MOT failure

[johnnyb47]

Hi. After many years of MOT passes on my old car, yesterday it failed quite spectacularly. I've kept on top of any work it's needed but I obviously over looked this one. Whilst on the rolling Road checking the brakes I was quite impressed by how well they were balanced looking at the MOT dails. They were almost perfect until i heard a pop and then noticed the car had become incontinent with brake fluid. I heard the Mot tester saying "oh no that's not good"
When testing the brakes on the rolling Road there really put under pressure to the point that there doing an emergency stop. Even though though the rollers are turning relatively slowly the torque in them is really strong, so the brakes can be applied heavily to check for any weakness.
Sure enough with the wheel off it became evident the brake pipe had burst just were it meets the front flexy hose. Mot guy is a good guy and offered to fix it there and then which meant him working after closing time. It's an old oily rag type of garage stuck in the middle of nowhere, but there really straight and hands on will do kind of attitude. After looking around the issues a bit more i told him to leave it till Monday to sort out and asked if he could replace the brake pipes and flexy hoses on both sides as I'm sure the the other one wouldn't be to far behind.
In retrospect I'm glad it burst whilst he was testing the car. The thought of brake failure going down some Welsh mountain road could of ended in disaster.
MOTs can be a pain, but thank god we have them.
All the very best,.
Johnny

 

[Sharky]

What I find curious is that cars older than 40 yrs don't need an MOT at all.

 

[I like Skol]

What I find curious is that cars older than 40 yrs don't need an MOT at all.

It's because usually they are owned, used and maintained by hands-on enthusiasts who are very active in looking after these aged treasures and will check and inspect their vehicles regularly to a similar standard as the MOT test (which itself is only a basic assesment of vehicle condition).
I'll bet before this exemption was granted they looked at the stats and found that vehicles of that age and older rarely failed the MOT test anyway?

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Historic Cars aren't my thing but I suspect that many couldn't pass a modern MOT even if they were in perfect working order and in ex-factory spec.

I am thinking exhaust emissions, headlight intensity or pattern, maybe inadequate drum brakes all round, only one windscreen wiper on the drivers side etc.

As there are so few left it's much easier to make them a special case than close down the industry or explain what is a fail for a modern car but not for ones over a certain age.

Agreeing with I Like Skol, any one driving an Austin Allegro or early Mini Metro (introduced 1980) probably loves and cherishes the thing.

 

[Sharky]

It's because usually they are owned, used and maintained by hands-on enthusiasts who are very active in looking after these aged treasures and will check and inspect their vehicles regularly to a similar standard as the MOT test (which itself is only a basic assesment of vehicle condition).
I'll bet before this exemption was granted they looked at the stats and found that vehicles of that age and older rarely failed the MOT test anyway?

I follow all that, but nether the less, older cars are more likely to suffer metal fatigue etc. It would also be interesting to know the stats of mot failures on 3 yr old cars. Cars nowadays are so well made and probably all follow servicing schedules that makes tham unlikely to fail.
When it was first introduced, it was a "10 year" test! Maybe time to review?

 

[tyred]

The vast majority of road accidents are caused by driver error. (It might be a better idea to test the drivers annually and not the cars).

Classic cars for the most part would be better maintained than many five year old cars, driven miniscule average mileage in comparison in the majority of cases and will be driven more carefully as someone who has spent a small fortune and a lot of time to restore their Cortina or MGB will not want to bend it.

I don't have any facts to hand but I'd be surprised if many classics crop up in the KSI stats.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Johnny said lots of stuff...
And then finished with this.
MOTs can be a pain, but thank god we have them.

Too true. I didn't realise that I had no LHS handbrake cable until the Tester showed me

 

[I like Skol]

(It might be a better idea to test the drivers annually and not the cars).

I am glad cars are tested annually, have you not seen the condition of many cars in the road as it is?
Without annual testing where would we then be? It is the middle ground cars that are the biggest problem. New and nearly new vehicles are well maintained while under warranty and serviced to maintain warranty and resale value. Older, classic cars are well looked after by caring enthusiasts. The 5-20 year old cars are the real risk. Bought on a budget, maintained on a budget (or not maintained at all, fix it if it breaks and then only if it stops you using the vehicle!) and driven by people with no interest in the cars condition as long as it continues to get them from A to B at minimal cost.
Then there are the abnormal discoveries, like the failed handbrake cable or the amazing fluke in the OP of the bursting brake hose which was much more likely to have been discovered in a disastrous emergency situation unless the annual MOT inspection had spotted it developing as a bubble or perishing of the hose.

