizing it until later, she related to me that she told this jerk that he should be glad it was her he tried to mess with as her father would have killed him.

 

[StevenRB45]

In any profession there will be bad actors in the same way as not everyone you meet is a nice person.

Stories like the above speak of a lack of oversight, he didn't think that there would be any consequences to his actions.

The whole point of having everyone national is everything every tester passes or fails is immediately available to view online to check. They know exactly who did each test and when and if you're found to have been doing dodgy inspections you're gone along with that revenue stream for the garage.

They a cracking down in recent years especially around dodgy diesel tickets for cars with removed Dpfs (finally).
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-n...sters-struck-off-by-dvsa-increases-by-over-80

 

[portland_bill]

I think most people in the UK see the MOT as a necessary evil, and will be upset at the tester for any failures. Many will seek out the most lenient tester.

Like Jock, I like the annual test. No matter how diligent you are at home maintenance, I think it is a great idea to have someone independent look over the car, checking all legal and safety issues. Reassuring when it passes, disappointing if it fails, but a time to kick yourself for missing something, not blaming the tester. There are garages that offer cut price tests. I go to a garage at the bottom of the road, pay full price, and get a proper inspection.

We are able to get the test done up to a month before the old one expires, and a pass will expire 12 months from the old date. Many years ago, my car failed on a bit of play in the ends of the steering rack. There were little springs that failed. Took the car home, used the motorcycle for a few days, then repaired the car at the weekend. However it was a fortnight before I could get it retested, during which time both rear wheel cylinders had seized, they were fine at the fisrt test.

 

[StevenRB45]

I agree with Portland Bill..

If you've got a well maintained car it's generally nothing to fear. It's just a basic check over to make sure everything meets the basic required standard (which is not that high in reality).

Last actual MOT fail I had was in 2012 for corroded brake pipes which I'd not have noticed not having my own 4 post ramp.

I did have one this year, but presented the car in the expectation of it failing. Basically if I repaired the fault pre-mot and it passed I pay the entire bill. If it failed then warranty company paid the bill instead. Given that re-tests for the same thing are generally free (not that I was paying for that either..the service plan was paying for that).

Other advantage being compared to states where you have no inspection, is even people who do not give a fudge bar must have a car that meets roadworthiness standards at least once a year. So you don't get the rolling basket cases staying on the road year after year.

 

[Cheest]

Jack and the Russian Mini-Tractor ready to scare the little ghosts and goblins.

I hope he enjoys himself because, tomorrow, it's back into the garage attic for him until next October.

 

[portland_bill]

Jack and the Russian Mini-Tractor ready to scare the little ghosts and goblins.
I hope he enjoys himself because, tomorrow, it's back into the garage attic for him until next October.

Just because you think he's in the attic, does not mean he IS in the attic. He might be out to play all year around, unless you check on him nightly.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I've mentioned before that my daughter and her family lived in Southern Maryland for a number of years when her husband's work based them there. Also my sister and her husband live about 2 hours car drive west of Boston Mass so we are no strangers to the east coast. We soon learned it's far too hot for us over there in the summer so we would go in the spring or Autumn and, being retired, would stay with both families so would often see both Halloween and Thanksgiving - seen, and eaten, enough pumpkins to last me the rest of my life!

Halloween we always spent at my daughters to be with the kids and boy did they all go to town over it on the estate where they lived. Here's some pics:











I've got some wonderful ones of individual costumes too, fully worthy of a movie makeup department, but I'd better not post them as the individuals are easily identifiable.

Their estate was a couple of miles outside the local small town and their displays were such a local feature that a bus (one of the iconic yellow school buses) would come every year which I think brought elderly and disadvantaged members of their community to see the displays and so the kids could go round collecting sweets (candy) - collecting sweets was a big thing for all the kids, my grandchildren would collect enough to start a small shop! Community spirit was very evident there and we were always made to feel very welcome and included in local "goings on".

On a more car related front, here's the Corvette I've previously talked about that their friend has been restoring for years:



I was glad to see that his garage was no more tidy than mine.



