Archive for April, 2007

The lighting section of the MoT covers all exterior lamps required by the Road Traffic Act; this excludes front fog lamps, reversing lights and work lights as fitted to some commercial vehicles.

By and large all required lights must switch on and off when required, be correctly positioned, give out light of the correct colour and not affect or be affected by the operation of any other light.

Firstly let’s take a look at the sidelights, or more correctly, the position lights, these not only indicate the vehicles presence but also its approximate width, so a couple of white LED’s mounted in the grille is easily going to get you an MoT failure. Much the same applies to the rear position lights and in common with all other required lights must not flicker or go off when tapped lightly.  Quite common within the motoring community at the younger end of the population is the fitting of blue sidelights especially at the front, again a guaranteed MoT fail as the regulations require “they must show a steady white light to the front, or a yellow light, if incorporated in a headlamp which emits a yellow light�

One particular chaffing point between vehicle owners and MoT testers is the subject of damage, I personally have seen countless lamp units of all types with holes, cracks, incomplete lenses attended by an indignant owner clutching a freshly issued fail sheet insisting that I should have used some discretion when assessing that particular lamp, the regulations however, are quite clear, and state:

  “a front or rear position lamp incomplete, not in good working order or not clean, i.e. damaged or deteriorated, or not visible from a reasonable distance.�

If damaged, the replacement of most lamp units can be fairly easy and other than the main dealers, many suppliers can offer replacement at a competitive price and should there not be a ready source the required unit from one of the second-hand parts companies will fill the void. One recommended source for used car parts are breakers yards where you can get a fully functioning Vauxhall headlamp N/S and/or O/S for almost nothing.

The next lamps that work in conjunction with the side/position lamps are the registration plate lights. The requirements for these are straight forward and must be:

• Fitted
• Secure
• Working
• Correctly positioned
• Not flicker when tapped
• Not show a white light to the rear

One of the biggest problems with these lights is that of bulb holder corrosion which in turn can affect the wiring. Keeping the holder free from moisture is the basis of fault prevention and there are numerous aerosol sprays which do a fine job in keeping the bulb contacts rot free.

Whilst at the rear of the vehicle the MoT tester needs to check the rear fog light, which has been a required fitment to the offside or centre of vehicles since April 1980. This lamp must not be;

• Missing
• Emitting any colour other than red
• Incomplete
• Not in good working order
• Insecure, obscured or not facing rearward
• Flickers when tapped by hand
• Affected by the operation of other lamp
• Tell-tail (warning lamp) does not work

As with all other required lights, the switch must also meet certain specifications in that it must be present, in good working order and secure.

Another rear mounted lamp which is included in the MoT is of course the brake or stop lamps and they must obviously be fitted for the inspection to proceed. Since January 1971 a vehicle must be fitted with two stop lights and they must emit a steady red light when the service brakes are operated, go off, be complete, clean, in good working order, secure and face rearward. One minor quirk of the regulations is that additional stop lamps are not a testable item IF there is doubt as to whether they are connected.

Also tested whilst at the rear of the vehicle are the indicators which of course are fitted to all four corners and since April 1986 must include side repeaters. In common with all other required lamps they must be in good working condition, present, secure, showing light of the appropriate colour (amber) or affected by the operation of another lamp. Different to any other lamp of course is that they must flash at a rate of between one and two times per second (60-120 times per minute).

Closely related to the indicators are the hazard warning lights which have been a required fitment since April 1986. By the operation of a single switch all indicators must flash in phase with both the ignition on and off. In common with the indicators is the requirement for a “tell tale� to warn the driver that the hazard lights are on.

Last but certainly not least are the headlamps which have the same basic requirements as the other lights, security, condition etc but also have a requirement regarding aim. Basically, this is checked with the headlamp aligner which when correctly positioned in front of each headlamp in turn will, with the lamp on, display the projected beam image which has the following requirements: flat horizontal illumination just below the “straight ahead�, a “kick up� image rising above the horizontal and away to the left, the point at which the image kicks up must be just to the left of the vertical centre line. Any deviation from the above will result in a fail unless it can be corrected via the “height adjuster control� by the driver or by simple adjustment which is now permitted to be carried out during the test. The other variation from the norm is that headlamps are permitted to show either a yellow or substantially white light, anything else will fail.

