Masha - ЗАЗ Таврiя (ZAZ Tavria) - Слава Україні (#SlavaUkraini) - let's get legal! (Then decide).

[RichardK]

Definitely not bald, I’m not sure what is considered acceptable by way of cracking - if anything.

155/165 70 13s - looks like £120 will get all four. No idea how you balance the bloody things!

[St.Jude]

Depends I suppose. Hairline cracks that aren't deep looking would be an advisory. Anything deeper, or obviously ancient, would fail.

£120 isn't too bad for 4 though. If you fancy a laugh take it to get the tracking done after the tyre balancing!

[garethj]

If you can’t get a spare hub, you might be able to get a piece of thick steel cut by a machine shop that’s got 3 studs for the wheels and has 4 holes in the normal place so it will fit a balancing machine 

[RichardK]

20 minutes ago, St.Jude said:

Depends I suppose. Hairline cracks that aren't deep looking would be an advisory. Anything deeper, or obviously ancient, would fail.

£120 isn't too bad for 4 though. If you fancy a laugh take it to get the tracking done after the tyre balancing!

Tracking is similar to a VW Polo apparently - I downloaded a service manual so maybe the local KwitFit can read Russian…

[RichardK]

FAIL!

Emissions proved the sticking point; first used 11th July 1995 was the best we could do, but without a letter of exemption it is faced with a cat test.

Other failures: no telltale for the foglights (and also the foglight stopped working on the cluster I repaired, typical).

Perished tyres an advisory,, ditto brake lines.

BUT.

The alternator packed up during the test, leading to a very worrying drive back.

Underneath the thing is SPOTLESS, it's remarkable. You'd kill for a '95 Fiesta or Polo in this shape.

But, I think things will be delayed for a while on it as I'm not sure how to tackle the emissions issue.

Now, the other aspect. I DROVE IT. Aside from rattling like an old Triumph Herald it's not bad. Very Polo-like in how it behaves. Gearbox is alright, too, finding third is tricky, but overall quite nice and the engine is pretty smooth.

Ride is remarkably good. It'd probably be really nice on nice new tyres. It appears to need tubes!

[New POD]

If the engine can be proved to be pre-95 then emissions have to go on that. 

So you need to either swap.tje engine for an Astra gte 16v engine from the mid 80s or get a new engine number made up.  With a much earlier number. 

Or bribe the mot tester.  Or fit a generic caT just for the test. 

[St.Jude]

53 minutes ago, RichardK said:

FAIL!

Emissions proved the sticking point; first used 11th July 1995 was the best we could do, but without a letter of exemption it is faced with a cat test.

Other failures: no telltale for the foglights (and also the foglight stopped working on the cluster I repaired, typical).

Perished tyres an advisory,, ditto brake lines.

BUT.

The alternator packed up during the test, leading to a very worrying drive back.

Underneath the thing is SPOTLESS, it's remarkable. You'd kill for a '95 Fiesta or Polo in this shape.

But, I think things will be delayed for a while on it as I'm not sure how to tackle the emissions issue.

Now, the other aspect. I DROVE IT. Aside from rattling like an old Triumph Herald it's not bad. Very Polo-like in how it behaves. Gearbox is alright, too, finding third is tricky, but overall quite nice and the engine is pretty smooth.

Ride is remarkably good. It'd probably be really nice on nice new tyres. It appears to need tubes!

[Zelandeth]

Given the amount of time it's sat disused I'd be surprised if the brushes haven't just got stuck in their holder in the alternator.  You may find a sharp whack with something like a screwdriver handle may get it going again.

Emissions is going to be a tricky one and will almost definitely need a letter of exemption as the engine itself is matched to the vehicle... it's not like some cars where someone has fitted an earlier one (80s Fiat TC units into 90s Ladas was always a favourite).  So it's not as though it's a pre 95 engine.

I doubt a generic cat would get you anywhere as the mixture isn't going to be controlled tightly enough to get through the test.  Ladas struggled with it even with the carb under closed loop computer control - and the issue there wasn't fundamental to the engine or the cat being crap (which I confirmed by fitting injection to the engine and getting a very clean pass the following year with the same engine and cat).

