"Shonky" the CX - given up :-(

[Fumbler]

1 minute ago, strangeangel said:

 

They're not supposed to pass judgement on things they can't see, though, are they? Like when people used to attach those chrome sill covers to MGBs with woodscrews and Araldite...

 

Indeed that's true.

To back that up, it says here at 2:43, that the tester should have as good a look as possible, without dismantling the vehicle to assess it. I doubt the attitude has changed in the 23 years that video has been published.

[BertiePuntoCabrio]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

TBH I am pretty disappointed and I think Shonky has been well and truly shafted here.

I was hoping to get some welding done and maybe a couple of random things but this is bollox basically.

The car has only done 4k miles since it last passed a test - and most if that was Wuvvum's epic trip to Devon and back...

Is it truly possible that all these things can fail over such a short amount of use?

There has not been one drop of fluid underneath. 

Yes the doors are dented but that is not an issue - they open and close securely. 

Also - the split wiper blade was not noted?!  

I have used this (my local) garage for several weird and wonderful vehicles and they have always treated me well. I do not recognise the name of the tester on this one - maybe they have a new bloke trying to prove a point?

Whatever - Shonky is now safely back in the barn and I will have to make a start at some point looking at the points raised.

He is not dead yet - I think this is do-able!

Anyway, if he sits in the barn 7 or 8 more years he will be mot exempt and they can get stuffed at the garage

[loserone]

I actually think you should go to a council test facility and consider if that tester needs reporting.

[BertiePuntoCabrio]

2 minutes ago, loserone said:

I actually think you should go to a council test facility and consider if that tester needs reporting.

Been thinking of this.....

[meggersdog]

this one passed with flying colours today

[BertiePuntoCabrio]

12 minutes ago, meggersdog said:

this one passed with flying colours today

Good news!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

15 minutes ago, meggersdog said:

this one passed with flying colours today

Is that not James Walshe's TRS?

[meggersdog]

It is indeed. That's my MoT station

[BorniteIdentity]

My neighbour came out with a beautiful line the other week when discussing the - err - understanding nature of my MOT man. 

“So he’s working with you - that’s good”. And that’s what you need. Someone on your side. Someone who actually LIKES cars, and enjoys them, and likes to see them trundle along.
 

They take some finding, and even then it takes a couple of years for trust to build to a level that they don’t necessarily test the car “as presented“. They’ll adjust things as they go and tickle it through. If you’re gracious and grateful, you get to the stage where you get a ticket and quiet word in the ear. Eventually, you graduate to a tester with sunglasses on and a foot on the accelerator to get the emissions down. 

I personally would get the stuff it will fail on time and time again done. Like the welding etc. Give it a few months and present it somewhere else. 

[BertiePuntoCabrio]

2 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

My neighbour came out with a beautiful line the other week when discussing the - err - understanding nature of my MOT man. 

“So he’s working with you - that’s good”. And that’s what you need. Someone on your side. Someone who actually LIKES cars, and enjoys them, and likes to see them trundle along.
 

They take some finding, and even then it takes a couple of years for trust to build to a level that they don’t necessarily test the car “as presented“. They’ll adjust things as they go and tickle it through. If you’re gracious and grateful, you get to the stage where you get a ticket and quiet word in the ear. Eventually, you graduate to a tester with sunglasses on and a foot on the accelerator to get the emissions down. 

I personally would get the stuff it will fail on time and time again done. Like the welding etc. Give it a few months and present it somewhere else. 

Agree entirely and thought these guys were like this. However, looks like the new chap is an a#$####e. 

One of the 'minor' fail comments was battery insecure - literally 2 hand turns on a wingnut later and it's rock solid. 

I will not be returning to the same place - they have lost a lot of business today as I am always buying and playing with different cars and they get (got) the mot work- not any more.

[BeEP]

Not sure I agree with the 'its card is marked' theory, although maybe one of the MOT testers on here can correct me if I'm wrong.   I don't believe a new tester will see the results of previous tests unless he actively goes looking for them. which from my experience they won't.

[Three Speed]

Some testers don’t like proper Citroens.

When I parked my CXGTi turbo in the MOT bay at a local garage (about 25 years ago) the tester - known as Fail-it-Joe - came running over with a look of fear in his face shouting “if that fails we can’t fix it!”. He really wanted me to take it elsewhere. I didn’t and it passed. But he really didn’t like it. He’d been happy as Larry testing my other stuff.

