The new news 24 thread

[Crackers]

This article has just popped up as a suggested read.

"Classic Motorcycle MoT Headache for Euro touring fans"

Now, obviously I understand the issue at hand, which is that "EU members can exclude historic vehicles from a mandatory periodic technical inspection so theoretically there should be no problem. However, they do not have to, and the UK is no longer an EU member state." 

Surely though, this is making a mountain out of a molehill: MOT or not, your vehicle must be roadworthy. You're probably going to want it to be more than just roadworthy if you're taking it abroad. If you trust that your vehicle is in good enough condition, what's wrong with just chucking it in for an MOT to avoid a headache across the border, espcially a cheaper motorbike test? Surely you'd have no reason to worry that it wouldn't pass... 

Am I missing something? 

[SiC]

35 minutes ago, cobblers said:

The original cambelt 😳

Problem with VAG cambelts is no one really knows how often they need to be changed. Book on my A4 says 80k with no age limit, Audi UK say something different (iirc 48k/4yrs) and dealers say something different again! Going by the book, I'd say that should have had at least 2 cambelts in its life. To use one example of £745 to change it and pump, that's just under £1.5k in its life. The car is probably only worth that max now if it hadn't broken it's cambelt. 

I could never do it, but someone doing the bare minimum maintenance would be having the last laugh. 

It does make me feel better about possibly not bothering changing the belt on my recent A4 purchase. Last done in 2013 at 73k and now 9 year later on 118k. Handbook says 80k no age, so the last owner didn't even realise most would say it needed doing. 

Sometimes ignorance is bliss 😆

A bit like the High Pressure Fuel Pump failure that my last B8 A4 suffered was a chronic issue apparently and many didn't make 120k, let alone 210k that we did. 

[SiC]

7 minutes ago, Crackers said:

This article has just popped up as a suggested read.

"Classic Motorcycle MoT Headache for Euro touring fans"

Now, obviously I understand the issue at hand, which is that "EU members can exclude historic vehicles from a mandatory periodic technical inspection so theoretically there should be no problem. However, they do not have to, and the UK is no longer an EU member state." 

Surely though, this is making a mountain out of a molehill: MOT or not, your vehicle must be roadworthy. You're probably going to want it to be more than just roadworthy if you're taking it abroad. If you trust that your vehicle is in good enough condition, what's wrong with just chucking it in for an MOT to avoid a headache across the border, espcially a cheaper motorbike test? Surely you'd have no reason to worry that it wouldn't pass... 

Am I missing something? 

Not sure how that works as an MOT isn't exactly equivalent of most other countries tests. The fact it's exempt means it's legal on the road in the UK and surely can't apply abroad. By the same token, going abroad you don't need a local test. 

[Fumbler]

The speedo problem hath been found

Aye that be buggered.

[Crackers]

12 minutes ago, SiC said:

Not sure how that works as an MOT isn't exactly equivalent of most other countries tests. The fact it's exempt means it's legal on the road in the UK and surely can't apply abroad. By the same token, going abroad you don't need a local test. 

Very good point actually. Reminds me of the British guys who had their horrifically modified Mercs confiscated in Germany because the modifications weren't TUV-compliant. 

[SiC]

Just now, Crackers said:

Very good point actually. Reminds me of the British guys who had their horrifically modified Mercs confiscated in Germany because the modifications weren't TUV-compliant. 

Yeah I remember that. I did wonder how legal that was for the police to do that, especially as (iirc) we were still in Europe at the time. But then the police can do anything and then worry about the consequences later. Despite heavily inconvenicing someone for their troubles. 

[Crackers]

17 minutes ago, SiC said:

The fact it's exempt means it's legal on the road in the UK

Actually, I'll go back on myself here and say "not necessarily" - MOT exempt and Road Legal are not the same thing. Your pre-1982 vehicle is still not legal if it has bald tyres or a brake light out.

I do understand what you mean though. 

[vulgalour]

For the first time I can recall in my ten year ownership of it, I had to drive the Princess through a flooded road today.  Fortunately it was a slow road and the flooded section was right on a corner, I say fortunately because there was no warning it had happened until you were right on top of it.  Going one way car performed fine, splashed a lot of water all over the place, no bother.  Coming back the water was considerably deeper, probably about 18" or so which doesn't sound a lot until you realise that's getting a fair way towards the top of my tyres.  Rather than pushing water out of the way, the Princess likes to scoop it up at the front and hurl it sideways from the wheels, very dramatic.  Low gear, high revs got us through and then it tried very hard to die once past the flooded section, fortunately had another gear to drop down into so it didn't and we were on our way.  A very low cold air intake, alternator down at almost sump level, and distributor sticking out the front of the engine are not a good combination for driving through floods.

