and today i have mostly been...

[lozz]

http://www.ukmot.com/appendixF.asp#Text_top

[Doggy]

Lambda's is funny animals - if you monitor the o/p voltage on a helathy system / idling engine, you get a series of transitions from low to hi & back. The sensor characteristic has a sharp transition in the stoicoimetric region and I surmise the ecu can't 'balance' the mixture continuously, but alternates between rich & lean states to achieve a correct average mixture. Bear in mind it only runs 'closed loop' during idling / low speed conditions as the MAF generally goes full-scale on part throttle - once that happens the ecu uses look-up tables to calculate the fueling.

[steve_earwig]

But they didn't even measure it on idle I do tend to think the lambda was at the upper limit and suspect that it won't pass next year. Or will it get lower? I've got no smegging idea

http://www.ukmot.com/appendixF.asp#Text_top

I found lots of that sort of stuff when I was a-googling earlier, trouble is it tells me burger all. I did manage to find some straight forward figures earlier and they looked comparable, however there was no mention of O2. I wonder if it gives an indication of a leaky exhaust, mine's got two holes drilled in it

Anyway, this is the Croatian test which I'm writing up just for the hell of it. The test itself was done in the new hall they've had built. I drove the heap in and onto the ramp & then one tester got me to open the bonnet. I then had to wait for them to sort out the paperwork for the car before me and that's when I took some pics:

Note the two plates under the front wheels.

The two of them then checked all the chassis numbers they could find against the paperwork, followed by the tyre sizes (what about the tread?). Then one guy sat in, the other raised the ramp and got underneath with his torch/remote thing. After a quick peer he got the plates moving - they're pivoted at the outer edge and seem to be trying to rip the wheel off. Back and forth they went, while the tester felt all the ball joints for movement.

Next on to the plates you can see here in front of the rollers:

These vibrate up & down one side at a time, sounding like a washing machine on spin with an unbalanced load. I guess they're testing for more play, shockers etc. Then onto the rollers to test the brakes. After that it's the rear's turn, first on the wobble plates and then the rollers. It jumped off when he stuck the handbrake on.

Then (oh crap!) emissions and finally the lights, including headlamp aim.

I was surprised they didn't test the brake fluid this time, I asked one of the testers and he just shrugged his shoulders but the guy doing the paperwork said they only have one tester and it's in the other hall. Shame, I thought that was a smart thing to test.

Costs:
Environment charge: 76Kn
Road tax: 451.50Kn
Extension of traffic licence (what?): 52.49Kn
Charge for doing the above (bloody crooks ): 52.49Kn
Service charge (ffs ): 41.40Kn
Subtotal: 644.60Kn
Tax (argh!!!!!): 29.28Kn
Total: 673.88Kn (£69.92)

Don't be too disappointed by the road tax, the real thing'll be coming in the post in the next couple of weeks

Insurance (has to be done at the same time for maximum nuisance value): 3950Kn (£409.86) - remember this is 3rd party only with full ncb

[scotty73]

My mot was half that but then again the road tax is £220 a year and about £500 insurance but thats full breakdown and fully comp for 2 of us.

[steve_earwig]

There's still more tax to come

Oddly enough it's the car that's insured here, not the driver, so as both cars are registered to my wife (long story) all the paperwork is in her name and I have to carry a bit of paper signed by her and witnessed by the notary public (= more £££) to prove that I didn't steal them. When you sell the car the insurance goes with it too (& before you ask, the new owner's name goes on all the paperwork).

[lozz]

Quote:
I found lots of that sort of stuff when I was a-googling earlier, trouble is it tells me burger all. I did manage to find some straight forward figures earlier and they looked comparable, however there was no mention of O2. I wonder if it gives an indication of a leaky exhaust, mine's got two holes drilled in it

ive had a few cars thats had new Exhausts fitted, and ive noticed pilot holes in the back box etc
when iasked a Mot chap he said its getting common, its to help the Waterbuild up drain out and help prevent the box and pipe rotting away,

the renault ive got as got two small holes in the exhaust too, and its a new ish exhaust

[steve_earwig]

Interesting You'd have thought it wasn't in the manufacturer's interests to do that.