[jonathan_dyane]

Good result! Also looking at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676700/in-service-exhaust-emission-standards-for-road-vehicles-19th-edition.pdf my reading is that because the vehicle is not listed in the document annex and was first used before 1st August 1995 it is exempt from the CAT test.

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, RichardK said:

FAIL!

Emissions proved the sticking point; first used 11th July 1995 was the best we could do, but without a letter of exemption it is faced with a cat test.

Hmm I have a feeling  this is just an MOT checker that does quite know how their own system works etc

as im pretty sure you only a letter of exemption if its a vehicle that is already on the system, but say came from where that did not mandate a cat at the time

say a 1994 VW Polo from South Africa etc, you would need a letter from VW saying "yeah this perticular example is from SA and never had a cat etc etc"

 

I think vehicles like yours which where never sold here new/never on any system over here should get an automatic wave through

I wonder if it might be asking on some forum or facebook group that deals with imports (JDM stuff maybe?) frequently 

[RichardK]

Well, that’s what I thought was the case - not in database, pre-August 1995, non-cat test.

Still need to fix the foglight/telltale etc.

14 minutes ago, jonathan_dyane said:

Good result! Also looking at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676700/in-service-exhaust-emission-standards-for-road-vehicles-19th-edition.pdf my reading is that because the vehicle is not listed in the document annex and was first used before 1st August 1995 it is exempt from the CAT test.

 

[Zelandeth]

I learned something today... didn't realise there was a specific date where there was a cutoff for the "wasn't standard fitment in the home market" rule.

Every day's a school day.

[garethj]

I went for a tour of the old Ryton factory in the late ‘90s where they were churning out (I think) Peugeot 206s.  Some were built for the African market with carburettors so getting some kind of exemption for non-UK market must be possible, it wasn’t just the Eastern Bloc that had a relaxed attitude to emissions 

[Dave_Q]

If the engine can be proved to be pre-95 then emissions have to go on that. 
So you need to either swap.tje engine for an Astra gte 16v engine from the mid 80s or get a new engine number made up.  With a much earlier number. 
Or bribe the mot tester.  Or fit a generic caT just for the test. 

I was about to say this is no longer the case but it appears it would be for this car.



https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspection-manual-for-private-passenger-and-light-commercial-vehicles/8-nuisance

Given the general inability to prove anything about the car, a letter from an engineer stating it's been fitted with an earlier engine may get you through the test, although I agree that as used before 1/8/95 it should be done on a pre-cat test.

[RichardK]

Y’all think I’d forgotten this little one? Just had too much on to pick up the MOT thread but have been out today and fixed the lights, then committed mass Jenolite clear spray into the boot cavities.

Note the pair of strong brand-new struts holding the tailgate up, too!

[Zelandeth]

Think we need this to appear in the dash at night thread.

Looking good.  Really do hope to see this in the metal one day.

[RichardK]

3 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Think we need this to appear in the dash at night thread.

Looking good.  Really do hope to see this in the metal one day.

I need to replace the filters on the dash lights, they’re all crinkled up and the symbols are lost

And you will. It’s going to FoUe even if I have to trailer it, and it’ll show up at FoD once it’s legal.

[Zelandeth]

13 minutes ago, RichardK said:

I need to replace the filters on the dash lights, they’re all crinkled up and the symbols are lost

And you will. It’s going to FoUe even if I have to trailer it, and it’ll show up at FoD once it’s legal.

Got a close up of the instrument cluster?  I've got the ability to laser print onto transparencies so could probably make some overlays with the symbols or text on for them.

Look forward to seeing it, finding an Eastern Bloc car I hadn't heard of until so recently really piqued my interest.

[RichardK]

43 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Got a close up of the instrument cluster?  I've got the ability to laser print onto transparencies so could probably make some overlays with the symbols or text on for them.

Look forward to seeing it, finding an Eastern Bloc car I hadn't heard of until so recently really piqued my interest.