No harm done, just a lot of grime splashed all over the car, and the nearly new door seals happily kept the water out of the cabin.  Been dodging a lot of tree maintenance today too, quite a few have come down locally which is sad since some of them were rather lovely looking.

Also been keeping an eye on Derbyshire and Yorkshire who seem to have been experiencing a lot of flooding and damage with very little media coverage compared to the goings on down here in the South East.  We've fared okay at least, one snapped concrete fence post (it went with a right bang!) has been the worst of it so far.  Our immediate neighbour lost a good proportion of glass out of their greenhouses, and several of our neighbours no longer have fences, other than that it's really not been that terrible down here all things considered.  Oh, and Wickes was missing the entire glass frontage, though whether that's because it got blown in or is undergoing repair/maintenance I couldn't say as that Wickes has been wrapped in scaffold and having work done on and off for the better part of a year now.

[SiC]

1 minute ago, Crackers said:

Actually, I'll go back on myself here and say "not necessarily" - MOT exempt and Road Legal are not the same thing. Your pre-1982 is still not legal if it has bald tyres or a brake light out.

I do understand what you mean though. 

You can get an MOT, then drive out the test centre and have a brake switch fail thus making the vehicle no longer road legal. So yeah, a MOT is meaningless for the most part really. Just said that it was road legal at one point in its past.

[stuboy]

33 minutes ago, grogee said:

I look forward to a resurrection story. May your bolts be unrounded and your valves be mostly straight

 You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.

[SiC]

2 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

Low gear, high revs got us through

Isn't that the worst thing you can do in deep water? High revs means more air sucked in and thus more potential for sucking in water.

The water spray sucked in though might have done a job of decoking. 😁

[Fumbler]

Just now, SiC said:

Isn't that the worst thing you can do in deep water? High revs means more air sucked in and thus more potential for sucking in water.

It's more for when you're wading through water and the exhaust is submerged and the intake is nowhere close. High revs means there's too much pressure from the exhaust gases to allow water in and potentially force its way into the engine.

[stuboy]

58 minutes ago, cobblers said:

The original cambelt 😳

Boss at work he vag scirocco cambelt looks like this..

[vulgalour]

3 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

It's more for when you're wading through water and the exhaust is submerged and the intake is nowhere close. High revs means there's too much pressure from the exhaust gases to allow water in and potentially force its way into the engine.

Well... I'd always been told high revs, low gear, low speed through high water.  It got me through, it was only after I was clear and using less revs that it started to die (probably because the ignition system was drenched), so more high revs and a low gear cleared it and saw me back to normal in short order.  Exhaust was submerged as I went through as it sits even lower than the intake and judging by the state of the engine bay, water definitely got over the top of the engine at one point.

[Crackers]

4 minutes ago, SiC said:

You can get an MOT, then drive out the test centre and have a brake switch fail thus making the vehicle no longer road legal. So yeah, a MOT is meaningless for the most part really. Just said that it was road legal at one point in its past.

Driver has a responsibility to check the vehicle for roadworthiness before setting off. There's your basic checks - lights, tyres, brakes, washer fluid etc. Combine that with an MOT to check the oily bits which your average human won't know about, and to me, that adds up to a roadworthy vehicle. 

If going abroad you must comply with that country's vehicle standards, AFAIK. If you knowingly go out there (e.g. Germany) with a vehicle you know know isn't legal there, but is here, then expect to pay the consequences if stopped. 

[Fumbler]

1 minute ago, vulgalour said:

Well... I'd always been told high revs, low gear, low speed through high water.  It got me through, it was only after I was clear and using less revs that it started to die (probably because the ignition system was drenched), so more high revs and a low gear cleared it and saw me back to normal in short order.  Exhaust was submerged as I went through as it sits even lower than the intake and judging by the state of the engine bay, water definitely got over the top of the engine at one point.

I've been taught the same but instead of saving the electrics it's to save water filling up your engine through the exhaust.

[Supernaut]

I thought the idea of low gear high revs was to keep your momentum, thus your bow wave.

You don't want to be losing momentum to a gear change while in the middle of some water.

