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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - I'd rather go to the dentist

Than take my car for an MOT !
Mot day tomorrow. Wish me luck !!
I have checked and checked the midget over and cant find anything that warrants a failure, maybe an advisory on a chip on the screen. Which was there when i bought it and has obviously been there for a number of years but has never been advised on according to the wedge of papers that come with the motor.
I suppose it is one of the joys of older motoring sitting waiting for your pride and joy to be examined, biting your nails !
Roll on Saturday 11.30 :-)
S Langston

grease front suspension

lights (blackened bulbs too)

brake lights

headlight alignment

horn

windscreen washer (fill washer bottle and add a bit of colour mix)

spare tyre

numberplates are not damged or loose

cables and pipes secured

brakes and handbrake

tyres

seat and seat belts secure

seat belts not worn

have the car tidy, clean and polished inside and out and underneath as much as possible - they like this (would you like to work on a mucky car, even better if the car before was mucky)
N Atkins

just thought - after all these years the August 1st registrations still have effect (?)
N Atkins

If you've been over it with a fine tooth comb, then I wouldn't worry too much. I always find that, like a lot of things, if you present them in a way that looks like you look after them (like wash it before you take it and show it the grease gun etc. & of course follow Nigels advice re servicing!) then they don't tend to look so hard. This applies equally to moderns.

Mind you thats easy for me to say as mine passed today with no advisories.

Trev

T Mason

Nigel, you obviously posted as I was typing.

Trev
T Mason

Trev, that usually happens to me

I think last minute checks can be useful too as you don't want to waste brownie points on things like a blown bulb from the night before - unlikely I know but they don't respect MOT times

on that note have you spare bulb set in the boot that was any comments and you can ask Tester to look at something else whilst you attend to problem bulb

also have your spare fuses in holder (they should be there anyway)

most MOT Testers are happy to see ours cars for novelty, nostalgia or just because there's a bit less to check

I like them to be firm but fair and go to the same place each year regards or car as they get to recognise that you look after your cars and then even point out stuff to you not covered by the MOT test but to be helpful to you
N Atkins

It has been serviced from tip to toe. It is as shiny underneath as it is on top, but as with anything it would be something that you just cant see !
I have just been out and about in the Midget and the indicators and rev counter stopped working. Think it may have been a dodgy earth on the relay, why the rev counter stopped working with the indicators is a complete mystery. All ok now though.
S Langston

Nigel, totally agree about last minute checks and spare bulbs/fuses. I once checked everything the night before and all was OK, but when I got to the test centre a number plate bulb had blown. As you say if you have spares and you use the same place they dont mind you replacing it at the time (I think it rather surprises them that you are that prepared for such occurences).

I also think that if you dont know of a test centre that is used to dealing with old cars its worth asking around to find one rather than just going anywhere. I certainly wouldn't want to take mine to the place I use for the modern (even though it is cheaper)as I dont think it would clear the rather steep ramp there, but the place I use for the Midget has the ramp sunk into the floor so clearance is no problem.

Trev
T Mason

My 'bike passed its MoT on Monday. I gave the horn a good test on the way to the MoT as I was waiting at some traffic lights on an incline and the tw@t in front of me started rolling backwards...and showed no sign of stopping!
Dave O'Neill 2

Ahh you can never be sure

Just last week spend 2 days fixing all the little niggles in the BGT (after 2 years of daily use that is not a bad score)
When I was done I went to the MOT guy and just as he put it on the ramp to look at the underside the fuel pump started leaking!
I had just spend 2 days under it and it did not leak a drop!!!

But that was the only point so fitted a new pump (looked like it was the original) and it sailed through
Onno Könemann

you can get your car MOT'd up to a month in advance

I usually do this but once I had a car in being worked and they put it in the day before so it got 12 instead of 13 in effect losing me a month despite me telling them in advance and writing it down for them

I also used to pay, or get the dealership to pay, the extra few days or weeks road tax on a new vehicle to save losing them at the year end - pay 12 months and what ever weeks and/or days
N Atkins

So, did it pass?

Much of the test is ignored as far as old spridgets are concerned, emmissions stuff like that (as long as you are not smoking or belching oil out the rear of course)..

Also for example, post manufacture mirrors such as "racing" door mirrors are ignored even if partially obscured

The condition of the spare tyre is not part of the MOT. You dont even have to have one in the boot.

