Question for the MOT examiners.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

Brian is the boss there.

Why not cut your losses and book it in for a retest there without touching a thing. Prebooked test is the get out of jail card.

Common sense and arsehole free establishment.

I wouldn't entertain using the bunch of clowns that have given you this much hassle ever again.

Great minds think alike! Having read the comments in between particularly about the original tester trying to find the trailer board suggests something isn't right with the first MoT.

Just smells wrong if you know what i mean. If it subsequently passes first time elsewhere without being touched you have a case for a refund at the very least from the Volvo dealer.

[Ian21401]

Thanks guys.
I don’t think that the wiring fitted is dedicated Volvo. It is supposed to be a Volvo specific system which was retro fitted by an independent specialist.
I also thought that it would be connected into the rear electrical centre fuse box but that is not the case. See below the actual connections.
The system consists of a “Jaegar” trailer module TM005 (pictured),
a “tow Technology” TSC50 self switching combi relay (pictured) and
block of three fuses, two 15amp and one 20amp.(pictured)

Edit: Sorry. Tried to upload images a different way but failed.

The TM005 module has two LEDs, one green and one red. I understand that if the green LED is steady then the module is receiving a signal and ready.
Once the trailer connection is made the green LED flashes.
If the red LED is steady then there is a CANbus connection error.
If neither LED is lit the system is on standby or there is no power supply.
When the car ignition is switched on the red LED is steady for a while, then the green LED flashes on momentarily and at the same time the red LED extinguishes then the red LED returns to steady.

Edit: We will be contacting Autofix tomorrow to discuss the situation, with a view to having them check the system, remedy any problems and perform an MOT as soon as possible.

[37 RUBY]

Originally Posted by Ian21401

Thanks guys.
I don’t think that the wiring fitted is dedicated Volvo. It is supposed to be a Volvo specific system which was retro fitted by an independent specialist.
I also thought that it would be connected into the rear electrical centre fuse box but that is not the case. See below the actual connections.
The system consists of a “Jaegar” trailer module TM005 (pictured),
a “tow Technology” TSC50 self switching combi relay (pictured) and
block of three fuses, two 15amp and one 20amp.(pictured)

Edit: Sorry. Tried to upload images a different way but failed.

Does the Jaegar unit look like the one in this video...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8rpT2eH8lc

[Ian21401]

37 Ruby, Yes. Please see my edits above.

Edit: The trailer module unit is plugged into two connectors which appear to be original equipment. I will try again to upload images tomorrow.

[green van man]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

Ian, there are numerous threads on the internet about this very thing and the upshot of it was that the test equipment being used by the testing facility was entirely inadequate and incapable of working correctly with a vehicle that has a modern canbus system on it.

One guy got a fail just like yours and plugged his own trailer board in at the test centre but the tester said that was not good enough and the fails stood.

Jobsworth on that occasion.

Personally, I would get a trailer board with 13 pin socket and see if everything is working. The situation you have here is that you could be chasing your arse for no good reason if in fact all of your electrics are fine but the dedicated test equipment is not.

Read this from page 1


https://www.caravantalk.co.uk/commun...wbar/#comments

It seems from both yours and clans posts the testing of the 13pin plug is only the equivalent of the 7 pin plug operation.

Having 2 cars, one 13 pin, one 7 pin and 2 caravans, one 13 pin and one 7 pin I have both 13 to 7 pin and 7 to 13 pin adaptors, this means I can plug a 7 pin trailer board into either system to test functionality.

Certainly the 13 to 7 pin adaptor is basically a 13 pin plug with a 7 pin socket on the back of it, so cheap on eBay that I bought 5 of them, one in each vehicle and van and a floating spare for when I loose one. As vans are stored on a working farm I use the landrover, 7 pin to get them home before a trip.

Trailer board is 10 to 15 pounds and it makes self testing so much easier.

For less than a £20 outlay Ian can be sure what he is testing either works or not and can do so every year to avoid repeat of the current position.

In my area motor factors are open as essential shops so getting the required bits is no problem and I have spare 13 to 7 pin adaptors I could post him if needed were he to pm me his address.

Paul.

[S60D5-185]

From what I've read Paul, simply plugging a small 13 pin to 7pin adaptor ( few quid ) means that the electrics are no longer deemed part of the MOT as 7 pin are exempt.

I could be wrong with this but the rules in this particular area are so stupid that I wouldn't be surprised if it was a fact.👍

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

From what I've read Paul, simply plugging a small 13 pin to 7pin adaptor ( few quid ) means that the electrics are no longer deemed part of the MOT as 7 pin are exempt.

I could be wrong with this but the rules in this particular area are so stupid that I wouldn't be surprised if it was a fact.👍

I don't see the logic in testing the electrics on a tow bar, it doesn't effect the safety of the car during normal use and there is more likley to be a fault on the trailer than the tow vehicle anyway. Maybe the next thing they'll add to the MoT will be that any vehicle equipped with a towbar needs to be presented with the trailer/caravan it tows so that can be inspected too!

Like you i wouldn't be surprised if simply plugging a 13-7pin adaptor in negates the need for testing on the MoT, almost worth a try if only for gits and shiggles!

[37 RUBY]

Ian

I've attached what I believe are the instructions for the Jaeger kit.

[Ian21401]

Thanks Paul.
My car and van are twin 7 pin. Daughter’s van is twin 7 pin and she had twin 7 pin on her previous V50. When she had the current XC70 wired up she was hoping to upgrade her van so elected to have 13 pin fitted. She hasn’t been able to upgrade the van so she has been operating with a 13 pin to twin 7 pin adapter which has worked OK so we are familiar with that scenario.
As it was working last autumn but has apparently failed after the service we suspect thar the car’s system may have been amended somehow so that it does not know that there is towing wiring. We have asked the dealer to check this but they are refusing to cooperate and now not returning calls. We have now contacted another independent Volvo specialist with a view to checking the system before we move on to a tow wiring specialist if necessary and are awaiting a callback.
An added problem is that as Mill have posted the Dangerous Fail we cannot legally use the car unless we can prove that we are booked into and en route to a place for repair.
I know little about the fitted electrics, but that trailer module seems to be telling me that it is not receiving power as there is a CAN connectivity problem.

Thank you 37 Ruby, I’ve had a very quick look. That looks like what we have fitted. I’ll peruse properly later.

[37 RUBY]

Ian

I think that it is entirely possible for a Software update to have removed the towing module supply voltage capability.

You could un-couple the Jaeger module and check for supply voltage with your meter.

Have you got access to Vida. I'm still new at using this, but I wonder if you can view what software is uploaded and if the system see's the module, i.e. as it would if it was the Volvo oe unit.