I am sure that it will come as no surprise that the most common reason for MoT failure in automotive lighting is blown bulbs, a quick replacement and that’s that. Another very common area is that of headlamp aim and in many cases a tweak with a screwdriver will suffice and if at all possible this should be done by the MoT station as they will have access to the correct alignment equipment.

Apparently according to several websites your pulling power depends on what car you drive, firstly for first impressions but secondly for conversations.

For the women The cars to get your man are:

• Mini Coopers (Find Mini Cooper Car Parts)
• Red Porsche Boxsters (Find Porsche Boxster Car Parts)
• Silver Audi TT’s (Find Audi TT Car Parts)

For men who want to get that first date the driving the following cars will ensure sucess:

• Mini Cooper S (Find Mini Cooper Car Parts)
• Audi TT (Find Audi TT Car Parts)
• Alfa Romeo Spider (Find Alfa Romeo Car Parts)

However peoples comments on the various websites have different opinions. The clear winner is the Mini Couper S since it appears in both categories, it can be the least expensive and shows personality and has a lot of extra car parts which oose style and sophistication’s, where the others a second mortgage is needed to simply own one and only show you have the cash (however there are some impressive car parts on the latter cars). I also thought the new muscle cars with the vauxhall v8 6 litre vauxhall engine would have made a entry but what do i know, or the sleek style of the vauxhall body part on the vauxhall Astra twin top (looks a million dollars, but costs a lot less).

Personally I prefer the Vauxhall Corsa, its small and shows you have nothing to hide, its powerful and shows you know how to use it and for the ladies its a car they could drive which adds brownie points (like the Mini Cooper S but a lot cheaper). I also love the Vauxhall Corsa for its vauxhall body part since in my opinion looks amazing. the vauxhall Corsa also has a good vauxhall engine, mine is only a 1 litre but has a lot of umph.

Remember if you need any car parts, used car parts or reconditioned car parts then CarSpareFinder can help

Source from motoring file and FemaleFirst

A recent debate in Honda’s world is that of fuel economy vs safety. However it is not just Honda who have to consider this, but every car manufacturer, from vauxhall to Alfa Romeo.

There are several reasons why this is important. Firstly in some countries such as Canada there is a legal limit on the fuel consumption for a car, if the fuel consumption is too low then a rebate is given, which in Canada is $1000 if under 6.5 litres per 100KM.

The most fuel efficient car on the market today (to my knowledge) is the Toyota Yaris, 999cc edition with 6.3 litres per 100KM, already breaching Canadian law.

The bigger reason for concern is the with the customer. As a youth myself you either go for two types of car within your budget and this is style or fuel efficiency and normally the two are opposites, e.g. my friend has a Chrysler Neon special edition 2.2 litre and it looks superb but it drinks petrol. My brother on the other hand has the 999cc Toyota Yaris and it does not look the part but he gets more for his money.

This becomes a problem when looking for a fuel economical car because people don’t realize that fuel efficiency is effected by several factors, from extras in the car to the weight of the car, and a lot of weight can be added with safety features such as extra airbags and supporting frames. Therefore in some context youths are looking for fuel economical yet less safe cars.

Honda claims there Honda Fit is 6.5 litres per 100km, however it does have more safety features than the Yaris including airbags all round and claim the extra weights adds litres per kilometers and without the safety features it would be as fuel efficient, but people don’t seem to pick up on this and if your looking for fuel efficiency then you would choose the Yaris, even though it only comes with driver airbag for safety features.

Vauxhall have also claimed several of there fuel economical cars have a heavier vauxhall body part, thus increasing fuel efficiency and this was done to add security. Vauxhall also are starting to use 6 speed vauxhall gerabox’s in there cars which aim at reducing fuel efficiency.

So my message would be if your buying a car for its fuel efficiency, also consider its safety features, and you far better put up with a little less efficiency for more safety, and look into company explanations for the vehicle like the heavier vauxhall body part and newer 6 speed vauxhall gearbox since you may find there reasons convince you to buy the car.

