22 replies to this topic

[greenwheels]

MoT testers manual. See appendix C  Structural integrity and Corrosion

http://www.motinfo.g...docs/m4_int.zip

 

Unless there has been a very recent modification I see no changes.

I only go to MoT stations that have an 'old guy' who was brought up on Minis. With all due respect to recently trained mechanics modern cars are not comparable to a classic. When I go for an MoT I am after not just a certificate but a second opinion from someone with experience of my car.

[Carlos W]

MoT testers manual. See appendix C  Structural integrity and Corrosion

http://www.motinfo.g...docs/m4_int.zip

 

Unless there has been a very recent modification I see no changes.

I only go to MoT stations that have an 'old guy' who was brought up on Minis. With all due respect to recently trained mechanics modern cars are not comparable to a classic. When I go for an MoT I am after not just a certificate but a second opinion from someone with experience of my car.

I had my daily driver MOT'd a while ago, and he explained step by step why it had been given an advisory and exactly how to fix it!

 

The bloke was probably mid 40s I followed his advice and the handbrake is great now

[Daz1968]

I have restored my mk1 with correct sills plug welded and ground off smooth, with the stonechip over the top you can't see where they are welded, on the other extreme my daily Subaru impreza sti has a full plastic under tray and plastic sill covers and they can't remove them on mot so anything could be lurking underneath and it can't be failed as not visible on test. A lot of modern cars use boron steel in structural areas and if this is patched the strength would be compromised even if fully welded so would this be a fail, also modern cars can be brazed rather than welded and this has always been a mot failure, my understanding is if its repaired as to how it was from factory and any joints in the same place then no problem, if a panel is repaired where a joint was not originally there it must be seam welded so it is the same as one panel as originally designed. Over sills however if fitted with the inner sills that go around rear bins and cross member do not follow any factory joints so must be seam welded and are at best a temporary repair as they are massive water traps and would be lucky to last a couple of years on a daily driver.

[sport2000]

Mot testers can be overruled..
Many many years ago I had a mk1 xr2..rear springs were shortened but were also cable tied to prevent them potentially coming out the rear beam cups(as if I was going airborne )
Anyway the previous year the rear cups had also been welded..the mot tester said failed,I said you cant fail that,yes I can deal with it..

Okay I said we will see..

I went to the head place for my area and had it inspected,no problems as far as the head honcho could see.

He called them an said I'm passing this vehicle so he will be coming down for his certificate,the branch said well we are not passing it..
It ended with either give him the certificate or I will remove your license..

Sorry to go on but you can appeal if an mot tester is being a dick...

[minidaves]

I remember pinning the vosa inspector against the wall on a appeal test

 

dave

[twister]

Yes you can spot weld if its the same spec/method that the manufacture used. If its a plate it should be seam welded fully 

[GlynC]

Whilst i am certainly no expert I would have thought a welded seam along the top edge/flange of the sill to the doorstep/rear wing edge would be weaker than a series of good spot/plugs. Welded along the edge would not ensure the two flanges are correctly held together and would in theory give some flex to the area. When I took off the sills on mine which had been welded along the edge they came away easily once the underside welds had been ground off the inner sill. I thought at the time how weak this was compared to the section I took apart which had been spot welded properly.
I am lucky my mot man is a classic car man and knows what makes a decent repair and give allowances for the somewhat bigger variances in old motors compared to the modern boxes.
As said before if you repair this well and paint and stone chip it can't see how the hell they would be able to tell. You certainly can't on mine now ;)
Cheers Glyn

[Tamworthbay]

Whilst i am certainly no expert I would have thought a welded seam along the top edge/flange of the sill to the doorstep/rear wing edge would be weaker than a series of good spot/plugs. Welded along the edge would not ensure the two flanges are correctly held together and would in theory give some flex to the area. When I took off the sills on mine which had been welded along the edge they came away easily once the underside welds had been ground off the inner sill. I thought at the time how weak this was compared to the section I took apart which had been spot welded properly.
I am lucky my mot man is a classic car man and knows what makes a decent repair and give allowances for the somewhat bigger variances in old motors compared to the modern boxes.
As said before if you repair this well and paint and stone chip it can't see how the hell they would be able to tell. You certainly can't on mine now ;)
Cheers Glyn

I know what you are saying, but the ease of removal is more probably down to how accessible the welds are rather than their strength. The seam weld is much easier to grind down than a spot weld. With a decent spot weld drill you would be amazed how quick they fall apart and you might be lead to think the other way!

I think the key point is to find a MOT man who understands old motors as mentioned ^^^^^ and in my previous post. That way you are far less likely to get some over officious interpretation of the rules. At the end of the day that is all it ever is - an interpretation, there will always be variance between testers.