Major changes to the MOT test on 20th of May 2018

[wimorrison]

Originally Posted by harveys

Just to say the mot handbook does referred to the headlamps must have the correct type approval letters on the outer glass if HID is fitted.
Well the draft one that is.

The RVLR have always had the stipulation that the lenses must be marked as having been tested and approved for use with HID lamps, this requirement is not new.

[Simon Jones]

Just to throw something into the mix. I've got a Mazda which is a grey import from Japan. It was made in 2002 and has factory-fitted HID but does not have automatic self-levelling or headlamp washers. As it was never intended to be sold in Europe it does not have have any of the European type approval and when the MOT rules changed on HID a few years back I was a little worried it could be problematic, but it's flown thru every year.

[tofufi]

Originally Posted by rippedoffagain

The MOT test us already pretty comprehensive. It is just not enacted properly in many cases. Perhaps any legal changes should be aimed at clamping down on places that pass cars without properly doing the current test. Perhaps that way we might see less great clouds of smoke coming from diesel exhausts every time they change gear or accelerate hard, and perhaps we'd all be able to see better at night with fewer misaligned headlights shining right in our faces.

The current limits are, however, ridiculous. The current limit for a turbocharged diesel is 3.0m-1.

My 740 turbodiesel, with a straight 6 diesel which has mechanical injection and NO pollution controls in the exhaust at all and no EGR (all as standard) managed a result of 0.66m-1 on this year's MOT.

If a modern diesel can't meet the minimum of 0.5m-1 (this is the lowest figure you'll ever find on a VIN plate) there's something seriously wrong with it. Anything equipped with a DPF should effectively read 0.0m-1.

Originally Posted by canis

When I worked at my last garage, I noticed the difference between cars today and the older cars I trained on, in that the headlamp matches the bodywork exactly. This didn't used to be the case, where a lamp was positioned in a recess or whatever, it could be adusted to shine directionally without affecting the appearance of the car.

So I was adjusting headlamps to point correctly, and being told to make them match the panel instead. Cars warp over time, they don't stay millimeter perfect throughout their lives, and plastic panels like bumpers are prone to strain and warpage too. Any thermosetting plastic will change over time if it's held in a position against it's "will" and natural weather changes will supply the thermodynamic motivation. It's why the tongue holding the batteries in your remote control no longer grips properly.

You do realise the headlight aim can be adjusted without altering the position of the lamp within the bodywork, right? All modern cars can have the headlamp aim adjusted with screw adjusters just like older cars.

Originally Posted by heckflosse

Our MOT system is possibly the best in the world, certainly up near the top.
Many of the recent changes are due to, you guessed it, the EU, wanting to harmonise transport across the EU. Don't fix what ain't broke would be a good reply.
This is just a draft document, nothing to be scared of in it really at this stage.
Most Diesels we test pass easily, even those devious VWs and Audis that won't rev!

Apart from the fact that the current limits for diesels are a complete joke for any modern diesel to meet. That's why they are being reduced, and about time too