Heads up anyone in Cheshire - Police Spot Checks on your car

Cheers for that. I have seen them in the past on Chester Road (A556 heading towards Altrincham) on the lay-by just before approaching the roundabout to get onto the M56. I dare say there'll be other locations too.
 
I don't see what the problem is Matt, defective vehicles kill people every year. If one life is saved through random vehicle checks then it's a success in my book.

It takes seconds to check your lights, levels and tyres and yet some people would rather trust to fate. :shrug:
 
digitalfailure said:
I don't see what the problem is Matt, defective vehicles kill people every year. If one life is saved through random vehicle checks then it's a success in my book.

It takes seconds to check your lights, levels and tyres and yet some people would rather trust to fate. :shrug:
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I put it up so people will actually check there cars. TBH I think it is good due to the amount of people that have lights out. Me included, the light I had replaced 2 weeks ago has blown :( Gutted.
 
I believe it's more a National thing than just a regional, over the past few years I've been stopped in Manchester, London and more recently about 2 miles from home.

I only found out it was illegal to have a empty washer bottle on the last stop :whistling: and because i owned up to it being empty i was breathalised as well.

Think it's only a problem if you have something to hide, it took 5 minutes to have a chat with the officer and i was on my way,

Good on them, maybe they should do it a bit more often, would make peoplle think a lot more

Rob.
 
pretty common everywhere at this time of year tbh!

i think its probably a thinly guised way of them breathalising you if they feel the need, what with the festivities and al!
 
Fortunately I did all my checks about a week before Christmas, and all is well. Personally I'm all in favour of police checking for dodgy cars. That's the one thing speed cameras can't pick up on, as well as uninsured drivers.
 
Wish we'd get a heads up when Kent did it, the tend to do it during rush hour so a heads up would be nice so I can leave for work earlier and when I get stuck in the traffic because of a check point then I won't be late:D
 
Well I never knew an empty washer bottle was illegal.

Mine ran out the other day, and I didnt top it up for a couple of days...
 
yep, its a wonder that in this day and age most cars dont have a 'washer bottle low' warning light. which reminds me, i need to top mine up, not because its empty, but because i want it brimming so they dont charge me for screen wash when i take the car for a service on wednesday!
 
whitewash said:
yep, its a wonder that in this day and age most cars dont have a 'washer bottle low' warning light. which reminds me, i need to top mine up, not because its empty, but because i want it brimming so they dont charge me for screen wash when i take the car for a service on wednesday!
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My 1984 ford orion had a screen wash level light.
 
TBH it happens quite often in most areas really. I do quite a few miles each day and there around 4-5 places within 5 miles of where i live that they do the checks and it almost a certainty that they are at 2 of them each month.
 
Empty washerbottle is an MOT fail..............
 
Sos having a cracked window.....but having no window isnt :p
 
I thought this was something the cops claimed they always do anyway? They've never needed a reason to stop & check a vehicle.

I've been in countless stop checks over the years, whether I was control the vehicle or somebody else was. The only downside is the time it can sometimes take even when everything is OK and above board. :)
 
I'm not a lawyer, but I thought they did need a reason to stop your vehicle. Hence why we do not have random breathalyser tests in this country. As one of the previous posters said having a designated "checking blitz" then gives them the reason to do the breath test and good on them I say.
 
I was always under the impression that they didn't actually need a reason to stop you in the UK, which is why it struck me as odd when I moved to the US and found out that they are only allowed to stop you if they have a reason.

Of course, they are able to make up reasons on the spot that they don't have to previously call in until they're actually pulling you over. "You matched the description of somebody we've been looking for; Human, possibly male, aged 16-80", etc.
 
whitewash said:
yep, its a wonder that in this day and age most cars dont have a 'washer bottle low' warning light. which reminds me, i need to top mine up, not because its empty, but because i want it brimming so they dont charge me for screen wash when i take the car for a service on wednesday!
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Yes, I find that odd. It is the only thing I need to lift the bonnet to check. Everything else would give a warning in the dash.
 
There seem to be loads of vehicles with one defective headlight around at the moment, its flipping dangerous at night.....
 
some of those cars also have the sidelight out on the same side. AND if your really lucky they have their foglights on and the opposite one is out.......


ive seen a few cars recently with brake lights either stuck on or flashing under normal driving conditions. that bloody annoys me!
 
darrenb said:
There seem to be loads of vehicles with one defective headlight around at the moment, its flipping dangerous at night.....
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Even more dangerous are road legal quad bikes which have just one central headlight on a narrowed road. No warning for approaching motorists of the full width of the bike and you assume it's a conventional two wheeler.:cuckoo:
Yes I nearly hit one, it was only my headlights playing on his offside wheel at the last few seconds which avoided an accident.
 
