Dollywobbler's Omegawd - Cruisin' (old people can do it too)

[tommotech]

What would plod say if they pulled you over and you said you were taking it to an MoT test booked a couple of hundred miles away? I agree that it's legal but I'm sure they would then be all over you and crawling up the exhaust to get you for something.

Operating to the letter of the law and within the spirit of the law are not entirely the same thing. Has anyone here been stopped by Plod yet and did they get away with their pre-booked MOT that was 200 odd miles away?

I don't mean to sound negative or get all pedantic, I just don't want to see this beast lifted to a compound and all the hassle that is involved for you DW (even if it is a Vauxhall, they're all shit you know!).

 

If I can be of any more help* do let me know......

[red5]

Both my Omegas had the bonnet opening problem.

It was always a two person job to open them- one to push up and down on the bonnet and the other to pull the release.

This always worked- so worth trying.

 

Good luck!

 

Steve

 

Oddly enough if you clean, lubricate and adjust the catch and the bonnet stops - they open when you pull the lever sans assistant.

 

The advice re pushing down gently roughly where catch is works on all centre mount bonnets.

[oldcars]

It will pass, as we all know all Vauxhalls are gr8 

[nigel bickle]

I've been stopped by Traffic on the way back, around 2 years ago.

 

It was an elderly Lada, bought in the midlands, off road around 20 years. I MOT'd  it near Bicester, where it failed (predominantly inconsequential -nothing serious/dangerous)  & I was stopped towards the bottom of the A34, near Winchester, with around 50 miles still to cover.

 

I'm guessing the car sent their computer bonkers showing up as untaxed for  20 years, no MOT, no insurance & damned grubby...

 

Nevertheless they were very polite, even friendly when they swiftly realised what I was doing.

Insurance docs checked and confirmed by phone, MOT fail to check for C& U issues, a quick scan of the tyres and one simple question -'Why?'.

 

I was on my way again within 10 mins.   Nay hassle. They knew the law, and accepted that |I was operating within it. Jobbed.

[dollywobbler]

Yay! Positive story! I was starting to worry about this place for a minute.

[Bobthebeard]

Been asked before no doubt, but does 'no mot' actually ping up on anpr? When I foolishly forgot about the mot expiry on the Accord last year I had done over 1000 miles up and down the country before I remembered and had the test done over a month late. All insured and taxed.

Surely I must have passed an anpr camera at some point. Mainly on motorways (M6, M5) and in that there Newcastle. Newcastle is not without cameras!

[dollywobbler]

Been asked before no doubt, but does 'no mot' actually ping up on anpr? When I foolishly forgot about the mot expiry on the Accord last year I had done over 1000 miles up and down the country before I remembered and had the test done over a month late. All insured and taxed.

Surely I must have passed an anpr camera at some point. Mainly on motorways (M6, M5) and in that there Newcastle. Newcastle is not without cameras!

 

I imagine it would, but it doesn't seem a massive priority to the Police. If you drove past a Police car, it'd pop up on their screen, but maybe they can't be arsed sending letters if a camera flags it up elsewhere. I know it has been done, because someone said they had a friend who'd had a fine in the post - easily able to cancel it with the invoice from the MOT.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I say go for it, I reckon you'll be fine with the 99.8% of coppers who are actual semi-normal humans in a uniform.

[Faker]

It doesn't matter what the plod think! It's essentially what can be proven. Crimes must pass an evidential test. Plod knows full well that MrX driving with no mot to a test station far away, is chancing his arm, but no actual offence is being committed - so long as the vehicle is roadworthy. That's were MrX can fall down. Knowingly use a vehicle in a dangerous or unfit for road condition and you'll get a ticket for whatever's defective.

[nigel bickle]

My son will be bringing a Renner 21 back to the UK this weekend.(not the turbo, just the n/a 2 litre)

 

 It hasn't been legal there since before MOTs were logged, so it'll ping everything on his 120 mile trip up from Dover to London then down to Sussex.

 

We've booked an MOT online locally, &its insured (natch). I very much doubt he will get stopped- as we do this regularly, but if he does -he's legal.

 

ANPR does ping MOT's yes- as I've seen it on a  Sussex feds interior display. They aren't really interested in just out MOTs- too much hassle/paperwork -they spend their time majoring on insurance or dangerous looking shonky shite..

[cort16]

It's not the police I'd be bothered with it's driving something that's been sitting unused for a couple of years.

For me it's not worth the stress driving something that may or may not conk out (will the AA pick you up with no MOT or Tax?) or worse have some potentially dangerous fault (especially looking at the advisories on the MOT) given the relative low cost of transportation.

 

I guess you can assess it to an extent when you get there but what's this turned into in 18months?

 

Nearside Front Sub-frame rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Front Sub-frame rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.A.1)

Offside Vehicle structure has slight corrosion (6.1.A.1)

[dollywobbler]

One of my tasks will be to assess whether those are genuine advisories, or arse-covering.

