Peugeot and Citroen springs again.

Earlier in these posts I refer  to the way some peugeots and citroens have a habit of shredding their  front tyres when a coil spring breaks, mentioning a modification made under recall by the manufacturers consisting of a retaining shroud fitted around the base of the coil spring seat.
The above is an example of the retaining shroud in place, what cannot be seen in this instance is that the coil spring has broken and that the shroud has done its job and prevented the broken end of the spring falling down and shredding the tyre. The following image clearly shows how the spring has broken but remains securely on the spring seat. 

I should also mention that I have seen a broken spring that has managed to slip through the base of the shroud, so it seems it is not always successful in retaining the broken spring in place.

Emissions

One of the items on the mot  to be tested is the exhaust emissions, below  is an image of the printouts of  the results, a failure and after repair.

Often the results as displayed mean little or nothing to the vehicle owner, however the results displayed give valuable clues as to where the fault lies.

The left hand section shows the results obtained prior to repair, both the co level and  lambda ratio are outside specification, and the idle co is very high at over 6% but the hc level is within limits, although a little higher than expected, this initially points to a failing lambda sensor. A quick check with the diagnostic kit showed the range the lambda sensor was switching was very narrow, a check at the lambda sensor plug under the bonnet (to eliminate a wiring fault) confirmed this.

Had the catalytic converter failed I would have expected to see the hc level higher.

A new lambda sensor was fitted, an emissions test immediately carried out and gave the results as shown to the right. (normally we would have allowed the vehicle to warm up fully before carrying out the retest but time was running out to finish the job before it was due to be collected)
As can be seen the 1st fast idle was a fail (engine not quite up to temperature) however the 2nd fast idle is well within limits at 0 .12% and the hc level down at 16 parts per million, with the natural idle down to 0.5% and lowering.

Should 4-2-2 testing become the norm this vehicle could be polluting for a further 12 months without the driver being aware of any problem. www.facebook.com/MOTTesting?sk=app_132065096874831

Say no to 4-2-2

The current government are still considering a change to the mot scheme by extending the period between mot tests, even though the previous government decided against it after examining the options.

Should this happen we could find vehicles in a dangerous condition for a further 12 months compared to now.

Some examples.

A tyre badly worn through to the cords,
The following example of corrosion found on a Subaru Justy had an advisory notice issued 12 months ago, regarding the corrosion now bad enough to fail.

The pale blue you see in the centre of the image above  is the inside of the chassis above the rear subframe mount, heavy braking could well have caused the subframe to break away causing serious loss of control. I was unable to complete the test and abandoned the test as I could not complete a brake efficiency test.

On to  another vehicle, approx 3 months ago an advisory notice was issued with regard to the rear brake pads wearing thin. Returned to us this last week to have the brake pads replaced.
As you can see from the above image one of the pads has had the metal backing worn to half of it’s original thickness, it must have been grinding away warning the driver of the problem for at least 500 miles.

It seems that the advisory notice is totally ignored, the necessary repairs aren’t done because of cost constraints, but how much more expensive is replacing the car after an accident, or even a fatality?

Many drivers seem to be of the opinion that as the vehicle has passed it’s MOT it is good for another 12 mths without any maintenance.

The MOT is only a check that certain components met a minimum laid down standard at the time of the test 

If 4-2-2 testing becomes a reality we could see a lot more vehicles in this condition on the road.

Sign the  petition at http://www.facebook.com/MOTTesting?sk=app_132065096874831 and voice your opposition to the proposed change.