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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - MOT Fail :(

Well Bridget my 1975 midget failed her MOT yesterday :(.

Most of the things on the list are minor such as the wrong size washers that have been put under the nuts holding the seats to the floor, the fuel cap would not undo, and the passenger seatbelt would not budge!

Other things such as a blown bulb on the rear numberplate light and the front headlights not being bright or high enough.

The main issue is that she needs some welding to the underside and one of the floor pans, the garage did quote about the 200 mark, she was also blowing from a poor join on the exhaust down pipe to the straight section.

Can anyone recommend a garage around the Medway area that could do the work?

Thanks

Rylan
R Williams

Bad luck! Some of that does seem a bit severe!

Never realised that a fuel cap that won't undo would ever be part of the test?
Guy

I don't even think my seat mounting washers are visible undere the underseal.
Sorry you got a bit of a up tight mot guy good luck with the jobs
Onno Könemann

Guy MOT testers should remove the fuel cap to ensure there is a seal in place, fundemental part of the test, as is the seat belt check and the headlights.
I am sorry to say that if you go for an MOT with a number of simple things wrong then chances are the fellow will go to town on you. It pays dividends to at least make sure the simple things (all lights working etc) are fine.

£200 quid for welding doesn't seem to bad to me as what you can see that needs welding generally ends up at least twice as much.

Good luck.
Robert (Bob) Midget Turbo

Bob,
Perhaps they "should" but my Sprite has passed first time every year since I rebuilt it in 1999.

It has a locking petrol cap and I have never been asked for the key to that so I know it has never been checked. That said, I don't pretend to know precisely what is included in the test although I understand that the list of test items varies according to when the vehicle was first registered.
Guy

admittedly I would have been more suprised if she had passed. I did check all the bulbs before heading out and they were working, must have been bad luck that caused one of them to fail on the way!

At least I have a hit list to deal with.

Its ironic that they need to check for a seal on the fuel cap, yet they cannot get it to open to check :)

In my opinion it was money well spent as now I know where to focus my efforts!
R Williams

dont like to brag but mine has passed every year since i restored it in 1990, and yes if i had read this from someone else i would have thought wot a twat
d a hadaway

dont like to brag but mine has passed every year since i restored it in 1990, and yes if i had read this from someone else i would have thought wot a twat
d a hadaway

see im such a bore i said it twice
d a hadaway

Rylan, an MOT (pass) just states the car passed minimum legal standards at that particular time on that particular day it doesn't mean the car was working as well or efficiently as it could (certainly not the engine)

Take the MOT standards and the fail points as your starting position

not meaning to deminish d a's 21 years of achievements :)
Nigel Atkins

thankyou nigel for that very tactfull last comment. next mot in july ,sods law it will fail now.[dont all cheer at once please]
d a hadaway

This the web site that lists the things tested
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Mot/DG_4022109
And here's what it says about fuel caps:
"The fuel System

Has no leaks and the fuel cap fastens and seals securely. The fuel cap will need to be opened so be sure the key is available."

You learn something new every day.
Mike Howlett

d a - all done tongue-in-cheek, he who tempts the fate of Sod's Law and all that

I only knew they check the fuel cap because I saw the chap do it the other year
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 22/04/2011 and 24/04/2011

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