 

That's also how I drive through water though.

[Rust Collector]

2 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

I've been taught the same but instead of saving the electrics it's to save water filling up your engine through the exhaust.

I’ve heard the same at some point, but I got my Mitsubishi stuck in a pond on a 4x4 track and I left it idling for like 10-15 minutes underwater and it was fine, the exhaust pressure was enough to keep the water from running back up it. I reckon you’d only be in trouble if you stalled it or turned it off. Obviously if the intake dips under the water line then turn it off, although I’ve briefly dipped the bonnet underwater by mistake before and gotten away with it.

[Fumbler]

1 minute ago, Rust Collector said:

I’ve heard the same at some point, but I got my Mitsubishi stuck in a pond on a 4x4 track and I left it idling for like 10-15 minutes underwater and it was fine, the exhaust pressure was enough to keep the water from running back up it. I reckon you’d only be in trouble if you stalled it or turned it off. Obviously if the intake dips under the water line then turn it off, although I’ve briefly dipped the bonnet underwater by mistake before and gotten away with it.

There may* be a slight amount of luck in wading it seems. So long as you don't plough in at mach 3 it appears you should be A-OK.

Wading through 3 foot waters in the Land Cruiser with the suspension on high was a fun experience though. I do wish it wasn't so rotten.

[Rust Collector]

12 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

There may* be a slight amount of luck in wading it seems. So long as you don't plough in at mach 3 it appears you should be A-OK.

Yeah, I’ve had a couple of cars develop faults after being submerged, one MR2 that somehow survived my ex using it as a submarine in Alfriston, and all my 4x4’s have survived repeated dunking. It’s a mixed bag.

Must have been fun taking the land cruiser into the water. It floods quite a bit just down the road from us which is always enjoyable.

This was last year iirc, excuse mine and my partners naff commentary

Just round the corner from this we found a delivery van being recovered that presumably didn’t fare so well, and then on a nearby road I had to get out into the water and help a chap push a very new BMW back out the water whilst his wife sat inside and scowled at him. No idea what would possess you to dunk something like that into a flood.

 

[brownnova]

42 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

I thought the idea of low gear high revs was to keep your momentum, thus your bow wave.

You don't want to be losing momentum to a gear change while in the middle of some water.

 

That's also how I drive through water though.

This was my understanding also…. 

[Fumbler]

6 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

Yeah, I’ve had a couple of cars develop faults after being submerged, one MR2 that somehow survived my ex using it as a submarine in Alfriston, and all my 4x4’s have survived repeated dunking. It’s a mixed bag.

Must have been fun taking the land cruiser into the water. It floods quite a bit just down the road from us which is always enjoyable.

This was last year iirc, excuse mine and my partners naff commentary

 

Just round the corner from this we found a delivery van being recovered that presumably didn’t fare so well, and then on a nearby road I had to get out into the water and help a chap push a very new BMW back out the water whilst his wife sat inside and scowled at him. No idea what would possess you to dunk something like that into a flood.

 

That looked like fun! I have good memories of going through the water in the Toyota. I still can't believe it was two years ago when it happened.

[High Jetter]

Slow and steady and keep going, a bit of gas to keep the water out but don't change cogs.

[BL Bloke]

Just dropped the 205 off for MOT. It's only done 400 miles since the last one, 190 of which were to FOTU and back, so I'm not expecting any major issues.

[artdjones]

15 hours ago, Crackers said:

Very good point actually. Reminds me of the British guys who had their horrifically modified Mercs confiscated in Germany because the modifications weren't TUV-compliant. 

I thought that it was because they were horrifically unroadworthy, not because of TUV.

[wuvvum]

Probably also because the owners were entitled gobshites who I imagine tried to argue the toss with the Polizei.

[Zelandeth]

Still remember the day that some Muppet in an Audi TT tried to follow me at speed through a flooded bit.  I was in a Skoda Estelle...plenty of ground clearance, air intake at waist height and at the back of the car.  

The Audi didn't fare well.

[Fumbler]

New speedometer cable for the BX has been sent FoC, hopefully in time to fit on Friday.

[Sunny Jim]

@Fumbler - forgive me if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs - tape the bottom of the new cable to the top of the new one. lubricate it with some washing-up liquid then pull it through from the bottom:

-worked for me anyway and helped ensure the new cable followed the route of the old one.

[grogee]

14 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

@Fumbler lubricate it with some washing-up liquid then pull it through your bottom

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