I've spent a number of happy hours, feeling green with envy, watching what he was doing in that garage. He promised me a ride in it, maybe on "First Friday" when they close down the centre of town every first Friday of the month and, amongst other activities, people drive their classic and custom cars slowly around the town centre. I was really looking forward to that treat but unfortunately he never got the car on the road before my son in law's contract was up and they came back to Blighty. My daughter and her family still maintain close contact with the friends they made over there and have already visited once so maybe I'll go with them one time and get a run in that car?

 

[Cheest]

Things started off quick here yesterday, then petered out. I think we had 9 kids total. There is a tight knit community of parents in this development we live in and I think they spent the evening getting 'tight'. One dad hooked up an old Farmall tractor to a twin axle car hauler, added benches and a propane heater to the car hauler, and all the parents went for a ride through the neighborhood. Mrs. Cheest and I hit the sack about 10pm and they weren't back yet. I know that the combined length of all the streets here total less than 3 miles, so I can only assume they were having a good time in someones' back yard.

 

[pooroldcodger]

A number of years back, when it was a paper based system, there were always rumors of "bent" MOTs being obtainable for cash (car unseen, transacted in a pub). Historically I've come across a number of cars shortly after being bought by friends who've subsequently asked me to check for "funny noises" or brakes pulling to one side, etc where I've found myself scratching my head in wonderment that the vehicle had a current MOT. However I've never actually known how you'd go about procuring one. For some time the MOT has been computer linked with the car's reg No being entered into the database at the time of testing and the outcome recorded at that time also on the computer where it's instantly uploaded to the database. This seems to have virtually eliminated crooked MOTs.

Tests are carried out at licenced garages with Government stipulated standardized testing equipment. It's quite an expanse for a garage to set this facility up but as most customers will opt to have the testing garage carry out repairs it can be very lucrative for the garage. Accusations of the tester being to enthusiastically strict are often made by people who's vehicles have failed, and there can be differences of opinion, especially on chassis/body corrosion, where one individual may interpret the written guidance more strictly than another, but by and large standards are pretty even across the board. The man doing the MOT will be a garage employee, tested and licenced by "The Ministry" and will be legally working for "The Ministry" whilst carrying out the test and the ones I know take their responsibility very seriously. In my experience there are some larger "money machines" who are best avoided but most of the other's will give a fair test. Best of all though to find either a dedicated MOT testing station which does not do repairs so has no vested interest or a small indy where they can get to know you are an enthusiast who takes care of your vehicle and knows just as much as them about when something is failable.

Having a tail light out is a classic reason to get "pulled" by the "boy's in blue" over here. Then they'll do a walk round check. If it's just a bulb and you don't get "cheeky" I would expect to either get a telling off and told to fix it or you might get a "producer" where you have to later go to a police station (you usually get to choose which one at the time) and prove the repair has been carried out (workshop receipt). Of course it's all change if they find a badly worn tyre or other serious defect during the walk round - better to check your lights regularly!

Far from being a scam - Our governing bodies get none of the fee - I think the test has been a good thing in the main. I think there is still an element of people who know nothing about their car and never check them being ripped off to a certain extent by some workshops talking them into doing repairs which aren't even a failure, but there's always been an element of this in "trades" - I've heard some absolute shockers concerning charges made to open someone's front door when they've lost their keys or clear a blocked drain!

A few years ago when Codger Junior had been driving a few years and was now in to his "what car fits my lifestyle" phase, he sold a perfectly good Astra SXi which was a nice looking car and in its place bought a rather tired looking Thunder Grey Honda Civic from a dealer in town. For the only reason that it was a Civic and not and Astra as far as I could see. And Civics were Japanese and great and Astra's were now naff apparently. But never mind - his money, his life etc.
So he was living with us at the time and he was out one night and as per normal came home after Mrs Codger and I had gone to bed.
The following morning he told me that his recently acquired Civic, complete with 11 months +/- MOT had given him the fright of his life coming home last night. Approaching a dual carriageway roundabout his footbrake went almost to the floor and he had to resort to the handbrake to slow it down enough to manhandle it around . So we got underneath and found that one of the brake pipes close to one of the back wheels had blown apart.
Looking at was left of the brake pipe that was some serious corrosion in 1 month! Or more likely a sight unseen MOT was my guess at the time.
Luckily he lived to tell the tale and as it was in the early hours there was nobody else to hit on the roundabout.