have i got off light or what

I agree that road worthiness is important. I do the things I can- check fluids and tyre pressures/depths. I know roughly how many miles my tyres do and swap them before they get to 2mm (grip in the wet is usually rubbish by that point). I regularly clean my car lights and windows even if I don't always wash the car.

Insurance wise, what I read was that anything that wasn't fitted to the car when it rolled out of the factory isn't classed as standard. So alloys on a car that came with steel wheels for example would be a mod. Not sure how things stand if they were dealer-fitted. I use brentacre as broker. Only power mods incur extra cost. Safety/handling mods don't attract anything.

My winter alloys need new winter tyres this year and I need to get some grit for the driveway. Need to prepped for winter.
 
Alastair said:
Jeff.. I think your choice of thread title set you up for a knocking - "have i got off light or what" doesn't sound like someone taking road worthiness safely. It's a phrase that implies you expected a long list of faults and advisories but was relieved when none of them were spotted. If you're going to bare your arse, do it as a reminder to choose a better topic title next time! :D
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you never know with the m.o.t do you i always expect the worst but i think i got off lightly ,and to be fair thats the first time i have had ANY car fail in the last 20+ years ,probably which led to the first post anyway .
as i used to drive for a living i,m fully conversant with the law pertaining to vehicles and wouldn't dream of breaking any ,more than can be said for lots of others .
 
lets start at the beginning for all the barrack room lawyers on here .

you buy a used car that has had several previous owners ,you have had the same make and model previously so you know how it should perform .however the new car far exceeds the one you had previously in performance etc but you have absolutely no way of checking or knowing whats been done or even if it has .so what exactly do you say when insuring it .because as far as your aware it looks totally bog standard with no noticeable extras fitted .

so the quandary is was your old model just a dump truck that your glad to see the back of ,is your new car in fact bog standard and just performing correctly ,or has it been tweaked by a previous owner but you haven't a clue what ,why or how .

answers on a post card please dressed to TP brains trust :beer::beer::beer:
 
The simpliest any easiest way of improving performance with a modern car is buy a turbo diesel and remap it for a large increase with no bolt on goodies required at all. Mine has a stage 2 remap taking standard figures of around 145bhp/245ftlb to 205/315, very noticable over standard.
 
the black fox said:
you buy a used car that has had several previous owners ,you have had the same make and model previously so you know how it should perform .however the new car far exceeds the one you had previously in performance etc but you have absolutely no way of checking or knowing whats been done or even if it has .so what exactly do you say when insuring it .because as far as your aware it looks totally bog standard with no noticeable extras fitted .
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It's an easy question. As the party seeking insurance it's your responsibility to find out.

Ignorance is not a defence. Regardless of how popular it is.
 
the black fox said:
lets start at the beginning for all the barrack room lawyers on here .

you buy a used car that has had several previous owners ,you have had the same make and model previously so you know how it should perform .however the new car far exceeds the one you had previously in performance etc but you have absolutely no way of checking or knowing whats been done or even if it has .so what exactly do you say when insuring it .because as far as your aware it looks totally bog standard with no noticeable extras fitted .

so the quandary is was your old model just a dump truck that your glad to see the back of ,is your new car in fact bog standard and just performing correctly ,or has it been tweaked by a previous owner but you haven't a clue what ,why or how .

answers on a post card please dressed to TP brains trust :beer::beer::beer:
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If you have suspicions the I would imagine the onus is on you to have it checked out at a main dealer, or at least pop it to a rolling road for a BHP test and compare it with standard.
 
rjbell said:
no!
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So my answer is why have you chosen to drive around with it in that state?

I'm not being funny but that is a genuine serious safety issue for you?
In an accident you could be seriously injured or worse?

Just WHY?
 
Here there are no MOT's - no annual check of roadworthiness. My car is a 1997 BMW 328i which has covered nearly 300k km... I keep it well maintained, brakes, lights, fluids etc. but it really scares me when I see some of the locals driving around. Cars with no lights at all at night - not just not turning them on - but not actually working. Multiple parts hanging off cars as they drive along.

I won't get started on driving skills!

Experiencing living in another country where the comparitive standards of maintenance are much lower certainly opens my eyes, and interestingly the local Police seem to not care about vehicle safety standards and don't even seem to care about speeding, but do care about a little pocket money to help their wages at the end of the month. There are accidents on the road here - just like the UK, but surprisingly very few considering the state of some of the cars. I sometimes spot the odd old british car still trundling around, an old Mini or a Dolomite, I've even seen a Vauxhall Chevette. Old Datsun Sunny's though - they're still here in their hundreds... Different worlds.
 
