MOT talk.

[dobbslc]

I've been looking at cars recently and one thing that pops up quite often is the following statement on MOT's.

• Nearside Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
• Nearside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))
• Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Other than actually being corroded what's the "covered in grease" bit all about?
I'm also surprised at the amount of cars that have this in their MOT history, is this another **** covering exercise if it's not possible to see the pipes clearly?

 

[Wozzaaah]

, is this another **** covering exercise if it's not possible to see the pipes clearly?

Yes, exactly that.

 

[Morris]

Yup, rectal obscuring

 

[JOEPRO]

In NI they don't give advisories on brake pipes at all usually.

Instead they will fail the car for any corrosion at all. (Rightly or wrongly)

I have seen instances where VERY light surface rust colouration only failed a car at one station. Then when taken to a garage they said nothing wrong with those pipes. So instead of a re- test you book a full re test at another local centre and they will then pass it usually. So just depends who you get here but super strict system compared to mainland mot tests.

MOT prep here means all brake pipes must be pressure washed and any light corrosion at all must be cleaned and spot painted before presenting for test.

 

[MetalMonkey]

It is quite common with corroded brake pipes that they get given a coat of oil/grease/underseal/whatever gunk is on hand.
This may or may not do anything, but what it does mean is the condition of the brake pipes is impossible to ascertain without cleaning said gunk off to inspect them, which they are not allowed to do.
Hence the advisory.

 

[JOEPRO]

It is quite common with corroded brake pipes that they get given a coat of oil/grease/underseal/whatever gunk is on hand.
This may or may not do anything, but what it does mean is the condition of the brake pipes is impossible to ascertain without cleaning said gunk off to inspect them, which they are not allowed to do.
Hence the advisory.

In NI that would not pass test. They would fail the car until cleaned up.

For example I once had a restored MB with new kunifer brake pipes fitted. The black waxoyl had got on the pipes. They failed the car and sent me home to clean all off. I did note when I got home to clean them that they had scraped the pipes and could see they were new but refused it anyway.

Since that I ensure to waxoyl the car first then install the new brake lines and wipe them clean of any smears.

 

[tigdlo]

Same as advising welded repairs covered in underseal preventing a proper examination or however it's worded.

I grease up brake pipes with corrosion so the examiner can just advise it rather than risk passing and getting pulled up by dvsa or failing it and potentially having a complaint, whatever happens, around here it's always the MOT tester at fault.

 

[MetalMonkey]

In NI that would not pass test. They would fail the car until cleaned up.

For example I once had a restored MB with new kunifer brake pipes fitted. The black waxoyl had got on the pipes. They failed the car and sent me home to clean all off. I did note when I got home to clean them that they had scraped the pipes and could see they were new but refused it anyway.

Since that I ensure to waxoyl the car first then install the new brake lines and wipe them clean of any smears.

NI tests are a different breed IME. I once restored a car and put it through an NI test, it flew through I'm happy to say.
In some ways its better as you just have the dedicated test centers which do nothing else - so there is no chance of garages "failing" them when they think they are going to pick up the repair work.
Happens a lot over here, heavily discounted MOT price to get the punter through the door, car fails, large repair bill - especially if they think you are a bit green.

They are a lot more picky over there, that's not necessarily a bad thing IMO. It is supposed to set a standard after all.
From what I was told some of the boys are more picky than others, but that happens everywhere.

The place I go to now is an HGV repair centre, I pay a lot more for the test as they don't really discount it - but they have no skin in the game either way.
I prefer that personally.

 

[dobbslc]

We've been using a drive through local MOT only test centre. Not had any problems yet and the first time I went in the Surf two of the lads came over for a chat about it

 

[Keithmac]

You're damnednif you do and damned if you don't as an MOT tester.

If a brake line failed due to corrosion after a test (had been covered in grease to prevent proper inspection), no advisory issued and an accident investigation ensued the tester would be thrown under bus so to speak..

 

[keithski122]

My mot tester greased my brake pipes up a few years ago while he was doing the test, this year he gave me an advisory for it.

 

[premmington]

You're damnednif you do and damned if you don't as an MOT tester.

If a brake line failed due to corrosion after a test (had been covered in grease to prevent proper inspection), no advisory issued and an accident investigation ensued the tester would be thrown under bus so to speak..

Test as presented - Ni or UK same rules...


Pass and advise...

 

[tom2207]

I recently spent two days cleaning brake pipes on a range rover that someone had painted with dinitrol ,,, or the likes it was grey and sticky like half set chewing gum ,,, at one point I was going to re pipe the car instead ,,, retest it was barely looked at , but cert issued , NI mot testing is similar to psv testing elsewhere , its a bit hit or miss at times here too . Had a 110 sent back for a non latching rear centre belt , it was just dust , but same centre sent a 90 back that we didnt pre with a band off a cv boot and grease everywhere , cert issued but they said just take it to a mechanic and they will see what needs fixing , sometimes I think its still all down to the luck of the draw. it used to say on anything that failed for welding , '' all repairs to be seam welded and left bare for inspection '' I dont think that was a bad thing although it meant repairs had to go back on the ramp for painting after the retest , a pita some days but there is no bodge it and run repairs here .

 

[dobbslc]

So nothing to really worry about I suppose.
I just don't want to have to re pipe any car my son buys as I hate messing with brake pipes!
Saying that, I hated bleeding brakes until I bought a Sealey pressure bleeder...

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I recently spent two days cleaning brake pipes on a range rover that someone had painted with dinitrol ,,, or the likes it was grey and sticky like half set chewing gum ,,, at one point I was going to re pipe the car instead ,,, retest it was barely looked at , but cert issued , NI mot testing is similar to psv testing elsewhere , its a bit hit or miss at times here too . Had a 110 sent back for a non latching rear centre belt , it was just dust , but same centre sent a 90 back that we didnt pre with a band off a cv boot and grease everywhere , cert issued but they said just take it to a mechanic and they will see what needs fixing , sometimes I think its still all down to the luck of the draw. it used to say on anything that failed for welding , '' all repairs to be seam welded and left bare for inspection '' I dont think that was a bad thing although it meant repairs had to go back on the ramp for painting after the retest , a pita some days but there is no bodge it and run repairs here .

A 90 with a cv boot?

 

[tom2207]

A 90 with a cv boot?

your quite right ,, it was probably an evoque,, I knew it was something small ,,, and horrid and greasy but I was able to get a new band on it without taking it apart , maybe a freelander , any ways it was a small and showed how varied the mot testers can be even with the strict set up we have here ,,, some of the brake pipes I see on roll in cars are horrid , but they have a ticket ,,, if you own a Disco have a wee peep in at the back wheels from time to time where the brake pipe comes out from under the body they collect mud rust .

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I’m running goodrich braided hose front to back on mine , no corrosion there!

 

[pedrobedro]

A friend of mine had an old Mondeo failed on a rear brake pipe so he decided to wire brush it. The brush went through the pipe so he had no brakes and was stuck to get home. I crimped the pipe and bent it over which cured the leak and he used the car for another 3 days till he got the pipe done.

 

[badabec]

I’m running goodrich braided hose front to back on mine , no corrosion there!

Have you found the pedal to be a bit soft with such long runs of flexible hose?

 

[tom2207]

I’m running goodrich braided hose front to back on mine , no corrosion there!

its the pipe that runs to the flexi and the bit that runs down the suspension arms we are seeing loads of rust on , and the metal unions on the fronts , the bits that tucked up by the top flexi ,,,