Bad day! Leak is back and MOT failed...

So took the van for it's MOT today - and it    failed.   So much stuff that the failure box was full and there where more advisories than I care to mention...just quite how that can happen in the 12 months since it's last MOT that had no advisories...couple that with the leaking high top windows and broken leisure battery, which I thought where all fixed and aren't - bad day all round.

Van is back on my drive to sort out a few minor MOT problems - wiper blades, the horn not working, cracked front tyre, then back to the garage on monday for some welding at the front and back and replacement of rear brake lines and some other brake related issue that is causing inconsistent pressure on both sides or something!

Have also booked the thing in at autosleepers on Tuesday 25th for a day to let them have a go at the high top windows and a couple of other things I was going to do but have lost the will to do!
Hopefully throwing money at it this week and next will get it all sorted out and I can start to use it properly   

Hi Richard
If you need a B&B for the night, try the New Inn in the village.
Mark is usually in for 7.30, opening the workshop shop at 8 am
Boaby

burlingtonboaby wrote:Hi Richard
If you need a B&B for the night, try the New Inn in the village.
Mark is usually in for 7.30, opening the workshop shop at 8 am
Boaby

Thanks.  i was planning to stay in the van and maybe eat at the pub.  I am presuming that there won't be much else in the village (i.e. shops/take away)?

Hi there,

Let them know you are coming because they have a few EHU's available and the Security Guard will aim you in the right direction.

They did a remarkable amount of work on "Petal" in a morning, but one bit of advice is "Don't even think about drinking the free coffee!!"        There's a reason it's free!!     

Best regards,
 

Dutto wrote:Hi there,

Let them know you are coming because they have a few EHU's available and the Security Guard will aim you in the right direction.

They did a remarkable amount of work on "Petal" in a morning, but one bit of advice is "Don't even think about drinking the free coffee!!"        There's a reason it's free!!     

Thanks - I am planning to get there about 6pm on the monday evening and park up overnight - they have offered me a EHU so should be good.
I'll remember not to drink the coffee!

I've asked them to:

Remove and refit the 2 high top windows that are leaking
Remove and refit the bathroom window which is leaking and while they have the bathroom panels off also check the rear awning bracket is secure (it wobbles) and refit awning
Remove and/or refis the black outside panels - one is falling off and bent
Fit a new EHU socket 
And then check a few areas around the hightop where the sealant looks a bit rough.


I've now also managed to get the report from the MOT fail this afternoon

Reason(s) for refusal to issue Certificate

Horn not working (1.6.2a)

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Nearside Front Subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Centre Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Brakes imbalanced across an axle (3.7.A.5b)

Advisory Notice issued

Play in rear wheel beaings

Slight play front wheel bearings

Nsf brake pipes corroding

Corrosion osf inner wing

Osf tyre splitting

Central body brackets corroding

Outer rear sill ends corroding/holed

Exhaust rubber missing

Rear valance corroding

Emission just within specification

Tyres are being changed tomorrow, but not sure what all the rest of the stuff means.
Any advice appreciated!

Richard

Richard,

On the "Fail":

Horn not working (1.6.2a)


Needs to be fixed - obviously a "must".

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

This means that there is a probability that without fixing the corroded bit the suspension may break away in the next 12 months.

Nearside Front Subframe mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded (2.4.A.3)

Ditto for nearside front subframe.

Centre Brake pipe excessively corroded (3.6.B.2c)

This means that there is a probability that without fixing the corroded pipe there will possibly be a brake failure in the next 12 months.

Brakes imbalanced across an axle (3.7.A.5b)


This means that application of the brakes will cause one brake to bite harder than the other which can "skew" the vehicle, especially in an emergency when you really throw the anchors out!

Advisory Notice issued

Play in rear wheel beaings


The wheel bearings are so worn that they are "wobbly" and will probably fail within the next 12 months.  This will mean a "breakdown" rather than a dangerous situation.

Slight play front wheel bearings


Ditto.

Nsf brake pipes corroding

Corrosion bad enough on near-side front brake pipes to be noticeable but not likely to rupture in the next 12 months.

Corrosion osf inner wing


Corrosion on the off-side front inner wing.  Not "critical" in terms of immediate safety.

Osf tyre splitting


Amazed that they didn't use this as a "fail" item.  The tyre needs changing.

Central body brackets corroding


Corrosion.  Not "critical" in terms of immediate safety.

Outer rear sill ends corroding/holed

Corrosion.  Not "critical" in terms of immediate safety.

Exhaust rubber missing


Bit of kit has fallen off or was never fitted.

Rear valance corroding


Corrosion.  Not "critical" in terms of immediate safety.

Emission just within specification

A warning that the engine is getting to the limits of today's standards.  Next year suggest that you slap in a few re-fills of "premier diesel" and an additive or two before putting it in for the MOT.


Hope this helps.   


Best regards,
 

Hi I suspect a lot of those points were there last year.!!
Differences of opinion what is bad rust.
Wheel bearings have some play,so its a variation from garage to garage.
If it had been me i would have gone to another garage to see how many came up on their check.
Looks like an expensive year.
regards

Mike
Maybe this is a record for the most advisories!!