Some facts and information from AutoBlog

The MoT (the Ministry of Transport, now long since gone) test came into being as a compulsory examination of certain motor vehicles once they became ten or more years old under the Motor Vehicles (Tests) Regulations 1960. From 1960 up to 1967 the testable age was progressively reduced to the present three years, although taxis, ambulances and vehicles with more than eight passenger seats were reduced to one year.

At its inception the test was restricted to brakes, steering and lighting and since 1968 the content of the test has moved on with numerous additions, the most significant being:

1968 – An examination of the tyres

1969 – A check of legally required seat belts (although there was no obligation to wear them then)

1977 – windscreen wipers, windscreen washers, indicators, brake lights, horn, exhaust system, condition of vehicle structure and a more detailed examination of seat belts.

1991 -  checks on the exhaust  emissions of petrol engined vehicles, anti lock braking system, rear wheel bearings, rear wheel steering (where fitted) and now rear seat belts.

1992 – Stricter wear limits for tyres on most vehicles.

1993 – checks on rear fog lights, hazard warning lights, number plate lights, drivers view of the road, body condition, body security, load security (where appropriate), doors, registration plates, fuel system and mirrors.

1994 – Check on the exhaust emissions of diesel engined vehicles.

1996 – Stricter exhaust emission levels for petrol engined vehicles.

1998 – Seat belt installation check for buses and mini buses.

2004 – Introduction of computerised MOT administration for MOT testing stations.

As you can see most of the above relate to the average family car but they also include many light commercial vehicles, these vehicles are grouped as Class 4 and the group structure for other vehicles are detailed below:

Class 1 – all motor cycles (with or without sidecars) up to an engine capacity of 200cc.

Class 2 – all motor cycles (with or without sidecars).

Class 3 – Three wheeled vehicles not more than 450kg unladen weight.

Class 4 – Cars, passenger vehicles, motor caravans and dual purpose vehicles with up to 8 passenger seats.

- goods vehicles not exceeding 300kg DGW (designed gross weight)

Class 5 – private passenger vehicles, ambulances, motor caravans and dual purpose vehicles in all cases with thirteen or more passenger seats.

Class 6 – Public service vehicles.

Class 7 – Goods vehicles over 3000kg up to and including 3500kg DGW.

This is not an exhaustive list as there are many variations within each class depending largely on seating, weight and purpose.

So that’s the structure relating to vehicle types and a brief history of the MOT scheme, so who administers and operates the testing scheme? The Motor Vehicle (Tests) Regulations 1960 are implemented by sections 45 to 48 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and are administered by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) who then authorise and police private garages (Vehicle Testing Stations) and certain local authorities (Designated Councils) to carry out the MOT test.

Not all testing stations can carry out tests on all classes of vehicle, the classes tested depend largely on the facilities available i.e. equipment, staff and space. A private garage seeking authorisation to test Class 4 requires, at present, a weatherproof area at least 3.6m wide providing 3.8m of headroom and a length of 14.5m to meet the preferred specifications, but regulations permit other layouts depending on the space available. In addition to the test area, off street parking for two vehicles has to be provided along with a viewing area for the presenter of the vehicle to be tested and a suitable site for the MOT computer terminal.

Assuming that the prospective testing station has met the physical requirements, what else is needed for testing to begin? Two things and they are both obvious 1) properly qualified and accredited staff and 2) £1000’s of equipment. Not too many years ago a person wishing to become a tester simply filled a form and went on a two day course concluding in a short exam followed by a demonstration MOT  test at their place of work observed by an officer from VOSA, or Vehicle Inspectorate as it was then, and providing the practical was satisfactory  that person became a nominated tester.  Today things are very different and   before a person goes on the three day nominated Testers course they have to prove their qualifications via NVQ, City&Guilds or BTEC certification. Failing this another route is open by attending and successfully completing  the 4 day Nominated Tester Training Assessment course which then  entitles the candidate to join the Nominated Tester course.

