Another Unclued MOT tester!

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citroenxm
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Another Unclued MOT tester!

Post by citroenxm »

Customer of mine put his HDi W reg Xantia in for MOT...

Failed, firstly on ABD light, bit also a leaky rear valve, as were we've NEVER put any LHM in.

Oh and ALSO the suspension is too soft and DANGEROUS to be on the road..

Luckily my customer does know a bit and challenged the tester, with, "Do you actually know anything about the citroen suspension??? Its got comfort spheres on it!"

Testers reply, "Well no, Ive not have much at all to do with these! "

Customer reply, "Well how the F++++ can you comment on the system if you know F++++ all about them!, Im gonna put the car in else were and if it passes, report you to VOSA for not knowing enough on these, when theres F+++ all wrong with them!!"

I said to my customer! Well in there, Im glad you do know a little about them and how they should be! That put a smile on my face.

Im off there this after noon to check out the"Leaky" valve and see whats happening. Oh apparently, he also said the leaky valve can cause the brake pedal to go RIGHT TO THE FLOOR!!!! Eh wot!!

amazing!

Just some jolly reading for you to laugh at!

Regards
Paul
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Post by AndersDK »

And you will make a short report on your invoice for your customer, so he can report the MOT'er ?

:lol:
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Post by Brigsygtt »

Some numpty mot testers out there! one to avoid by sounds of it.

Theres a few that are similar round here. One failed handbrake on bx by testing rear wheels :lol:

Even my local half decent mot station were scratching their heads at the hydraulic pipes under mine, not one of those citroens etc came out of their mouth :lol:
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Post by Chlorate »

Sounds like one could have a lot of fun taking hydraulic Citroens in for testing just to find the garages that really have no idea what they're looking at. :lol:
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Post by CitroJim »

It's amazing. Just another example of the creeping mediocrity culture in this country today :evil:

No doubt the "leaky rear valve" is just a bit of excess lubricant on the height corrector - especially if you service it Paul!

In a (tiny) bit of defence of the MOT tester here, I guess it's not so often he sees any hydraulic Citroens these days and let's face it, they are totally unlike a conventional car in so many ways and if you don't know them, things like the suspension will appear soft and squidgy and not at all like the rock-hard eyeball-rattling suspension that seems the norm today.

Having gone through the rigours of all sorts of training, I know that if something in not on the "syllabus" then it won't be taught and I guess Citroen hydraulics are no longer on the MOT testers syllabus :evil: That's how it is today, sadly. Rote, rote and more rote to learn to pass an exam without actually leaning anything. No doubt MOT testers are trained on a bog-standard car with rock-hard suspension and utterly conventional in every other respect. These courses normally leave you about as qualified as a ball-point pen to to the job in the real world.

The fact is though that if the MOT tester does not understand Citroens then he should be upfront with the presenter and refuse to test it on the grounds that he is not qualified to do so.

I've had a tester fail one of mine through sheer ignorance. Same thing; "leaky rear valve".

My advice is to always check that an MOT tester is au-fait and if not, go elsewhere.

If the car passes at another station (after fixing the ABS) then I'm sure VOSA will be very interested...
Jim

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Post by deian »

Mine should pass fine then... as my centre spheres are 'tired', and my top is done.

Anders, back so soon? lol
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Post by citroenxm »

When I actually got to the car and read the Fail sheet, there was ALSO a comment: Lack of or No Servo Assistance onm brake pedal! :o

Ive written next to the comment: NO SERVO! POWER BRAKES!

Unfortunally Jim, the leak at the rear on the height corrector is just that, a leaky height corrector, the car has done 30k in the last ten months.. so its over to my place monday for a new height corrector..

Paul
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Post by Citroenmad »

I either use a local garage which almost understands Citroens, though they do curse at them all of the time and usually cant find simple things on them. The bonnet catch on the Xm for example. Though they are reasonable in their evaluation and im always there watching them incase they cant find anything, i dont trust garages!

Or i use a Citroen specialist, though this is not as local and they only do it when they can fit it in during the day, which means leaving the car and getting a lift back. So i usually go to the other garage.

I also use the local Ford dealer, though not for the Xms or C15.
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Post by AndersDK »

deian wrote:Mine should pass fine then... as my centre spheres are 'tired', and my top is done.

Anders, back so soon? lol
Yeah - still having a peep now & then. Like an old horse ...

Not much to do any more having so many fully experienced home mechanics around on this forum.
Even pro's are trying to compete here these days :lol:

On the same time a strange and very nice feeling, that the forum has grown over my head since the early beginning.
Thats how it must be by the time though ... :wink:
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Post by citronut »

i thought the bounce test applys to hydraulic citroens the same as it dose for springs and shockers, so they should only be able to fail it on no or little movement on the suspension,


regards malcolm
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Post by CitroJim »

AndersDK wrote: Not much to do any more having so many fully experienced home mechanics around on this forum.
Even pro's are trying to compete here these days :lol:

On the same time a strange and very nice feeling, that the forum has grown over my head since the early beginning.
Thats how it must be by the time though ... :wink:
It's good to see you Anders :D

I do understand what you mean though. I'm starting to find the same. I can only really comment on Xantia problems and the newer stuff (C5, HDi etc.) I do not have a clue...

Yes, it is good to see the forum going from strength to strength and new specialists arriving all the time :D
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Post by myglaren »

We don't want to see the old guard edged out or marginalised, their (your) input is always more than welcome Anders. Been wondering where you had disappeared to. Nice to see you here again.
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Post by addo »

Citroenmad wrote:I either use a local garage which almost understands Citroens, though they do curse at them all of the time and usually cant find simple things on them. The bonnet catch on the Xm for example...
I refer to the Xantia bonnet safety as the "G spot" when someone else is trying to pop its lid. A subtle inference like that goes over many peoples' heads, but quite a few women standing and watching have had a good laugh.
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Post by Napolian »

I had cars fail for such things a slight crack on the number plate, or the sidelight bulbs are not the “proper bulbs” and these items were passed on re-test by another garage. I now avoid garages for MOTs. Instead I use testing stations run by local authorities or bus companies, they have no financial gain in failing the car.
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Post by RichardW »

Mot Manual says:

5. At each comer of the vehicle, where practicable, push down (or pull down from beneath) and note the rebound of the body to determine if each shock absorber is producing a damping effect on the suspension.

and failure reason:

5. A shock absorber which has negligible damping effect


The only other test is:

5. At each corner of the vehicle, where practicable, push down (or pull down from underneath), and note the amount of suspension movement.

And fail:

5. No suspension movement
Note: Large vehicle suspensions can be difficult to move. Ensure there is a defect before rejection.

So provided the car comes back to normal height without bouncing, it should pass, regardless of how 'soft' the suspension is.
Richard W
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