failed mot hand brake not working on one side ( Ford Escort M Reg)

Start by replacing the adjusters between the shoes....

JK

Assuming that the cable actually moves on the bad side, and that the shoes are in good condition and not flooded in brake fluid. Make sure that the actuating lever on the brake shoe is able to move back to its off position, it may be necessary to slacken the cable or free the arm where it pivots on the brake shoe. Having made sure that the levers are able to fully return, replace the drums and press the brake pedal hard. This will operate the adjusters, then you can reduce any excess play on the handbrake cable.

Do it any other other and it will not work.

To test that the handbrake is working efficiently: with the handbrake on and the rear wheels off the ground attempt to turn the wheels by hand, any movement means that that side ain't right.

MrCheerful

Fairly common fail on cheap bulbs.

I think orange lamps were a silly idea anyway :)

sQuick...

Orange Bulb..... Take it a stage further - if the car was to scrape through and pass with this bulb, in what state would it be in by 6 - 12 months? White light? Come on - it will only cost about £1.50.

I am looking forward to the Corsa that I sometimes follow to work having its MOT. The (fashion doctored) brake lights are almost white.

The handbrake cable could be seized - or the lever mechanism in the drum. Some lubrication may be all that is needed - but again - an indication that if one side has gone - then a worse problem could be looming. (Snapped cable!)

If the footbrake was OK this rules out faulty or seized shoes. So you're left with the cable and or adjuster. Automatic adjusters are notorious for not working properly, but may respond to simply cleaning. I'd also check that the handbrake cable(s) haven't been incorrectly set to try and compensate for this.

I do. The colours of lights is important, as a method of identifying what they mean under poor visibility.

If they are uncomfortable because the frame is broken, then that is a fail too.

It's the sort of thing where even a Haynes manual can be of use.

I followed a BMW with aftermarket rear lights where they all lit white. The mentality of someone who does this makes one wonder if they should be allowed a driving licence.

I did not have a problem with it failing on the bulb but you would have thought that they could have replaced it for me as you say it is only a quid or so & I did enclose a letter saying please feel free to do any minor work anything major please phone me, but they did not even phone me to tell me it had failed.

I had an Escort that failed for the same reason...also failed on a sticker on a side window that'd been there for years..

IIRC, legally they're not allowed to do *any* work during an MOT. You should have asked for a pre MOT check with instructions for them to phone about anything major.

All right then:

The silliest failure I ever had was: Loose sun visor (it might fall down and obstruct vision)

MrCheerful

Big snip

Now I am surprised. Giving them permission to fix stuff without referring to you is like giving them a licence to print money. Any other garage would have replaced about £3000 worth of stuff and then said "well it was only a minor suspension system" or whatever. Minor is a relative term.

I would recommend always being specific about what they can and can't do or set a cash limit, and don't fall into the VAT trap. Some years ago I read about someone who said "if it's not over £500, go ahead. Then he came back and found himself faced with a bill for £499.99 +VAT, and that didn't include the test itself.

Steve

Nova Boy who lives in the same black as me was sanding some steel wheels the other day... Turns out they weren't Vauxhall ones, but as the PCD is the same (don't know what manufacturer they were) and a bit bigger, with good tyres, he didn't mind making the center hole big enough to fit the Vauxhall hubs...

Thankfully he's had the good sense to put a Lax Mower sticker on the back of the car, to warn people he's a prat.

That's truly lovely.

There are decent garages around. The one we use, we use precisely because they won't do unnecessary work. Our first car needed a few parts to get through the MOT but instead of charging us a fortune for replacements they gave us directions to the local scrapyard (we were new to the city) and told us to try there. They could have charged us way more than they have over the years, taking advantage of a young female driver who doesn't know a lot about car maintenance (I sometimes go there without my partner) but they have consistently shown us more respect than that.

-- For Sale: car, wheelchair, USB phone chargers... All Auctions:

Probably born out of wedlock, and father unknown :-)

James of Sunderland