I took my Traction Avant for its first MOT in my ownership to a place in Shoreham-by-Sea that was supposed to be sympathetic to old stuff. There was a really awkwardly arranged pit and  the tester got thoroughly pissed off trying to manoeuvre the car onto his rollers. (Apparently* Tractions have heavy steering and crap turning circles).

He then spent 20 minutes thumbing through his book trying to find the requirement for the number plate not to be on the near side. He couldn’t find it (because it wasn’t there - the Disco parked outside with its similarly located plate was a clue). That annoyed him even more so he failed me for too much play in the steering. He then had the pleasure of the retest.

I quite agree with the recommendation council test places. I took my Chrysler to one a few times as they knew their lift was big enough. It was hard to get an appointment but I found them very fair. There are also some excellent private places.

Good luck. A CX is a fantastic thing. I didn’t know what they were supposed to be like when I got my first one. I later discovered the cable driving the Diravi steering governor was missing - so it had minimum centring force at all speeds. This meant it was super light even on motorways. After I fitted the cable it was a different car. Superb. Even if it was a rusty heap.

[lanciamatt]

You have dropped on a tester with the monk on. Once they start finding fails they go nuts. I work at main dealer level, and some testers are like Hitler, end of day just follow the manual, lol.

[lanciamatt]

Half of fails are a load of crap. Don't get disheartened, pm me and I can help you through it, it's not that bad. 

[sloth]

a mate runs a citroen specialist in hull, b+c motors and does mots. not saying he will pass a heap, but he knows the cars and is fair.

https://www.facebook.com/BC-Motors-196106663781928/?eid=ARAoYAn83t2G0wjJluMLwrf3yiyw5nZbehR28aOK1QqHpFHtBrZTkZPfVKe_UUOIjAvccheQ0tOkb5wT&timeline_context_item_type=intro_card_work&timeline_context_item_source=1385015914&fref=tag

[brownnova]

16 hours ago, lesapandre said:

"I'd be finding a friendly test station that someone knows on here. "

Alas now its card is marked - you will have to address all the items. Taking it elsewhere will throw up the fail and no other tester is likey to "disagree" - you are more likey to get a very grumpy response - it happened to me when I bought a van with a MoT fail and decided to bung it in at my local place just to 'see' - the response was understandably 'what did you bring that here for unless you have done the remedial work?'

I’d disagree with this one from personal experience. 
 

My MX5 failed on a whole host of things one year, and having looked over it afterwards some seemed either very spurious or very harsh.  So I took it for a second opinion where it promptly passed with a dab of exhaust paste.

I went back to the original garage and challenged them on it, and it had been done by a locum tester who had also failed a car they had just restored and knew was spot on the same day. Needless to say they don’t use him anymore.

So I’d back getting a second opinion. Even if it’s just someone to look over it with testers eyes to see what was overly harsh. 

[BeEP]

9 hours ago, BertiePuntoCabrio said:

Agree entirely and thought these guys were like this. However, looks like the new chap is an a#$####e. 

One of the 'minor' fail comments was battery insecure - literally 2 hand turns on a wingnut later and it's rock solid. 

I will not be returning to the same place - they have lost a lot of business today as I am always buying and playing with different cars and they get (got) the mot work- not any more.

If you were previously on good terms with them I'd try to have a chat with whoever's in charge and explain why you intend to take business elsewhere.  It might be that similar to brownnova's experience others are saying the same and they realise the new chap is costing them money.

[Fumbler]

14 hours ago, brownnova said:

I’d disagree with this one from personal experience. 
 

My MX5 failed on a whole host of things one year, and having looked over it afterwards some seemed either very spurious or very harsh.  So I took it for a second opinion where it promptly passed with a dab of exhaust paste.

I went back to the original garage and challenged them on it, and it had been done by a locum tester who had also failed a car they had just restored and knew was spot on the same day. Needless to say they don’t use him anymore.

So I’d back getting a second opinion. Even if it’s just someone to look over it with testers eyes to see what was overly harsh. 

The same thing happened on Mother Fumbler's old Jazz. The dealer wanted new shocks and failed the car on the grounds one was misting oil. Father Fumbler was sceptical as he couldn't see any, and got it tested at an independant garage who concurred and got it passed. That's not to say this is the case with every test centre, however.

[BertiePuntoCabrio]

Have decided all this is too much for me to contend with so will be moving "Shonky" on.

Going to stick with Fiats and the like as I know them well and am more comfortable working with them.

