C5 MOT questions

[citronut]

Malcolm. just asked mot'er and he confirmed he wouldn't be able to pass unless the exhaust had the cat in...

you should have kept mum as he knows it had one from the factory now

the boots.. hmm.. will know more at 2pm.. car has been brilliant for a year and a half.. but paying for it now I fear.. a service, an mot and a cold start fault are adding up.. don't get something for nothing

i thought the newer rules state any/all rubber boots and gaiters must not be split, regardless of if they are leaking fluid or grease,

if you have to replace them im sure Richard will help you get the R clip out

[jgra1]

think Major Exhaust Leak will be drummed out the regiment by Corporal Repair.

lol

re cat, mot tester knows from the Vin or reg whether a cat fitted or not at the factory Malcolm,,

re gaiters.. I did put some black insulation tape around the splits when I saw them last night.. suspension was on high, maybe they are less visible in normal height .. in fact adding tape as a crap bodge would only have highlighted the problem more

[RichardW]

i thought the newer rules state any/all rubber boots and gaiters must not be split, regardless of if they are leaking fluid or grease,

if you have to replace them im sure Richard will help you get the R clip out

Gaiters rules only applies specifically to 'ball joints'. Yes, I will be happy to stand and laugh while you try and drive the R clip out Peter N is an expert too.....!

MOT man is right about cats - and wrong! Reason for failure only applies for cars that qualify for a CAT test (ie spark ignition) - it's not in the the compression ignition section. I would argue that the rules also allow an LPG'd car (which doesn't qualify for a cat test) to be presented without, and pass, but I know Jim fell foul of this on his XM and had to fit one.

[Northern_Mike]

I believe the rules are quite clear - if a car had a cat when it was new (and is UK spec) then it must have one when presented for the MoT test.

My friend Pete also fell foul of this with his L-reg LPG'd Carlton 24v.

There's a Japanese specialist near here that has a stock of cats. Take your decatted Japanese rocket to them for MOT, they put a cat on it, take it for a test, then remove the cat again.. costs about £50 for them to do this but well worth it if that's your thing. .

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[jgra1]

so, will it fail the test without a cat, or will the test be aborted?

[citronut]

my old R reg XANT has passed a couple of MOT's with cat removed,

as Richard says there is nout in the MOT rule book regarding a cat on a compression ignition engine

http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/d ... guides.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

exhaust starts at section 7

[Northern_Mike]

so, will it fail the test without a cat, or will the test be aborted?

Not sure about Jim's but Pete's Carlton failed because of the missing cats.

[addo]

I believe we worked through this on another thread just days ago! The meandering took us to the House of Lords for a peer vs peer showdown.

[Stickyfinger]

This was wehat I posted

Diesel Particulate Filter Removal, and the MOT
Written by Jim Punter

Diesel particulate filters – and the MOT

In late September, a labour Peer in the House of Lords, Lord Berkeley, asked the Government what on the face of it was a simple question:

"what steps they are taking to warn vehicle owners of any legal consequences resulting from the operation of vehicles from which factory-fitted diesel particulate filters have been removed."

A Liberal Democrat Peer, Lord Newby responded on behalf of the Government:

"Diesel particulate filters are inspected visually at the annual MOT. Removal of the diesel particulate filter might trigger the vehicle's Malfunction Indicator Lamp and the MOT Tester would bring this to the attention of the owner but the vehicle would not fail the MOT Test. Also, if the visual inspection indicated that the filter was missing, the Tester would inform the owner, but again the vehicle would not fail the MOT Test unless it failed the emissions test. However, the Department for Transport does not record information on the number of filters that have been removed from vehicles.

The Department does not currently provide information or advice to vehicle owners of any legal implications of removing these filters. However, Departmental officials are working on a guidance note that aims to provide vehicle owners with relevant information on the consequences of removing the filters. Nevertheless, officials will give appropriate advice either verbally or in writing when questions arise."

Not Checked
Whilst checking diesel EMISSIONS is part of the MOT, in fact, as Lord Newby points out – the particulate filter itself is not checked during the MOT – and his statement that "Diesel particulate filters are inspected visually at the annual MOT", is not correct. In fact an MOT Tester would not necessarily know whether a particulate filter was a standard fitting on any specific vehicle or not. That being the case, the situation where an MOT Tester would bring a missing particulate filter to the attention of a customer would be very unlikely to arise.

What has happened here is that the correct answer to the question is that there are NO legal consequences if the particulate filter has been removed and that is an embarrassment to the Government. So it looks as if the MOT has been used as a 'smokescreen' to disguise the fact that there's a very simple answer to the question, which should have been "There aren't any...". A pity he couldn't get his MOT facts right...

[citronut]

but the original question was if the cat had been removed or was missing at the MOT test,

not as in the artical were they were talking about the particulate filter

[Stickyfinger]

but the original question was if the cat had been removed or was missing at the MOT test,

not as in the artical were they were talking about the particulate filter

very true, was just posting what was posted before as the link had changed.

I would think a "Missing Cat" is noticeable.

[citronut]

I would think a "Missing Cat" is noticeable.

only if the litter tray was full

[Stickyfinger]

OK, you can Stop with the smelly cat jokes now !

[KP]

You need to get a screwdriver on the exhaust as hey will give it a right prod.

if it goes thru its done for im afraid
Ebay is good for replacement exhaust bits i've found at silly low prices.

The rear boots, the part posted up top is the lower circlip which is the easier part of the removal.
Getting the strut out to replace the dust cover/boot is a frigging nightmare to put it lightly.

Soak and soak and soak and soak. Jet wash the area if you can and then squirt petrol all arround it to get the real grud out with a brush and then loads of penetrating fluid.
The boot comes off the wire clip at the top easily enough but the bottom bit is stubborn.
Doing the suspension low helps but have a jack under the rear wheel or arm as i will help being able to lift it up and down to get the bugger out as the torsoinbar connecting it to the other side.

They come in packs of two from the dealer as well, i have a spare in the garage waiting for my dads estate when it needs it.


Hope you have a weekend set to one side for it

its likely to be something that when garages realise how much work it is now they are geting older and of the age where the spheres need replacing will write off a few C5's in cost as the rears rust solid on.

[jgra1]

thanks KP.
exhaust sorted., brought a repair Kit thanks to Rich W post..

Boots.. going to ignore them. they didn't fail.,., will make sure they are covered from contaminiation from now.. may even squeeze some silicon in the splits..?