[scotty73]

Interesting You'd have thought it wasn't in the manufacturer's interests to do that.

The way the things rot though it does make sense.

[lozz]

Not sure if the Manafacturers drill the holes tbh,
Perhaps its the work of Clued up exhaust fitters /old skool mechanics

[lozz]

Interesting You'd have thought it wasn't in the manufacturer's interests to do that.

The way the things rot though it does make sense.

Makes sense too me too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9aKEDsN0AA

[scotty73]

Interesting You'd have thought it wasn't in the manufacturer's interests to do that.

The way the things rot though it does make sense.

Makes sense too me too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9aKEDsN0AA

The water just sits there with the same effect as acid over time.

[Welly]

Nice one Steve, I like the MOT machine although it'd probably write-off a few motors over here at the moment ("shaker plates" I think?) I believe it's hard to test dampers properly without the shaker - they don't always have to leak oil to be buggered?

[steve_earwig]

I remember the testers in the UK levering the suspension around with a crow bat but I gather they're not allowed to do that any more? The machine in the other hall just moved the tyres from side to side away from each other so I guess these are an improvement. It all seems good to me anyway, if one of my wheels was about to fall off I'd want to know about it and I don't want more garbage on the roads here than there already is. I just hope the tester is paying attention - the car in front of me was an old Škoda Favorit with a fair bit of brake imbalance and brake lights that dimmed in time with the indicators, after me was an old diesel Glof with a load of teenagers in it that looked like it had been painted with a roller, I'd have failed both on the spot but they passed

The water just sits there with the same effect as acid over time.

Exhaust gasses actually turn it into acid. I'm ok with drilling holes in silencers, I think I mentioned above the guys who did mine had a car last winter where ice formed inside the silencer and split it open, I'm just surprised exhaust manufacturers do it 'cos I'd have thought it was in their interests for exhausts to last as short a time as possible...

And today... With my bad back I'm looking at cars with quite an upright seating position. The RAV, while it is a truly horrible car, has a lever on the side to raise the seat (they don't all have it) so on maximum it's perfect. Shame the seat itself is like sitting on a bag of rocks. The ground clearance also means I don't have to risk my back clearing snow - I can just drive over it. The 4x4 is a bonus but, with these tyres, it doesn't mean a hell of a lot. So I'd like something similar but with some actual, you know, build quality and room in the back for more than a handbag. I've recently sat in a fairly new Subaru Forester and a fairly old Nissan Terrano (yeah, but it was lpg) both of which have a high floor and are just like sitting in the D9 - i.e. no bluddy good for me.

I quite like the look of the C-Crosser, I knew they were a bit out of my financial capabilities but I've been determined to have a squint at one. A couple of weeks back they got one at the panel beater's next door to where my mate Goran works and today I went for a fitting - me likey!! Half leather, dust everywhere, one side missing... It's got a lever on the seat like the RAV, pump it up & it's perfect. I want one!

Unfortunately the reality is I can't afford one, the spares are horrendous (according to Goran in the car spares shop most are dealer only), the diesel has the dreaded FAP that my short journeys around the town will kill and the petrols are a Mitsubishi with a semi-auto 'box. Also they're 170bhp, so insurance will be mental. Dammit.

Goran reckons I should go for a Caravelle - loads of space for dogs, gardening equipment etc, spare parts you can but anywhere: "but they're German!!" (I keep saying that and I'm surprised he didn't punch me yet - so is his dad ). He's got a point though, it's been niggling away at me for a while now - I think I'm going to end up with a van

[Welly]

Goran reckons I should go for a Caravelle - loads of space for dogs, gardening equipment etc, spare parts you can but anywhere: "but they're German!!" (I keep saying that and I'm surprised he didn't punch me yet - so is his dad ). He's got a point though, it's been niggling away at me for a while now - I think I'm going to end up with a van

Nothing wrong with one of those, high sitting position, simple, and hold their value.

[lozz]

Oh Noes... this is gona end up a Volvo /Vorksvanken forum