Xantia of Desires - Farewell xantia!

[scaryoldcortina]

It should always be afterwards. The logic being that there might be a brake pipe or hose about to fail that might burst during the roller test, and you aren't supposed to damage a customer's vehicle so if you inspect first and test afterwards you can fail it for the rotted pipe/bulged hose and not do the brake test for safety reasons.

 

Also imagine the situation where something permanant 4x4 that still needs you to tapley it in the carpark bursts a hose you didn't spot and piles into a wall.

 

Tester does sound a bit inexperienced/wary to me as well, but the driver's seat and the handbrake travel are both legitimate fails.

[twosmoke300]

That makes it worse - did he not see the handbrake cables etc when he inspected it ?

[Kiltox]

It should always be afterwards. The logic being that there might be a brake pipe or hose about to fail that might burst during the roller test, and you aren't supposed to damage a customer's vehicle so if you inspect first and test afterwards you can fail it for the rotted pipe/bulged hose and not do the brake test for safety reasons.

 

Also imagine the situation where something permanant 4x4 that still needs you to tapley it in the carpark bursts a hose you didn't spot and piles into a wall.

 

Tester does sound a bit inexperienced/wary to me as well, but the driver's seat and the handbrake travel are both legitimate fails.

I understand the logic of this but both garages I use for MOTs do the roller test first - one of them I assume because the rollers are directly in front of their MOT lift in the interest of saving time (?)

 

Definitely think your approach is better though

[scaryoldcortina]

The rollers are almost always in front of the ramp, but if you read the "recommended inspection routine" part at the beginning of the manual it explains exactly what I said. It's also part of the training course you get when becoming a tester.

[beko1987]

I have no idea what order things went in, I was sat in the waiting room watching TV and drinking their coffee. (which was free it turned out, I wanted one when waiting for the meriva but had no cash so didn't bother looking)

 

Im not too upset that they failed it, if it was gonna fail it was gonna fail. But I agree, the guy seemed a bit wet.

 

Example, when he first came back he said 'oooh, there's alot wrong with that'. I asked if it had passed, and he said no, he will let me know in a sec (that's when I wrote my oh crap post).

 

He started with the number plate bulb, fair enough, then the handbrake, but said it didn't work at all, which I knew was bollocks, so asked which end he put on the rollers. Fair play to him he went back out and re did that bit, but then failed on excessive travel, again fair enough it was excessive.

 

There was alot of black smoke, they did it 6 times, I watched 3 of them. The exhaust is also bloody noisy, again, I've wanted to change it since the day I bought it (remember mentioning that to bub), but hoped it would pass so I could do it next year, but as it turns out it's happening next weekend hopefully!

 

I just hope it's enough. The seat does move ever so slightly, but only within its own mechanism, so it flexes the height adjuster within the cog its set at sort of thing. Hopefully the smoke will be better. I can't really do anything more than give it a try.

 

Its the second time I've used the place. Meriva went straight through with a mention of the rear pads. Not unexpected tbh, I've had it for near 5 years. When he started reading the faults out I was almost received, I was expecting rust, tyres, lhm issues etc, once he read the list I reeled off all I did today in my head and said cool, ill be in touch for the retest. Hopefully they at least see the work I've done and trust me in my mechanics.

 

Bloody headlight beam aim wasn't mentioned either, so fuck knows why people flash me sometimes. Maybe they just think I'm sexy/my front bumper starts to detach at speed?

 

Would my old mate have passed it? Probably not. He's let a few things slide before, he spent 15 minutes squeezing the zx through the smoke test, including taking it outside and redlining it for a minute, then when it passed said "that's fucking close". Tyre the wrong size on the xm over an axle, a glass over but told to grt it changed, fair enough. He even laughed at me when I went around the workshop clearing up after the meriva the year I took it in with it pissing oil everywhere. Would I expect the garage I went to today to do that? Probably not. But it sure does help having a tame tester. But then I wouldn't be getting a shiney new exhaust, AND ive been wanting a new exhaust for a while, it's just been forced upon me a bit quicker

 

And hopefully the bastard will pass! Still need to drive it to check the handbrake adjustment isn't too much, will do that tomorrow

[scaryoldcortina]

Bloody headlight beam aim wasn't mentioned either, so fuck knows why people flash me sometimes. Maybe they just think I'm sexy/my front bumper starts to detach at speed?

 

 

You'd be surprised at how many testers just judge the headlights by using the beam pattern on the back wall while the beam setter machine sits at the side of the garage gathering dust.

 

Or maybe you wouldn't.....

 

As it happens, headlight aim is one of the subjects covered in this year's (all new!) CPD model training and testing system.

[beko1987]

That makes it worse - did he not see the handbrake cables etc when he inspected it ?

They are blatantly cracked, you can see the inner cable at one point where the metal external bit is a bit fucked. It's why I was a bit worried that they were already at the end of their adjustment, but far from it.

 

Still need new ones, but apparently it all joins up under the exhaust, step 2 in the haynes is to remove the exhaust. I'll have a good recce of it when I do the exhaust and get them changed next year. He noticed the brake pipes not being secure though, I bloody missed that, I did that when I had the calipers apart for a clean up. Fixed now!

[scaryoldcortina]

I think he meant "didn't he see that they go to the front of the car and not the back?"

 

[Kiltox]

You'd be surprised at how many testers just judge the headlights by using the beam pattern on the back wall while the beam setter machine sits at the side of the garage gathering dust.

 

Or maybe you wouldn't.....