Just went out to check my levels and found that some scroat (my money is on national grid who brought a bloody great pickup up our road this morning) has completely obliterated my wing mirror in the night, not usually a problem apart from the fact ive got an MOT booked tomorrow! so i had to run down to the dealers and get a new one (at vast expense) to replace before it went dark!
there goes my Blu-ray player fund!

wish i hadnt gone out to check my levels now!


when did people start behaving like scumbags?! grrrrr merry christmas!
 
Both wing mirrors arent obligatory on the test, only a "minimum of two rear view mirrors" I think. Could be completely wrong......
 
Elwood said:
Both wing mirrors arent obligatory on the test, only a "minimum of two rear view mirrors" I think. Could be completely wrong......
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i know its a case of not actually needing all mirrors (was always under the assumption that one of them had to be the drivers side mirror though) but it doesnt look great when you turn up for a test with a mirror hanging on by its umbilical cord though!
 
True, it would at the very least have to be fully delivered and stitched up :p I think youre right about the drivers side too.
 
nilagin said:
Even more dangerous are road legal quad bikes which have just one central headlight on a narrowed road. No warning for approaching motorists of the full width of the bike and you assume it's a conventional two wheeler.:cuckoo:
Yes I nearly hit one, it was only my headlights playing on his offside wheel at the last few seconds which avoided an accident.
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Those quads should be banned, they drive those without crash helmets, sheer madness :cuckoo:
 
whitewash said:
yep, its a wonder that in this day and age most cars dont have a 'washer bottle low' warning light.
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I think your low-washer-water-level sensor may have failed ;)

I can't think of a car I've had in the last 30+ years that hasn't warned of low washer liquid.
 
2blue4u said:
I think your low-washer-water-level sensor may have failed ;)

I can't think of a car I've had in the last 30+ years that hasn't warned of low washer liquid.
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ive never had a washer bottle sensor on any car ive owned, just to me it seems like something sensible to have fitted to a car!

Ford Focus (54)
Honda Jazz (05)
Rover 200 (P reg)
Rover 400 (R Reg)
Rover 100 (N and P Reg)
Ford Fiesta (R reg)

maybe you just have smarter cars than i do!:lol:
 
Maybe I'm mistaken as my cars, in the last 30 yrs, have included two Fords and two Rovers. :shrug: But I honestly can't remember the last car I had that definitely didn't have such a sensor. But I can remember the last one that didn't get pranged!!
 
whitewash said:
ive never had a washer bottle sensor on any car ive owned, just to me it seems like something sensible to have fitted to a car!

Ford Focus (54)
Honda Jazz (05)
Rover 200 (P reg)
Rover 400 (R Reg)
Rover 100 (N and P Reg)
Ford Fiesta (R reg)

maybe you just have smarter cars than i do!:lol:
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My 98 Mondeo does but then it is a Ghia X so has the advance warning display. Mind you the display was deleted on later Mk2's so don't know if they have them or not.
Wouldn't suprise me if the wiring is all in the loom just no display. Just like footwell courtesy lights. The wiring and bulb holders are usually there, just no bulbs fitted.
 
I'm not quite sure how the police could check the washer bottle anyway because on previous cars I've had, all you could see was the top of it to pour the stuff in. The main container was hidden amongst the engine.....unless you can see it from underneath.
 
whitewash said:
ive never had a washer bottle sensor on any car ive owned, just to me it seems like something sensible to have fitted to a car!

Ford Focus (54)
Honda Jazz (05)
Rover 200 (P reg)
Rover 400 (R Reg)
Rover 100 (N and P Reg)
Ford Fiesta (R reg)

maybe you just have smarter cars than i do!:lol:
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Add a Toyota MR2 (Mk1 G Reg) and Nissan Micra dci SE (53) to that list too.
 
living within 10 miles of a ferry terminal I have been stopped loads of times in my van by the police who often have benefits agency and Dot blokes with them, I have had my tank dipped twice for red diesel and my wheelnuts tapped with a hammer (lord knows why), anyway when there is a ferry due in it is a good time to avoid the main motorway link roads on wirral(not far from cheshire) but I have never had my washer bottle checked.
 
Good effort I say! Far too many sheds on the road that look like they are about to fall apart.
Saw a car sliding in the car park during the recent snow, saw his tyres when I walked past, bald all down one Side.
 
between - 6 and -3 here today and on a 7 mile drive i saw 4 cars at the side of the road throwing snow on their windows. no excuses for this now after 2 weeks of serious winter weather.
 
Carl V said:
I'm not quite sure how the police could check the washer bottle anyway because on previous cars I've had, all you could see was the top of it to pour the stuff in. The main container was hidden amongst the engine.....unless you can see it from underneath.
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All they'd have to do is pull the wiper stalk and if no water comes out, it's empty (Discounting when it's frozen of course).
 
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