MOT question

shifty_uk

shifty_uk

shifty_uk

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I read the wrong MOT slip and have ended up letting my MOT expire. Not quite sure how I got away with it, I've been sat behind police traffic cars on numerous occasions. :(

Anyway, I'm generally tested by the council but they don't have anything available ASAP so, is taking it to a local independent test centre really as bad as people make out?

Secondly, one of my rear doors doesn't open. The locking mechanism is broken resulting in it staying locked. Would this be deemed as a failure?

Thanks
 
I don't think a rear door is going to be fail, and independants aren't as bad as people make out.
 
There are plenty of independants that don't have a repair shop as well, I'm not sure but I think the door might fail, how would you get out in an emergency, or how would you be got out in an emergency
 
If the door is there it's going to have to open. Pretty dangerous if you need to use that door either in a crash or submerge situation.

Pretty sure it would be classified like non-required lights that are present in that - if they are present, they must work.
 
Quick barge into thread question: what about if one door can't be unlocked from that door? As in, once the rest of the car is unlocked, it opens and closes fine and can be unlocked from inside too.
 
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Is that in reply to my question?

If so, how much do you reckon it'll cost to replace a door lock/cylinder/mechanism/whatever is broke (since it locks fine, just doesn't unlock) on a Ford Ka?

RH Door Lock/Latch Mechanism (Central Locking) is £50~.
 
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Slick - From a Ka? Do what I did, go and raid a scrapyard with a Haynes manual and some tools. Rip the mechanism out, and dont worry about knackering the scrap car.

Learn how the door works and what not to bend, and fit the mechanism back into your own Ka using the manual and skillz you learned from the scrap Ka. Should be fairly easily do-able.
 
Mmm, before I do that, I'll take the door card off and have a looksee. Googling reveals that sometimes it's just a spring that's snapped on the mechanism, or the barrel (which would make sense since the key works fine on the other door) that needs replacing.

Could also just need oiling/spraying with WD40. The key doesn't freely rotate in the drivers door lock, which suggests that the barrel has seized up. I've tried spraying directly into the barrel before, but that didn't work. Ho hum.
 
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yep it will fail the mrs had a polo where the rear doors wouldnt open, they failed it just for that, i guess its a safety thing so automatic fail
 
Hmm, I've been reading lots of conflicting opinions online. It generally seems to be down to the tester. I'll speak to my mechanic tomorrow and see what he reckons.
 
shifty_uk said:
Hmm, I've been reading lots of conflicting opinions online. It generally seems to be down to the tester. I'll speak to my mechanic tomorrow and see what he reckons.
Click to expand...

Only the fronts must open from inside and outside:

This inspection does not apply if no drivers or front passenger's doors were fitted as part of the original design of the vehicle.
A lack of door handles because of original design characteristics or specialist modification is not a reason for rejection provided the door can be latched securely in the dosed position.

Open and close the drivers and passengers' doors. Check that each latches securely in the closed position. Check also that front doors can be opened from both inside and outside the vehicle.

Reasons for rejection:

a. A driver's or any passengers door does not latch securely in the closed position
b. a driver's or front passenger's door cannot be opened from both inside and outside the vehicle from the relevant control in each case.
 
What Lopez said.

Also related issue, 2/3 door cars with seats that fold forwards to allow access to the rear. I questioned that, if the mechanism is broken how do the rear passengers get out/in?
Again it's not an issue covered by the MOT, just like the rear doors.
 
A mate of mine tried to fail my old Golf 3 door with 5 door seats (so no forward fold)
I pointed him to the relevant bit of the manual didn't exist and he reluctantly passed it :D
 
Lopéz said:
A mate of mine tried to fail my old Golf 3 door with 5 door seats (so no forward fold)
I pointed him to the relevant bit of the manual didn't exist and he reluctantly passed it :D
Click to expand...

Hmm, interesting, my wife's Octavia failed on a rear door not opening (due to the lock motor seizing completely, couldn't even lift up the locking pin from the inside).
 
Here's a hint though, tell them you will be fixing it yourself. It shouldn't happen but i've heard from a few people that some garages will be less likely to fail things if they aren't getting the cash to fix it. I can see the temptation from the garages point of view "it's almost done, just fail it and we'll fit a new one anyway" kind of attitude. Where as if they think you will be doing the work yourself then they might think twice. Only once it's tested do you say, actually can you just do it for me, I don't have time.
 
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