Many people over many years have moaned over the price of an MoT test and I hope that this series of articles will go some way to explain what is involved in the setting up, running and maintaining of a VTS (Vehicle Testing Station). This brings us to the equipment used in the test which can only be sourced from an approved list issued by VOSA.

Four post lift or inspection pit – for under body inspection.

Jacking beam – for raising wheels whilst on the lift.

Plate type or roller brake tester – for assessing brake performance.

Exhaust gas analyser – measures exhaust emissions.

Smoke meter – for assessing diesel exhaust emissions.

Headlamp Aligner – measures headlamp aim.

In addition to the above a collection of small tools is also required, tape measure, lever bar, tyre tread depth gauge, corrosion assessment tool and a low voltage hand lamp.

All of the above items must be maintained in good order and in addition the test regulations stipulate that the gas analyser, headlamp aligner, brake tester and smoke meter must be periodically calibrated and certified as accurate.

Although the computer terminal is provided by VOSA and their business partners Siemens, all other equipment is at the cost of the testing station and at present levels those are

Roller brake tester

Four post lift

Gas analyser

Smoke meter

Headlamp aligner

Annual calibration for above.

As you all know i own a vauxhall Corsa. I recently had what i thought was a vauxhall engine fault since on cold mornings it would not start. However after failing to jump start it the vauxhall engine was looking doubtfully that it was the culpret.

After taking it into a garage the mechanic replaced the starter motor, which seems to have done the trick, however he pulled me to one side and said your tyres were appalling. I said what do you mean and he replied just look. To my surprise the tyres were as bald as my father (not a single hair on his head) and he said if the police had caught me, since i had 3 bald tyres i would have lost my license.
So in this new light i thought i would mention the key checks you should on a weekly basis do keep your car legal.

First off we will start with the vuaxhall engine and under the bonnet inspections.

Firstly refill your washer bottle. It may be coming up to the summer but rainy days produce nasty sprays and without washing water you may end up driving blind. For those who have never filled on up before it is normally under the bonnet in a funnel like tube with a yellow cap on it (usually yellow). Fill this up with your 50p solution from your local petrol garage or supermarket and follow the instructions on the back.

The second check should be your vauxhall engine water (combination of water and anti freeze). This is located near the battery in my car, and you have a twist cap type lid (much like your petrol cap but smaller). Inside the water should be a green / blue color. This should be at the recommended level. If it is not then you can buy solutions from your local garage and fill it up to the full mark, you can even get car specific solution e.g. vauxhall engine.

Engine oil is a nice one (it is in my vauxhall engine anyway), there is a dipstick under the bonnet. You simply remove the dipstick and wipe it clean, then insert back into the shaft, leave for 10 seconds and pull out. The oil should cover the dipstick between the min and max marks. Remember too much oil can be as harmful and too little.

NOTE ALL UNDER THE BONNET INSPECTIONS SHOULD BE DONE WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD AND ON A FLAT SURFACE

Now moving onto tyres. Tyres are the sneaky once. Firstly check the tyre pressures are at their recommended level, normal around 30-32 and they differ between front and back normally but you have to consult your manual or visit this http://www.thetyrepressuremonitor.com/. The second check is the tread. Normally there is a rubber stump in which the tread must never be level with. Or use a 10p and it should cover the edge (dotted dash around the edge).You should also check your basics such as brake lights, normal lights, hazard lights, fog lights, since if one of these is out then you could get pulled over and the police offer does a quick check.
For more information on checking your car visit:

http://www.2pass.co.uk/tyres.htm

http://www.samarins.com/maintenance/simple.html#inspection

WE DO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR INJURY OR MISTAKES MADE BY YOURSELF DURING THE MAINTENANCE OF YOUR CAR. PLEASE DO ADEQUATE RESEARCH TO ENSURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING BEFORE UNDERGOING ANY CHECKS.

A big debate at the moment is whether or not we should limit the top speed of our cars. We all know family and small cars such as the Vauxhall Corsa or the Renault Cleo have good speeds, good fuel economy etc. However some cars like the vauxhall vxr8 have 2 things they are concerned with: looks and power.