Keep the annual MOT at all costs, it is helping keep a lot of road users safe from the ignorant and indifferent.

 

[johnnyb47]

This guy who tested my car, you could say he could have potentially saved my, or somebody else's life. If MOTs didn't exist it would of only been a matter of time before it would of failed, if I had to hit the brakes hard. There's the obvious things we can all see that would cause a Mot failure like lights etc, but things like brake pipes are harder to see as there tucked out of the way and out of mind.

 

[I like Skol]

This guy who tested my car, you could say he could have potentially saved my, or somebody else's life. If MOTs didn't exist it would of only been a matter of time before it would of failed, if I had to hit the brakes hard. There's the obvious things we can all see that would cause a Mot failure like lights etc, but things like brake pipes are harder to see as there tucked out of the way and out of mind.

Do you get your car serviced?
Inspection of suspension and braking components are usually part of any scheduled service program, but this is more likely to be omitted depending on vehicle age and standard of mechanic. In many instances on older cars servicing is just an oil change and replace any bulbs that have failed in the last 12 months!
You shouldn't only be relying on the MOT to pick up any safety critical faults on your cars. With this in mind it probably makes sense to stagger the annual service and MOT test so the vehicle is being checked every 6 months, but being the creatures we are we all nearly always have our cars serviced for the test!!!

 

[Bonefish Blues]

How would this have been picked up? Auiu it's a sudden failure, so unless there was an external indication, which is unlikely, then I don't see how (and it would have been picked up on the previous mot as a major fault). Nor is it a service item.

ETA
It's why cars have dual circuit brake systems.

 

[I like Skol]

How would this have been picked up? Auiu it's a sudden failure, so unless there was an external indication, which is unlikely, then I don't see how (and it would have been picked up on the previous mot as a major fault). Nor is it a service item.

ETA
It's why cars have dual circuit brake systems.

The service schedule set out in most owners handbooks includes many points that are simply visual check items like "Inspect brake lines and hoses for any signs of leaks or damage/degradation" so while there is no 'servicing' required, it is very much a service item. But lets face it, who ever looks in their car owners handbook, especially at the service schedule section (apart from me )? This is where a good mechanic is worth their weight in oil because they should be looking at these things anyway.

Brake hoses would rarely fail suddenly without warning unless damaged in use. More typical mode of failure would be gradual deterioration which will show itself with bulges or cracking which is visible in advance of failure and can be detected during servicing or MOT inspections. Faults like this should continue to be checked for in advance and relying on the dual-circuit brake system to protect you against such failures is absolute madness

 

[cougie uk]

Apparently there are States in the US that don't have any MOT testing. Some don't have any checks at all and some just check emissions. Scary eh ?

 

[Bonefish Blues]

The service schedule set out in most owners handbooks includes many points that are simply visual check items like "Inspect brake lines and hoses for any signs of leaks or damage/degradation" so while there is no 'servicing' required, it is very much a service item. But lets face it, who ever looks in their car owners handbook, especially at the service schedule section (apart from me )? This is where a good mechanic is worth their weight in oil because they should be looking at these things anyway.

Brake hoses would rarely fail suddenly without warning unless damaged in use. More typical mode of failure would be gradual deterioration which will show itself with bulges or cracking which is visible in advance of failure and can be detected during servicing or MOT inspections. Faults like this should continue to be checked for in advance and relying on the dual-circuit brake system to protect you against such failures is absolute madness

My point was also that it's MOT checked, and wasn't picked up on the previous test - if it had been it would have been a Major Fault & caused a Fail, which led me, Clouseau-like to believe it hadn't been detectable.

Nobody in their right mind relies on dual-circuit braking, but it's there for instances just like this.

 

[fossyant]

A majority of people just drive their car and never check anything, so MOT's are good. The number of newish expensive cars I see with bald tyres.

Many cyclists are the same - just ride their bike and never check them.