I'll see if I can get the foil out and scan it or something. It's very simple - I was going to use gels for heatproof colour - used to have a device for transferring to gels which was also a weird laminator thing, but that's long gone.

[vulgalour]

Only just caught the MoT result, and it's good to know it's as clean underneath as it is up top.  Disappointing on the old emissions side of things but I'm sure you'll get that sorted out.

[RichardK]

11 hours ago, vulgalour said:

Only just caught the MoT result, and it's good to know it's as clean underneath as it is up top.  Disappointing on the old emissions side of things but I'm sure you'll get that sorted out.

It has genuinely only done 1,000 or so miles - any problems with it are due to 'minor mishaps' or 'age', like the tyres which I will replace before using it in anger, or the gas strut hole in the load cover that I am sure will have happened like this:

Open boot. Won't move because strut is stuck. Push. Strut pops out of cup and hangs free. Get on doing other stuff. Jammed strut suddenly and explosively deploys, piercing the parcel shelf and thankfully not someone's body somewhere.

I know this because said strut did something very similar to me - I removed it compressed, put it down on the floor, forgot about it, and it suddenly catapulted itself. The new struts mean the boot closes and opens really nicely, too.

All I need is a testing station that will test correctly for a car not in the database. The only other question is if the brakes are even strong enough to register on the tester - by design. Everything else was good bar the battery clamp which I will find a solution for.

[dollywobbler]

Rest assured that the UK MOT is soft as anything on brakes really. I think imbalance tends to be a much bigger failure point than 'doesn't really stop.'

[Spurious]

35 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Rest assured that the UK MOT is soft as anything on brakes really. I think imbalance tends to be a much bigger failure point than 'doesn't really stop.'

It certainly is. 

When I bought the Audi, I put it through the MOT.  The brakes whilst not leaking, weren't the best. 

It pretty much needed new discs throughout, rebuilt calipers and when I popped the front caliper off the pad friction material fell off the brake pad backing plate. 

It did stop however at the time of the test, so it passed. But the brakes weren't ideal. 

[horriblemercedes]

2 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Rest assured that the UK MOT is soft as anything on brakes really. I think imbalance tends to be a much bigger failure point than 'doesn't really stop.'

Yep. If they stop it, it'll pass, more or less. 

 

Brake failures are almost always (as you say) imbalance or thin pads or ruined discs. 

The handbrake roller test is more likely to cause a fail than the other brake tests, I think 

[RichardK]

Well, today had some sort of progress. Booked two days off work for logistics and tidying my life somewhat, and thought I'd try the recommended garage up the road. I expected a 'make an appointment' but they said pop down and they'd have a look. Sounded very promising.

Got there and the chap's standing outside, pretty much zero interest in the weird-looking car. We go over to the tester who immediately starts on the '1995 needs a cat test' pointing at the manual, then when I say first used before August 1995, overseas, not in the database looks blank, argues, then his computer locks up anyway. I appreciate people like MOT testers don't like being told they're wrong, but FFS.

On the plus side, the couple of mile run the Tavria got is the first in a couple of months and it drove absolutely fine. It's now booked in where I should have booked it into in the first place. Suspect the DVLA backlog will mean I'm still unlikely to see FoU with it except on a trailer, but ultimately I just want it to be registered and usable!

Also I reckon the brakes will be much better with new tyres.

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, eight week turnaround at the moment apparently. Ugh.

[RichardK]

This is where you send the cheque in and say you want tax to run from 1st July and they still take it from 1st July even if the car isn't even usable on the road until September, isn't it...

[LightBulbFun]

52 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Yeah, eight week turnaround at the moment apparently. Ugh.

and yet just a couple months ago, somehow I guess through sheer willpower I managed to get the DVLA to turn around a Model 70 Job, from V62 posted off to V5c issued in the new keepers name in just 9 days

[wuvvum]

I got the new V5C back for the Ypsilon within a couple of weeks of sending off the V62.

[RichardK]

This is a V55. Not sure if the process is different. I've accepted I'm losing the logbook though!