Her's a useful link.
http://www.ukmot.com/mot_check.asp

Hope you don't rely on the test to give you confidence in the car. Yes the tester is supposed to be trained and qualified etc etc blah blah. but long gone are the days when all testers were often the senior mechanic (real mechanic that is and not a fitter). These days you go to a big test centre and you get all kinds of wet behind the ears recently qualified "experts" fresh with their paper to tell you they are "trained" experts. They follow procedures and either fail or pass on a whim it seems to me, frequently with little understanding of why something is safe or dangerous.

Theat's not entirely fair of course. As with modern cars, whose modern designs make it very easy to determine with test equipment if a car should pass or fail, even your granny could decide. But older cars don't meet modern test requirements since in many aspects, they weren't expected to, --- back in the day.

But we all have to have one, so as Nigel says do all you can to ensure you pass. Esp going to the same garage every year. Pick an old school garage, privately owned with older mechanics. They will have probably owned a spridget in their time, or driven one, and at least SEEN one before. There's plenty around down here in kent, but I don't know about ooop there. Must be though since the spridgets were made up that way weren't they?
Lawrence Slater

Still waiting to take the Midget to the mot station. It was booked in for 11.30 but they phoned to take it at 1.00 as i am waiting for it.
I just hope the rain subsides a bit as it is hammering down here at the moment !
S Langston

the spare wheel is all part of the presentation rather part of the MOT, if you have a tatty one in the boot, but there again why would you :), it would spoil the general impression you're trying to put over - you wouldn't go on a date where you're hoping to get lucky all dressed in your finery but with grubby underpants would you - Lawrence you are exclude from this idea ;)

plus of course what's the point of caring a spare wheel that's not correctly inflated and in good condition and can't reasomable be used - Lawrence you are also excluded from this idea :)
N Atkins

Well what do you know, it passed !
Few advisories. Both front shock absorbers reduced damping. Chip on the screen. Slight corrosion on radiator panel.
Can the shocks be topped up or is this a replacement job ?
S Langston

Excellent!

Yes the dampers can be topped up either with oil bought through the likes of Moss (expensive) or you can use as I do, motorcycle fork oil - either 20 or 30 grade. I use 30 as it's a little bit firmer. There's a nut on the top of the damper which once removed allows access for topping up.
You may be able to remove the scratch on the screen with jeweller's rouge or may be the Autoglass people might do it as part of your insurance policy?

Jeremy
Jeremy 3

well done

damper oil - there was a thread on this recently, EP20 if IIRC - http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=9377

proves my point, the car's got a MOT but wont be near it's best with wooley shocks

and see (also video before, looks like John has seen my list:) ) - http://www.youtube.com/user/Universitymotorsltd#p/u/0/ZKrQAi4V2Iw

chip get the insurance if not you can (used to?) be able to get a kit and do it yourself, an hour of sun is useful for this)

many ways of dealing with slight rust on a panel take your pick
N Atkins

Congrats. Another 50 quid of relief for another year.

If you had failed because the spare was anything less than "perfect", the failure would have been inappropriate and you could have appealed and won, because the spare DOES NOT form part of the MOT. Stupid that may be, but that's how it is.

Now that's a lot of hassle, so in agreement with Nigel, I simply took mine out when it was tested. No issue at all then, unless I got a punture on the way of course.

Now if I HAD got a punture on the way to the mot, and DID have my spare,-- in order to do a perfect presentation, -- I would then have had to go to a repair station, to have the spare fixed, or give the tester a wrong impression with a flat spare. All so much ballcocks since the spare is irrelevant to the MOT even if its canvas. Your only in trouble if it's knackered and you get stopped by the boys in blue whilst using it because you have a flat. Like I said, ballcocks.

As for inflation to correct pressure, you have to have it OVER inflated surely if it is to be correct for both front an rears (so you can let some out)? And if you were to follow all the advice around here about dumping your rubber after 6 years, you would also not want a TOO good tyre as your spare, as it wont get used a lot, unless you rotate, as we are all supposed to do apparantly, but I bet most people seldom bother. Esp if you like a particular brand/pattern on the front vs the rears, and you of course only carry one spare.:)

Lawrence Slater

I haven't carried a spare in my Spridge since 1994, and I haven't needed one. And I like to think that over the 150,000 miles I will have covered in that time I will have saved a significant cost in fuel for the reduced payload.

Congrats on your MOT. Your hard work in getting it presentable paid off; so well done!
Guy

This thread was discussed between 15/07/2011 and 17/07/2011

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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