 

As it happens, headlight aim is one of the subjects covered in this year's (all new!) CPD model training and testing system.

Doesn't surprise me at all - just had a Corolla T Sport fail on incorrect beam pattern - it has aftermarket HIDs which are shockingly shit yet it's passed 4+ MOTs with them under previous ownership!

[beko1987]

Aah Fair point!

 

The beam tester was there (that's whwn i walked back in after having a rolly and he asked me if my 'air suspension' was broken as it swallowed their jack... Of course I don't know if they were using it.

 

I don't think they see many green blooded cars!

[Richard]

Xantia handbrake cables are a piece of piss to do, and I don't remember touching the exhaust. I don't think I even took the wheels off.

[michael1703]

What does the emission printout say? Any mention of engine oil temp? Has to be 80degrees on the dipstick probe, if not, tell them to test it properly

[beko1987]

Actually I think you've said that before. Should be an easy fix. Not worrying about it for now though, the issue was excessive handbrake lever travel (3.1.6b).

 

Actually, looking up that number, they've bloody added advisories. First fail was 'exhaust loud', then when they ran it back through to take off 'handbrake does not work' they've added too much smoke and smog

 

First

 

 

Second

 

 

Reckon I pissed him off by calling him out about some things? Not that it really matters at the end of the day. Glad I presented it a month early though, takes the pressure off a tiny little bit

[scaryoldcortina]

What does the emission printout say? Any mention of engine oil temp? Has to be 80degrees on the dipstick probe, if not, tell them to test it properly

 

That's what the fag lighter on top of the emission machine is for!

 

Edit - the extra fail for the emissions (going by your description of them revving it six times during the test, that sounds like a fail to me) is probably because he forgot to add it first time around and it was pointed out while someone else was helping him sort out the mess.

[beko1987]

Bloody hell I forgot I had a printout of that!

 

 

I've tweaked the fuel down half a turn if that helps...

[michael1703]

I hate revving diesels, if I don't get a result after a couple of 4K revs I just pass it.

[michael1703]

"Oil temperature not measured"

 

BINGO!

 

Tell him to test it properly

[beko1987]

What happens if they measure the oil temp and its not right then?

[scaryoldcortina]

It's still failed. But if you go back with everything else sorted and the fuelling turned down a bit it will probably* pass. Winding the throttle stop in a bit so it can't rev as high also helps.

 

I'd also like to mention that getting an old diesel up to 80º oil temp in december can be an absolute pain in the arse.

[michael1703]

"the noise emitted from the vehicle is clearly unreasonably above the level expected from a similar vehicle with a standard silencer in average condition."

 

Because 94 diesel xantias are everywhere

[scaryoldcortina]

My guess there is that he used the wrong fail - there are holes in the exhaust so if it's noisy because of them it should be 7.1 [2] "A major leak of exhaust gases from any part of the system" or at best an advise on 7.1 [2] as "a minor leak of gases"

 

7.1[4] is normally only used for lairy coloured corsas and saxos (or mk1 escorts) with 2" bore pipe and one optimistic cherry bomb for silencing.

[DodgeRover]

Personally in addition to shutting down the max revs I would bung a can of Forte diesel injector cleaner through it, (if you can get it to suck straight out of the can its better/ otherwise fill the fuel filter with it for quick results) its the only stuff i've come across that actually seems to work.

I'm surprised they didn't try and sell you a can...

 

My stuff has always been roller brake tested after going on the ramp, everywhere i've been has covers over the rollers so you can drive straight over them and onto the ramp

[beko1987]

I could get it to suck out of the can easily, will it fill my road with fog though? Or strip the years if crap holding everything together?

[DodgeRover]

Hopefully striping years of muck from the pump and injectors, doesn't have a smoke screen effect, never had any sudden leaks after using it either. Not sure if maybe taking the air filter out would be a good idea as well to get the smoke down.

 

Just how loud is it? People have run a straight pipe out of the turbo and its not been insanely loud, if I recall correctly there is no set dB limit for exhausts so the louder than a standard car fail is a new one on me. Major leak of exhaust gases I could understand though

[twosmoke300]

No point arguing the point about the noise / smoke on technicalities is there . It IS noisy and smokey and needs fixing .

[Richard]

I do remember Chompy asking loads of questions about how to extract more power, it's just a case of looking back at the thread to see what he did. Oh.

[beko1987]

The threads gone it seems, although I think the internals were changed in various ways. I'll see what it's like with the fueling knocked down. Although it never kicked out much clag when driving, so I'll have to stop at various places and recline it a d try not to make it go bang!

 

It'll be fine!

[twosmoke300]

It was pretty smokey and noisy when bub popped into my workshop earlier this year .

[bub2006]

It used to smoke when off boost but not so much when on. It has no silencers or cat. Chompy adjusted fuelling screw and also did something underneath the dome of the pump. Adjusted diaphragm maybe?

[beko1987]

Well that wasn't entirely successful, went to the tip this afternoon for a test drive /I needed to go to the tip, and after a few miles there was a stutter, the revs dropped a bit and white fluffy clouds came out of the back in rhythm with the Engine.

 

Luckily, I had foresight to bring a 13mm spanner with me, so pulled into a lay by, and tweaked the fuel back up a bit. So it's probably not turned down too much, but it runs.

 

Will buy some magic potion I think. Tried to boot it a bit here and there but I was in 30s and 40s, and already have 2 speeding issues, so will hammer it up the m40 tomorrow and assess the clag situation