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Mr Bump said:
So my answer is why have you chosen to drive around with it in that state?

I'm not being funny but that is a genuine serious safety issue for you?
In an accident you could be seriously injured or worse?

Just WHY?
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Its the first car I've had with it so it doesn't seem any different. To be honest I didn't realise it wouldn't deploy with the light on until the mot guy said. It will get done now just need to find someone to do it. The garage didn't want to know.
 
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Alastair said:
The TUV in Germany is every two years, but is regarded as a bit more rigorous than the MOT.

But regardless of the MOT frequency - it's always the driver's responsibility to make sure the car is roadworthy every time it's put on the road between inspections. And a lot of people don't realise that this applies to company cars as well. If the car is not roadworthy it might be a PUWER offence for the company, but it will always be a motoring offence for the driver.

.. and this goes for insurance too.. a colleague came across an interesting situation with a business this year where an employee has acquired a record, points on his licence and a fine because his employer failed to take out the correct insurance on the company van. As far as we can ascertain the employer has committed no criminal offence but the employee has driven without insurance. How often do you check the company's insurance policy before taking the pool car or delivery van?
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Your comment re company car (of which I am one) put me in mind of a lay by stop I did some years to stretch my legs and an older chap (company car business driver) approached me asking if I knew anything about cars as his steering seemed be playing him up. I spotted a clear and to me obvious problem....the outside shoulder of his NSF type was badly worn and to my horror I could see in at least one location that the steel cords were showing and frayed!

I pointed out this disaster waiting to happen and he was oblivious to the issue or the risk telling me he had something like a 3 hour drive ahead of him. I told him he must not drive on it and to please for his and others safety get someone out to sort it for him.

He seemed put out by the advice telling me again about his journey.

I left him to decide what he wanted to do as I also had a journey to make plus there was a petrol station with a service facility he could at least walk a few hundred yards back down the road.
 
Re road worthiness - yes I do regular checks on my company car as it is my responsibility - and I take my kids in there. I always check tyres, levels etc. Being an ex mechanic it's an easy task and takes minutes. I also ensure the company have my insurance up to date (carry a copy in the glove box) and have a copy of the email from the lease company about the tax.
As said, it's a company car but my responsibility to look after and ensure the safety of everyone in it and other road users.
It's still going to be a dog when it goes back though after 4 years of 50K a year:)
 
foggy4ever said:
The simpliest any easiest way of improving performance with a modern car is buy a turbo diesel and remap it for a large increase with no bolt on goodies required at all. Mine has a stage 2 remap taking standard figures of around 145bhp/245ftlb to 205/315, very noticable over standard.
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depending on how large a remap and the strength (or otherwise) of the engine that large increase will come at the cost of shortening the life of the engine and increasing the likelihood of HGF
 
big soft moose said:
depending on how large a remap and the strength (or otherwise) of the engine that large increase will come at the cost of shortening the life of the engine and increasing the likelihood of HGF
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Depends on the the company that wrote the map, I chose Celtic tuning who are very highly regarded and state all their maps are within manufactures tolerances. I've had mine mapped for nearly 3 years and except for the necessary upgrade to clutch and fly wheel it's running as smooth as the day I bought it. There are quite a few guys running hybrid turbos on this engine pushing aroubd 250/380 figures and I haven't seen any issues reported back yet.
 
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rjbell said:
Its the first car I've had with it so it doesn't seem any different. To be honest I didn't realise it wouldn't deploy with the light on until the mot guy said. It will get done now just need to find someone to do it. The garage didn't want to know.
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If it's similar to the VAG ones, there is a sensor under the seat that's used to adjust the 'strength' of the airbag deployment according to the seats position.

What happens is that the seat gets pushed back a bit too hard & a connector becomes dislodged. The usual fix is to remove the seat & hardwire the cables & remove the connector. The airbag MUST be deactivated first..otherwise it'll go off in your face when you start messing with the cables!

Google's your friend. It's a very staightforward job for a mechanic, I'm surprised garages aren't interested.
 
Comfortably Numb said:
If it's similar to the VAG ones, there is a sensor under the seat that's used to adjust the 'strength' of the airbag deployment according to the seats position.

What happens is that the seat gets pushed back a bit too hard & a connector becomes dislodged. The usual fix is to remove the seat & hardwire the cables & remove the connector. The airbag MUST be deactivated first..otherwise it'll go off in your face when you start messing with the cables!

Google's your friend. It's a very staightforward job for a mechanic, I'm surprised garages aren't interested.
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That's already been done but the light still goes on and off when it feels like. I blame the Mrs. She's tiny yet insisted on throwing the seat back to get out of the car every time.
 
