240 General: MOT sickener

[adamsky01]

here is a tip for removing the bushes really simple socket 1 nut 1 bolt and some washers get the socket big enough to fit over the steal place bolt through canter washer on other end and do the bolt up till it comes out to fit is the reversal with the new bush on the other side of the socket would recommend the aid of a vice to hold the part steady apart from that a little washing up liquid or if u want to splash out a touch of wd40

[chesters6]

Originally Posted by migrator

If the crack is touching two different edges of the screen (even down in that corner) it will fail the MOT examination.

no its just one but bigger than the 40mm allowed he said

[Andrew (UK)]

Originally Posted by stevo48

Regards the cracked screen, autoglass advertise repairs to cracked windscreen free of charge if you are fully comp insurance and as I understand it the tester can only fail the car if the damage to the windscreen is in the drivers field of vision, might be worth investigating a little more regarding the windscreen, you may have been right about the tester being in a bad mood at the time of the test.

Repairs to a windscreen can only be made when the damage itself would not cause an MOT failure. The size of damage allowed varies depending on which area of the screen it is in. The area swept by the driver's side wiper has the smallest size allowable. If there is damage that is bigger than the allowed size for that area of screen then it will fail the MOT, in the driver's vision or not.

[migrator]

Originally Posted by chesters6

no its just one but bigger than the 40mm allowed he said

The area of glass coming into the MOT is not really extensive and lies to the front of the driver. Down to the left (where the tax disc is normally displayed) is not within the MOT area.

[Clifford Pope]

I once met an examiner who advised fitting a slightly shorter wiper blade so that the crack no longer came within the swept area! Or adjust the parking position by a spline or two.

How handy are you with pressing bushes out and in? The reaction rod bushes are not too difficult with a big vice and a selection of suitable big sockets or gas pipe offcuts as spacers. or you can take the rod to a garage. But the trailing arm bushes are pressed into the axle structure, so you need a portable press of some kind.
I believe there is/was a Club puller, but it was broken when I wanted to borrow it. I cut the old bushes and chiselled out the bits, and made up a puller from threaded rod to get the new ones in. There have been various threads on how to do this.
Don't bother with replacing the good ones - they don't wear evenly anyway, because the nearside usually take more of a hammering.

[PTJS]

Hi Chesters6

I had a very small horizontal screen crack right in front of my field of view at the last MOT. I found a website setting out the exact criteria that examiners use to see what the permitted size of any chip etc was for MOT purposes depending where it was on the screen. I then measured the length of the screen crack before going for MOT knowing that I could quote chapter and verse if the examiner failed it, which he didn't. Might be worth doing a similar exercise now as a check before you shell out on a new screen.

Cheers

Phil

[Paul240480]

Hi Chesters6

The reaction bushes can be removed by using a hack saw. Remove the rods. Take the blade out of the saw & feed it through the bush then re-fit the blade. Cut through the rubber, then through the metal of the bush.... carefully.

Once through use an old screwdriver (or similar) and tap it in where the cut is to move the bush 'away' from the rod. Once that's done if the bush fails to drop out, put a suitably size socket on it & give it a tap with a hammer. Fitting can be a smear of wash up liquid & tap in with a socket & hammer, keep it 'square' though.

For the trailing arms, have you considered using poly liners? No need to press the old ones out using that method. Just cut the old rubber out with a 'bell saw' (?) on a drill. Clean up the liner with a wire brush in the drill. Then smear some lubricant (supplied with the polys) in to the old liner & insert the two pieces of poly liner, one into each side of the trailing arm. Much easier than removing the old ones completely. Only snag is I'm not sure on costs of the polys? I think its covered in the how to section on here & RWD.

Anyway, chin up & good luck & take her somewhere else for your next MOT LOL.

[Stoney Strike]

Originally Posted by rippedoffagain

Ring around for a few quotes. I once had a Cavalier windscreen done for £90 even though Autoglass quoted nearly £400 for the same job.

I can't remember the name of the company I used, but there were a few quotes around that price, it was only Autoglass that wanted to rob me.

If you're fully comp it's covered on nearly all insurance policies, so the crack happened THIS week and it'll be about £60 excess! Bingo!
Had a windscreen go on me 4 weeks after moving to fully comp and was supremely impressed by my (VERY RARE!) good fortune!

[adamsky01]

Originally Posted by Stoney Strike

If you're fully comp it's covered on nearly all insurance policies, so the crack happened THIS week and it'll be about £60 excess! Bingo!
Had a windscreen go on me 4 weeks after moving to fully comp and was supremely impressed by my (VERY RARE!) good fortune!

did it realy ? yer right lol

[john h]

I'm sure you'll get it sorted... do persevere!

By way of a giggle (and to show that some garages understand old cars) my friend took his Scimitar for an MOT after a long time off the road. As it drove into the test centre, the car was both on fire and leaking coolant prolifically (who said "typical Scimitar"?).

Said ailments were attended to on the spot, and of course it passed!

Cheers

John