I love the vauxhall vxr8 however it does come with a 6 litre v8 vauxhall engine, which top speed will almost triple the speed limit. Also the 6 litre vauxhall engine will drink petrol compared to a family hatchback. The vauxhall vxr8 also comes with other car parts such as a vauxhall gearbox in either automatic or 6 speeds to help reach these high speeds.

If the limit was to be put into place the top cars would still have umph e.g. 0 - 60 in 4.9 seconds, but only up to the limit and in many peoples eyes this makes the car pointless to own since you cant fully flex its muscles. Im not sure about the limit since sometimes to escape a problem (for example a drunk lorry driver swaying) you need that extra few miles an hour to avoid disaster. Now there are several ways to do this, firstly make the limit above the speed limit but under deadly speeds, for example 90MPH or secondly make it annoying to go over the limit, e.g. a alarm sounds. This would mean you can go over the limit in times of crisis but you wont do it on a daily basis.

I personally hate cars on the motorway who do 100MPH, mainly because i will be overtaking someone doing 60 or 70 MPH on the motorway, however my car can only do 80MPH since it is old and only a 1 litre, thus a 100MPH car zooms upto my car and gives me about 1/4 second gap between my car and their car, thus becoming dangerous.

So in many ways i think it should be limited to a decent amount, but not the speed limit.

Of course those who want to break the limit will find a way to since if technology is in place to limit a engine, you can undo it and many backstreet garages will offer this service for a nice sum of money since were there is a will there is a way.

Also is there any other car parts we can use to limit speed, for example make the brakes kick in if going over the limit, or automatically apply cruise control.

To join the debate follow:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/blogs/editorial-blogs/dan-strong/159437/cutting-to-the-quick.thtml

or leave comments here, we are interested in your say

I read a nice review of the vauxhall xvr8 on malibu.in blog. The review is worth the read and will be summarized below.

Firstly the Vauxhall vxr8 will be the second Australian Muscle Car to come to Britain, following the Monarco (which was exciting due to the excellent performance achieved by mixing the 6 liter V8 vauxhall engine and rear-wheel drive set up).

Since the Vauxhall vxr8 is the second Australian muscle car it had to beat the Monarco, and let me explain why. Firstly it has some similarities since it is powered by the same 6 litre v8 vauxhall engine, however it has been modified and improved to provide greater efficiency, for example the new vauxhall engine can produce 420 bhp and 406 lb-ft torque meaning 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, which the Monarco takes over 5.

The vxr8 has a bit more functionality for the family with 4 doors and more room, although if you wanted a family car buy a ford galaxy or a cheaper car without the 6 litre vauxhall engine, this is a muscle car meant for speed and turning heads. It still manages to do this and has all the boys toys once your in the car from climate control to leather trims and beautiful furnishings.

With the massive vauxhall engine the car should have ample brakes, which it does and can stop the car from 60mph faster than most cars due to the 365mm disc brakes in the front and can even beat cars such as the BMW 5.

One major improvement is the options available including a automatic gearbox option, satellite navigation, 20-inch alloys and even with these extras the car is cheaper than most competitors in its league.

The car drives superbly as you would expect and in my eyes it beats the Monarco so it can only get better.

For the source of the review and to see a picture of the vehicle visit the malibu.in blog article

People assume buying a used car is simple, you simply pay the money and take the car. As anyone who has bought one will know it can be a stressful time and many things need to be sorted such as v5 documents and you need to make sure your not getting robbed or any used car parts or new car parts are broken.
Here is several pieces of advice when buying a used car which is based on my own experiences:

Firstly, do your research on the car, this means do a HPI check, they cost around £4 and check to see if your car has been in a accident or stolen, well worth it since if you fork over £4, 000 for a car and the police find it is stolen then its tough, you lose the car. The HPI checker wont provide information on any changes to the original or used car parts such as any repairs or modifications, however always ask for the documents on the car since they should be recorded here and if the HPI says it has been in a accident then repairs will have been made.

Another good research tip is customer reviews are essential. Any hired professionals can say this car is amazing but its the drivers who will know, however use them as a guideline and don’t let one bad review put you off. Its like anything, somewhere down the line one vehicle is going to go wrong.