More comfortable literally also than my newly purchased Rover 200.

I SO wanted to like this as it's a truly lovely car (218 SLD Turbo) but I just cannot get comfy inside.  So that too will have to go - my commute is 100 miles and my back is much happier in my Fiat Panda! 

Anyway, will put this down to experience and ponder where and when to move on this lovely, characterfull CX! 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

If you are moving this on, I can't think of a better person than John van Delft. I think he lives in Telford.

He doesn't do anything but CXs, and even used one of his Safaris as a hearse when he buried his mother.

He has an ongoing rebuild of a Limousine turbo-diesel, which was never sold in Britain (we only got the petrol Prestiges), and has already converted it to RHD.

[BertiePuntoCabrio]

2 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

If you are moving this on, I can't think of a better person than John van Delft. I think he lives in Telford.

He doesn't do anything but CXs, and even used one of his Safaris as a hearse when he buried his mother.

He has an ongoing rebuild of a Limousine turbo-diesel, which was never sold in Britain (we only got the petrol Prestiges), and has already converted it to RHD.

Yes, it needs a knowledgeable person to save and restore.

[hairnet]

@Frogchod you know you wanna lick this

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Clearly the fail list had the psychological effect that the MoT tester intended.

[rickvw72]

To be honest, the list shows welding, corrosion in general to be an issue.

Maybe it is a little rough? Just a thought. If I’d have took my 1999 Daihatsu Fourtrak in for an mot before stripping it for work it would have had a similar fail sheet, and it would of deserved it too.
 

Impressively, said Fourtrak had rust advisories at seven years old. 
 

My local mot man is perfect to be fair. Has a few old Bedford CFs, and early Mazda rx7. I’ve used him for years. I used to take an unbelievably rough looking 3 series tt here every year, undereal tide lines and the works.

He used to go nuts with advisories. I asked him why on that car, and not others. 
his answer “that’s so rough the police will pull it for fun, and my names on the mot certificate”

Fair point I thought. 

 

 

[MJK 24]

Rust advisories at 7 years old are small fry!  A friends Izuzu D Max pick up failed it’s second MOT at four years old on a hole in the chassis!  Scotland car with 65,000 miles on the clock.

[PhilA]

Bring it somewhere else that has at least dealt with older Cits first. 

I did that with my Vauxhall when the new tester at the place I normally used failed brand new old stock track rod ends and suspension ball joints, freshly greased with no appreciable slop in. Because they do clik-clak slightly when you shake them (but don't actually move!).

Sounds like you got a tester who's been burned by the ministry and/or is a miserable jobsworth. 

Go somewhere that knows their engineering who'll give you a valid reason for everything they do, face to face not reason codes on a printout.

 

Phil

[richardmorris]

CXs do like to rust - well mine did anyway, but usually the bodywork ( sunroof aperture aside) stands up well. It’s the subframe that did for mine. Fabulous driving cars though, and in the 70,000 miles I drove them daily ( a 20 Pallas was followed by a DTR Turbo) never left me stuck at the side of the road. 

[egg]

Sad to read all this. Thing is about humans - you can give them as many 'objective' sets of rules as possible - there will always be interpretation, gaming and bloody mindedness. We like to pretend we live in a scientific world.

Anyway, I'm sure my Favorit's MOT fail was because it was scruffy and even my mechanic didn't really want to work on it.

It is deflating, but maybe a re-test elsewhere might get a shorter list to work with.

I am lucky that I do have a local tester for my Mondeo and Mazda who my dad supplied parts to for 20 odd years and drives a Rover 600 himself, who gives very fair (but not over generous) tests, when he retires though...

[wuvvum]

9 hours ago, rickvw72 said:

To be honest, the list shows welding, corrosion in general to be an issue.

Maybe it is a little rough? Just a thought. If I’d have took my 1999 Daihatsu Fourtrak in for an mot before stripping it for work it would have had a similar fail sheet, and it would of deserved it too.

I didn't think it was particularly bad in general.  Yes it needs welding in places - no argument from me on that - but the chassis longerons etc didn't look too bad.  There's surface rust in places where underseal has come off, but it's not like it's about to crumble into dust.  Maybe my standards are different to most people's as I'm used to old French chod, I dunno...

[lanciamatt]

It's not a big list really, one of the problems that one hole can give multiple fails, for instance, close to suspension, close to seat belt mounts, etc. So you can have a massive list of fails, but really it's only a few things that's been listed more than once.