Car post but equally relevant to bikes. Car went for annual (well 18 month MOT). Had been lazy and hadn’t looked at it as it’s been pretty much sat still during lockdowns
Came back with 5 bulbs blown, 1 lost its orange colour, 1 losing it… In my defence they were lights that don’t really affect how you drive. Two front sidelights, two licenceplate lights, one of the reverse bulbs, and the orange bulbs were the shitty little side bulbs
Luckily got picked up today to be taken for its service, and will get it changed then, before a free retest. Changing lighbulbs on a KIA is a pain in the nagwi…
Don’t you check your bulbs? I drove the car for the first time in 6 weeks, did a quick check on the fluids and the bulbs. Tyre pressure is done by TPM.
I use car for small journeys and to be honest had way more important stuff to deal with over past three months.
Lights are always on so hadn’t spotted the sidelights not working (they really aren’t critical).
I had noticed one of the two licence plate bulbs had gone but last time they just changed it at mot so I thought they could do it again but they didn’t have the right bulb (it’s a place that only does Mots). Second one must have blown in week up to MOT
Indicators work but i didn’t check the colour of then, especially not the passenger side one that worked.
Reverse light, again one of two working and didn’t spot.
MOT regulations have changed, testers are no longer allowed to make repairs during the test. Its all to do with how DVLA want to collect the pass, advisory and fail data.
Be warned lost colour on self coloured bulbs is mostly due to the colour finish flaking off the glass bulb caused by water ingress and condensation. If the light cluster is not sealed properly the next next stage is lamp failure due to corrosion of the electrical tracks or bulb holders and a very expensive replacement of the light cluster!
Don’t know when that changed but they did tell me a bulb was blown and replaced it before issuing a certificate last time (18months ago) - back then the new classification of ‘dangerous’ had been introduced.
This time, he told me he didn’t have bulbs but if he had, he would have done it. Now, maybe he would have issued a ‘Fail’, then replaced bulb, then re-issued pass.
Most likely being flexible. When I took The 250 in for an MOT last year my regular tester, who knows me and knows I’d tend to it immediately, issued a pass without advisories but informed me verbally the headlamp dipped beam wasn’t working. Its still who you know and the testers will look after their regulars. Before there is any criticism for not checking the dipped beam lamp, I did and it just needed switching on
Take a car in with a broken coil spring and it will get a fail with no option of I’ll just pop a replacement in there for you
Oh the days I had a rustbucket of a fiesta and the list of things to replace cost more than the car itself. And it wasn’t the cost that was the biggest issue. It was the faff of failing, then having to get repairs. Then re-tested. All while the car was leaking every liquid under the sun and not being able to use.
That taught me a valuable lesson about who I buy cars from
When I got the bike MOT done last year, the guy asked if I was happy for him to replace cheap stuff like bulbs so he tested it, failed it for a dodgy number plate light then just replaced it, retested and passed before I collected.
Just got the test done for this year and it’s a fail for pulsing rear brake (not that i can tell by riding it) so I guess I need a new rear disc - is that likely to be off the shelf if I drop in to FWR or are there dozens of different sizes? (I realise that I could ring them but my phone died this morning and I’m out and about at work)
