MOT Failure for the Xantia

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Rhothgar
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1995 Citroen Xantia 1.9TD S1 - M728 GDL VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
1996 Citroen Xantia 1.9TD SX S1 - N707 MGP (Currrently laid up)
2000 Citroen Xantia 2.0 HDi S2 - X435 JGJ VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] (Clutch died Dec 2017 - Resurrected Easter Sunday 2021)
1997 Citroen ZX SX TD - P788 AJL
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1968 Triumph Vitesse Convertible 2.0
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1988 Saab 900 T16S - A 1980's exercise in understated Hooliganism...
Oh! and two Harley Davidsons - A 1990 Sportster and a 2003 Fatboy 100th Anniversary (the only vehicle I have owned from new)
x 78

MOT Failure for the Xantia

Post by Rhothgar »

Sadly, my Xantia has failed its MOT. Luckily, I have 3 weeks left until 18th Feb to sort it out.

Luckily, as ever, nothing major.

I ran out of windscreen washer fluid on the way up to the MOT station but must have released the washer the second it ran out! What luck?

Headlight adjustment.

When I was in Austria, I replaced the H1 bulb in the nearside headlamp and thought I had clipped the clip in correctly.

Obviously, I didn't quite hook it over correctly as it must have slipped. The headlamp beam was way too low.

Reseated the bulb and OK but the MOT station started to adjust level and offset before realising bulb on this side was not seated correctly.

Anyway, they have told me the adjusters are not adjusting the lamps fully. Do these strip threads or is it simply a case of lubricating and working it?
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Xaccers
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Post by Xaccers »

The left/right ones can damage their threads and lock at the extremes, this normally results in the adjuster socket rounding off so you can't free it up. You may be able to get a large flat bladed screw driver in the back to turn it, we did this with one of Jenny's.
The up/down (on the top of the lamp) is better in that if you remove the slam panel you can pop out the adaptor socket which normally gets rounded off, and access the actual adjuster (identical to the left/right one) and get an allen key in there, or replace the adaptor.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like the adjusters can be removed without breaking them.

An alternative for dealing with a rounded socket would be to epoxy in a screwdriver bit and see if that works.
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andmcit
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Post by andmcit »

What? It's failed because the MOT guy cannot adjust the lights OUT
of the correct setting? :shock: :lol: The mechanism for allen key just needs
a zap of WD40 / Plusgas or suchlike. The movement is inside the lamp
so it's not very likely to be rusted through.

Andrew
Rhothgar
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1995 Citroen Xantia 1.9TD S1 - M728 GDL VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
1996 Citroen Xantia 1.9TD SX S1 - N707 MGP (Currrently laid up)
2000 Citroen Xantia 2.0 HDi S2 - X435 JGJ VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] (Clutch died Dec 2017 - Resurrected Easter Sunday 2021)
1997 Citroen ZX SX TD - P788 AJL
1959 Landrover Defender S2 - Two owners from new
1968 Triumph Vitesse Convertible 2.0
1980 Ford Escort RS2000 Customer - 2nd Owner
1988 Saab 900 T16S - A 1980's exercise in understated Hooliganism...
Oh! and two Harley Davidsons - A 1990 Sportster and a 2003 Fatboy 100th Anniversary (the only vehicle I have owned from new)
x 78

Post by Rhothgar »

andmcit wrote:What? It's failed because the MOT guy cannot adjust the lights OUT
of the correct setting? :shock: :lol:
They were correct but the bulb had moved basically due to my incompetence. Can I use the excuse of a dark night changing a bulb with no torch? :lol:

So he adjusted a corrected headlamp then realised that there must be something wrong with the bulb and had to readjust when he found there was!

Just hoping HE didn't round them off.
citronut
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Post by citronut »

trouble is an MOT tester will firstly try to adjust an out of aim lamp,

so i dont think you can cast any blame there direction,


if these items are all it failed on and you did not get it sorted there and then, i would find a diferent test station,

what elss did it fail on as you know you only get ten working days to re/present the car or you might have to pay a full MOT fee again,

regards malcolm
Rhothgar
Donor 2023
Posts: 1758
Joined: 22 Nov 2004, 00:21
Location: Nottingham - UK
My Cars: 2013 Peugeot 3008 Allure 1.6HDi - FD63 FWA VF3**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
1995 Citroen Xantia 1.9TD S1 - M728 GDL VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]
1996 Citroen Xantia 1.9TD SX S1 - N707 MGP (Currrently laid up)
2000 Citroen Xantia 2.0 HDi S2 - X435 JGJ VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] (Clutch died Dec 2017 - Resurrected Easter Sunday 2021)
1997 Citroen ZX SX TD - P788 AJL
1959 Landrover Defender S2 - Two owners from new
1968 Triumph Vitesse Convertible 2.0
1980 Ford Escort RS2000 Customer - 2nd Owner
1988 Saab 900 T16S - A 1980's exercise in understated Hooliganism...
Oh! and two Harley Davidsons - A 1990 Sportster and a 2003 Fatboy 100th Anniversary (the only vehicle I have owned from new)
x 78

Post by Rhothgar »

Hi Malcolm

Hope you're well.

MOT tester is my best mate. Problem is he couldn't sort lamps there and then because he should have closed 2 hours earlier.

So I need to sort them and then represent.

I just wanted to get them adjusted as high as legally possible.
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