Re: Automatic brake adjusters

Update #3. Piece of cake. Only a seized wheel cylinder, and putting the handbrake on neatly pulls the shoes away from the cylinder just enough to replace it. I had to make a new pipe as well, but that's only a few minutes' work.

Coo, I'm impressed by Nissan. That car is 15 years old, had done a shade under ten thousand miles since its last MOT - taking it up to

104,000 - and the total cost of getting it through was =A316.03. =A315 for the cylinder, 50p for the pipe end fittings and 53p for a sidelight bulb.

Ian

Now it's a Renault. Multiply the figures by at least 100 :-(

Any car should pass its MOT with no work if it's properly maintained.

Yeah, yeah, I know. How often do you strip and check your rear brake cylinders? I didn't notice the slight (only one of the two pistons was stuck) imbalance before the test, and even afterwards, when I knew it was there, I couldn't detect it.

Ian

PS That =A316.03, plus two tyres, is /all/ I've had to spend on it over the past year.

"Dave Plowman (News)" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

*ding*

The MOT is a bare minimum, not some unattainably high target.

Ian gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

See that "If it's properly maintained"? That's not you, that's not.

The SD1 only gets one service a year due to low mileage and that includes removing the rear drums to clean out dust etc and inspect.

[...]

I agree wholeheartedly with the principle of what you are saying, but there is some inconsistency between servicing and the MOT. For example, I have never seen the need to check the number plates mentioned in the service schedule of any vehicle I have owned.

WRT the OP's MOT fail for a rear wheel cylinder fault, it's not normally part of an annual standard service to remove the brake drums for inspection. This is only normally required at much longer intervals.

Chris

Well like lamps failing etc it's something you should check yourself. Most would notice if a numberplate was damaged.

There's no such thing as a standard annual service - all cars are different.

If I had take the drums off to inspect things I still wouldn't have noticed it - the cylinder looked fine, with perfect seals and just a few spots of surface rust on the body. My legs are not long enough to work the pedal and check whether things are moving simultaneously!

Ian

That's true. There are, however, some things which are unlikely to be picked up without access to MOT station test equipment. How often do you check the emissions of your cars (not counting 2CVs)? How often do you measure your brake performance?

The DS has only once failed an MOT since I got her, and that was on emissions. Turned out to be a slightly dodgy - and almost brand new Bougicord - HT lead which meant number 3 was giving high HC at idle. Just overt he limit, and no problem at any speed or under load.

Did I say otherwise? Did anyone?

Ian

I think we can assume he meant "for a particular car" and anyway he had covered himself with "normally".

Ian

Chris Whelan gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I'd expect anybody to notice that during the weekly lights/tyres etc check that they should be doing.

Still don't agree - when drum brakes were common cleaning them out was part of a service.

It's not just about damage.

Here's the list of things that should be checked during an MOT WRT the number plates.

Do you honestly think that all those relevant things would be considered, even by someone such as yourself?

OK. I'm sure you know what I meant. All cars will have a service schedule. The most common form this takes for anything vaguely modern is a minor service at 10-12K, or annually, whichever comes first. Every third time, it would have a major service.

Looking at Ford's schedule, which I'm sure won't be significantly different from others, the brake drums only get removed to check the wheel cylinders at the major service. For the vast majority of owners this is likely to be every three years.

The point is, "properly maintained" can only mean "in accordance with the maker's instructions", and in this instance at least it wouldn't always prevent a vehicle with a sticking wheel cylinder from being submitted for an MOT.

Chris

And the MOT was the "Ten Year Test"...

Chris

Chris Whelan gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

True. Plates that have deliberately been made illegally will also fail.

Twice a year.

Err, if they were supplied correctly initially and are currently undamaged, what's the problem?