Mr Bastable said:
I took mine to my local garage (used them for nearly 20 years) for an MOT and service the week before last, it passed the test without any advisories but they refused to service it. They rang to say it had done only 880 miles in the last year and didn't need anything, needless to say I will continue to use them.

A most refreshing demonstration of honesty.
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They should have at least changed the oil and filter.
 
JulesP said:
I would have asked them to change the brake fluid at least. It's hygroscopic and naturally absorbs moisture and recommended to be changed yearly (even though nobody ever does) irrespective of mileage.

But yes, a refreshingly honest approach.
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Every 2-3yrs more like. Every year is certainly excessive.
 
rjbell said:
I got off lightly with mine this week too. My airbag light on my car is on. The fault is under the drivers chair and been on for years, however this year it got picked up and failed. Every now and then it goes off for a bit. This happened yesterday so i rushed down while it was off for the retest and it passed. 3 minutes later on the drive home it came back on again!

I must speak to nilagin he's the ford man he maybe able to help.
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Sounds like a loose wire. What car is it. I know Mk3 Mondeo's are susceptible to airbag warning lights coming on, but that is because the sensor is behind the grill next to the bonnet locking mechanism and the damp and grime gets into the wiring.
 
foggy4ever said:
The simpliest any easiest way of improving performance with a modern car is buy a turbo diesel and remap it for a large increase with no bolt on goodies required at all. Mine has a stage 2 remap taking standard figures of around 145bhp/245ftlb to 205/315, very noticable over standard.
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I'd rather release some of the power from the engine with a bigger intercooler and a performance exhaust before having a remap, less strain on the engine. That's what I did with my old Mondeo ST TDCi.
 
nilagin said:
Sounds like a loose wire. What car is it. I know Mk3 Mondeo's are susceptible to airbag warning lights coming on, but that is because the sensor is behind the grill next to the bonnet locking mechanism and the damp and grime gets into the wiring.
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Its a 58 cmax. Its been plugged in and the fault is under the seat. The garage said its been worked on before. A troublesome connection has been removed then the wires have been soldered and taped. He checked the resistance and its fine, yet the light still comes on and off. His fiddling has improved things the light has been off a lot more than usual.
 
HuntingMartians said:
I am intrigued by this. Do you tell your insurer when you change a tyre?
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No obviously not. Changing a tyre as long as fit for the purpose for a vehicle is not a notifying thing to an insurer, unless yuo are swapping say 15" steels for 18" low profiles on alloys, then it's a cosmetic enhancement, non standard and needs to be notified.

Most insurers s*** a brick when told of engine mods, even a remap if diesel can easily get 1.5 x the horsepower and a bundle more torque, however this could cause issues in the braking dept and in the eyes of acturaies put you at greater risk of stacking it.
 
Box Brownie said:
Hmmm? I wonder if there have been any test cases/case law because if you are deemed because of a non disclosure to be uninsured that I thought was a criminal not a civil matter. And they say ignorance of the law is no excuse for wrongdoing.

Sorry if this has opened a can of worms but just what is the situation should you ever get caught out?
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We have voided several policies ab initio (from the start - but legalese latin term) due to non disclosure from mods to vehicle through to not declaring past convictions / criminal records)
 
Lynton said:
No obviously not. Changing a tyre as long as fit for the purpose for a vehicle is not a notifying thing to an insurer, unless you are swapping say 15" steels for 18" low profiles on alloys, then it's a cosmetic enhancement, non standard and needs to be notified.

Most insurers s*** a brick when told of engine mods, even a remap if diesel can easily get 1.5 x the horsepower and a bundle more torque, however this could cause issues in the braking dept and in the eyes of acturaies put you at greater risk of stacking it.
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Mine includes uprated front disks and pads, Eibach Pro springs, fast road set up and Goodyear Eagle f2s so as a package with the stage 2 remap and 8 paddle clutch/smf with a specialist broker I'm very happy with my annual premium.

Some guys on the forum I use run forced induction fn2 Type R's with horse power ranging from 380 to over 500 and can find premiums are too high as most specialists understand these arn't boy racers when you put 10k plus into a car.
 
foggy4ever said:
most specialists understand these arn't boy racers when you put 10k plus into a car.
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whilst i don't doubt you arent some Barrys put much more than that into comprehensively ruining their cars , i think the record (leaving aside the weird s*** that happens in the gulf states) was a bloke who spent 35k on a corsa , but still didnt manage to declare his redtop conversion to Doovla
 
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crofter said:
My missus modified the front wing on a car park bollard the other week, does that count ?
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well strictly she is supposed to tell her insurer ;)
 
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