[alf892]

It doesn't matter what the plod think! It's essentially what can be proven. Crimes must pass an evidential test. Plod knows full well that MrX driving with no mot to a test station far away, is chancing his arm, but no actual offence is being committed - so long as the vehicle is roadworthy. That's were MrX can fall down. Knowingly use a vehicle in a dangerous or unfit for road condition and you'll get a ticket for whatever's defective.

 

It does not matter if 'knowingly' or not.

 

Probably best to get the MoT near the collection.......if I remember correctly you are also allowed to move an untested/failed vehicle to a 'place of repair'. Could have changed.

 

So you'd still be chancing it....but at least have an idea of what might be high risk and could then trailer the thing.

[dollywobbler]

Exactly. If there's a show stopper I can't get fixed, then I can always toddle home on the train. Not ideal, but I won't be left HAVING to drive home in a death trap.

 

Here's a thing about brake pipes. As far as I know, most testers check the physical condition of them, then do the brake roller test. And there are plenty of stories of them failing on the rollers. I'll be doing as much of a pre-mot as I can before driving it anywhere.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Having changed a few M51 diesel pumps: 

 

They are coded to the key and engine ECU so swapping willy nilly doesn't work. They require a special tool to remove - the centre bolt that the drive belt pulley hinges on has to come out. The big nut is undone and the special tool both cracks the taper on the drive gear and holds it in place. Once replaced, they need to be set up with diagnostics that few folk have now. 

 

The crucial pump number is the 99x number = 994, 995 or 996 were BMW ones but not in that chronological order.

 

In short: unless it's pissing out, the old trick of a damp cloth under the pump to be removed and swapped for a clean one every week is a better idea. I did it open a 535tds for about 6 months. The leak didn't get any worse.

 

Somewhere I have the official Bosch manual with all the numbers. 

[dollywobbler]

In short: unless it's pissing out, the old trick of a damp cloth under the pump to be removed and swapped for a clean one every week is a better idea. I did it open a 535tds for about 6 months. The leak didn't get any worse.

 

Now that's my kind of fix*!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

If it ain't (completely) broke.........

[garbaldy]

Here's a thing about brake pipes. As far as I know, most testers check the physical condition of them, then do the brake roller test. And there are plenty of stories of them failing on the rollers. I'll be doing as much of a pre-mot as I can before driving it anywhere.

I think the done thing is to sand the brake pipes down spray with mat black paint then grease them up or so I've read, testers are not allowed to scrape the grease of to see if the brake pipes are ok hence some will give in on the rollers.

 

I personally prefer to change them so you know they won't pop when an emergency requires heavy braking.

[dollywobbler]

This is true. I'll try and remember to pack a wire brush.

[Cavcraft]

Personally speaking it sounds really dangerous. If I were you I'd drive it as far as Chester and leave it outside my house with the V5 and keys.

[mercrocker]

Why not just tow it backwards with a scrap Jag? 

[dollywobbler]

Why not just tow it backwards with a scrap Jag? 

 

I must concede, the bar has been set very high now. But let's see what The Junkman manages to do. I need to catch up with that thread...

[beko1987]

Why not just tow it backwards with a perodua nippa?

Ftfy.

[dollywobbler]

Turns out a friend of mine is driving to Bristol on Thursday! Excellent. I can avoid the train. I'll swing him some petrol money, and will spend the rest of the train fare on a hotel. Then I'll have the whole of Friday to unleash Capers.

[garbaldy]

Are we going to be treated to live updates all day.

[garbaldy]

Will book the day of just in case as would never get any work done anyway.

[Junkman]

Good catch, looks like a nice car.

 

If I understood it correctly, the catch is exactly what isn't good.

[dave21478]

Dont MOT it locally to the seller.

 

Driving it home to a pre booked MOT is totally legal and I personally wouldnt give it a second thought, assuming tyres, lights etc are ok and I had checked everything I reasonably could at the roadside, which is the sort of things one checks when buying a car anyway.

 

If you MOT it elsewhere and it fails, while you are allowed to drive it home or to a place of repair, that assumes there is not a fault deemed "dangerous" by the tester. I think one would be in a much harder to defend position if driving hundreds of miles home with a car that has definitely failed, rather than driving hundreds of miles with a car that MIGHT fail a future test.

 

A rotten sill doesnt mean the car is suddenly going to tear in half or have the subframe fall off.

[dollywobbler]

Driving it home to a pre booked MOT is totally legal and I personally wouldnt give it a second thought, assuming tyres, lights etc are ok and I had checked everything I reasonably could at the roadside, which is the sort of things one checks when buying a car anyway.

 

 

Er, yeah. I definitely didn't just jump in the ZX and drive it almost 200 miles back home... Actually, to be fair, I did check oil and water levels. Which were both low (albeit above Min). I didn't have any way to remedy that, so I just drove it home.

 

We'll see. I should be able to check whether I think there are any obvious fails, and if necessary, I can extend the trip to factor in repairs. Depends what is needed!

[garbaldy]

Dave numbers, That's pretty much what I was trying to say only put much better.