Secondly check your getting a good deal. What Car Review website tells you roughly how much you should expect to pay for the car, how much its worth trade in and reviews and is a good place to start your research. Take the information with a pinch of salt since its not always correct and you should not storm into a garage and demand the trade in value mentioned, but use it as a guideline, for example a Renault Cleo dynamic 2004 1.2 16v with under 20000 miles should go for around £4500 if sold privately, so any less and its a good deal, but 5000, and it needs something else such as air conditioning before its worth the extra payout.

Thirdly if it looks too good to be true, it probably is so take care as the price might be masking larger damage to the used car parts, or it could be vehicle salvage (HPI checker provides this information).

Finally test drive it and analyze the the car and the used car parts. Check the car engine sounds good, the car parts are in good condition, the car drives well and does not make funny noises. I took one of the guys from work since they know what to listen for and its a good tip to ensure the car and its used car parts are in good working order.

Finally use your nugget (head) for common sense issues, if the seller is pushy it probably has something wrong with it, if
they wont let you test drive the car ask why not. Another tip is always make sure there is at least 6 months MOT left and some tax since this is one more thing to show you the car is in good working order.

So as not to split hairs and go down two very close but parallel roads I will lump together the full and major services. By and large these two are so closely related that they may as well be the same thing just different people will use different terminologies.

From the previous article dealing with minor servicing there were several items that required checking rather than replacements i.e. spark plugs and air filter. During a major service operation  these two items tend to be replaced as a matter of course, this is purely down to the fact that vehicle parts do deteriorate over a period of time irrespective of the miles covered. However, we must not lose sight of the benefits afforded by the latest generation of long life spark plugs which incorporate the use of platinum tipped electrodes and generally have an effective service life of around 50,000 miles. Air filters on the other hand do not have the same advantages, their life is dictated by the air quality passing through the filtering elements and usually the better job they do the shorter their effective life, this is true with both Vauxhall parts as well as less commonly seen makes such as Ferrari.

On the subject of filtration there are two other UNITS which should be changed or with one in particular, inspected and changed if required. The fuel filter can have an enormous effect on the way a vehicle runs and is ignored at your peril, as with any filter device it  has a finite life and once past a certain point it simply cannot remove any more impurities from the fuel, leading directly to poor performance and rough running. Not quite so important is the cabin, or pollen filter, this device simply filters incoming air for the vehicle interior. Again, as with the air filter, its effective service life will depend on the quality of air being drawn through it. From past experience I have had vehicles come into the workshop with the owner wringing their hands in desperation convinced that the lack of ventilation will involve the removal of the entire dashboard assembly and its accompanying large labour bill, only to find that the culprit is simply a clogged cabin filter.

Moving away from the solid we now consider the liquid specifically the brake fluid and the engine coolant. After almost 30 years of vehicle engineering I can safely say that the number of requests for a brake fluid change can be counted on two hands and is easily outnumbered many many times over by the requests for coolant/antifreeze change. The main reason for changing the brake fluid every two years is that absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and once the moisture content exceeds a certain level and subjected to temperatures exceeding 100c then that moisture will boil, forming steam “pockets� in the brake system. Now go back to school science lessons and I hope you will recall that liquids are not compressable but gases are, that compression is provided by brake pedal action leaving you the driver with a pedal that goes nearly to the floor without having any braking effect! No matter how long you leave changing the engine coolant it is unlikely to cause you and your passengers any physical harm as in the ancient brake fluid scenario, however , serious damage can occur to your finances due to corrosion within the cooling system (long term) or more catastrophically, a frozen engine (short term) , draining and flushing the cooling system then refilling with a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze will help address the above and should be carried out at two year intervals.

As with all maintenance procedures the objective is to address the deterioration which occurs during use and the content of these procedures should be calculated according to that use, hence the regular oil changes, inspection of brake, steering and suspension all the way through to the bi annual changing of brake fluid and engine coolant, remember if you do forget to check and you start having problems all your parts can cheaply and easily be located including Vauxhall suspension struts.