I think Mike that now the MOT system is computerised, once the detail is entered, by one garage, any other garage in the country will be able to access the info by entering the registration number.
Not sure if advisories are recorded on the computer?

Gone are the days when you could go to another garage for another MOT!

PB

That is one big list, hope it doesn't cost to much to get it all sorted. 
As Mike says, the wheel bearing issue is a matter of opinion, if your garage is not used to commercial vehicles they might not be aware that they are built with more free play in the beatings than a normal car. 
When I took my duetto for its Mot I thought it was going to fail on loads of stuff but the mot'er said it was in really good condition for a transit of that age and as long as its looked after it should last for years. Just one small hole in the rear valance near the shooting mount that need welding.

Hi  PB, Have you tried?  I often have an early MOT ,and never picked up on advisories from last MOT yet!
Not had one this year though.  

I think garages are going for more advisories than ever before. Maybe to show they are doing a good check.
I was told last year on the car ,that it had rust on the exhaust.  
regards

mike

Hi all

The advisories are all shown on the MOT website - so if I took it somewhere else I would have thought they would check their first!  

Dutto, thanks for the breakdown for each one - I am a little bit less worried about it now...

I think I will ask them to look at the brake pipes, exhaust and wheel bearings along with fixing the fail things and then get the rest looked at later...

I believe they are considering changing mot time to every two years so they are starting to get more stringent now so people get used to it.

Hi Richard
Best place to hook up is behind the actual workshops, take some levellers with you as its on an incline, the other hook ups are over by the skip, when I parked up I had to remove a hand full of screws from in front of the skip before I could settle down.
The workshops are located within other units, so expect some other traffic making deliveries during the night.
The New inn at the top of the village opens for morning coffee at 10.30 am serves meals later, the Bell Inn is half way up the village on the left. Open for bar meals, Theres a wee shop in the village, across from the Bell Inn.
Good luck on your travels,
Boaby

Thanks all

Just been out to have a look at the horn to see if I could see why its not working

Thought I would give it a test first - pressed the steering wheel and it worked as it should and then set off the vans alarm and it sounded as well...

Not sure why they couldn't get it to work on Friday but it is working now!

Richard

Your horn may be improved by spraying some switch cleaner into the horn button/switch area.

Your rear brake balance may be due to failing/perishing flexible hoses, which can fail on the inside, reducing the effective internal diameter of the pipe.  Since you have to replace one of the metal brake pipes, it is probably worth thinking about replacing the rear flexible pipes at the same time, since the system will have to be drained, refilled and bled anyway.  It would be worth discussing it with your garage

Celticbiker
I am pleased that your Duetto's MOT went well, but confused by your comment:-
"Just one small hole in the rear valance near the shooting mount"
Please can you explain?
Thanks
Art.

'Brake imbalance across an axle'  is nearly always due to one seized or partially seized brake cylinder if on rear drum brakes or ditto on one calliper piston on disc brakes (usually front)

Note I said 'nearly always' it could of course be a lining or pad worn or (rare) one of the hydraulic circuits out of balance with the other, this points to the master-cylinder/seals.

Sometimes it can be stupidly simple (& cheap) as bleeding the system!!

Silly little storey.
Back in the 70's I had a V8 Rover coupe, & kept loosing the brake-fluid, brakes worked fine, no apparent leaks, but every week I had to top up the reservoir, soon got fed up with this so I decided that the only thing left to look at was the brake servo, this thing was the size of a saucepan, soon unhooked it from the bulkhead & the thing went down like a ton of bricks, tuned out to be full of brake-fluid, best part of a gallon, an internal seal had failed, but on the vacuum side & every time the pedal was pressed, the fluid was sucked out of the M/cyl & into the servo!!
You could rebuild them in those days so it was an easy fix.  
Ho-hum.

TODAYS UPDATE!

The horn is still working so it looks like it was just ceased up a little and making it beep a few times has ceased it

The brake imbalance is also sorted - it turns out to have been dirt/blockage in the pipes - probably due to it standing on the drive over winter - replacement of the brake lines and bleeding or whatever they do seems to have cleared that.

Welding getting done as we speak...

Hopefully will all be finished by tomorrow afternoon and MOT passed....

@Art
Lol, dammed autocorrect, It was supposed to say suspension mount.

I know it was last year but did you get the leak sorted from the high top window?  I have a leak on my Ford Transit Duetto Y2k model.  It's leaking in somewhere above the sliding door and finding its way through the inside coming out of just above the side sliding door and dripping onto the side door step.  It only leaks when the sliding door side of the van is parked lower than the drivers side if you see what I mean.

Hi
Yes, I did get the leak sorted - after failing to did it myself and the local dealer having problems I took it down to Autosleepers and had it done there!

It cost a few pounds, but at the factory they knew exactly what the problem was and how to fix it - I think I paid about £500 but for that they removed all the inner trim and removed and resealed all the high top windows not just the one that was leaking and also serviced the fridge!

Richard