It's That Dreaded Mot Time Of Year Again!......

[Bluesbreaker]

One year on,my MOT is not due till the 18th of this month,but,as I'm going up to Scotland,two days after that date,to visit and work there,for an indefinite period,I thought I would get an early Test, so,8.30am, this morning,found me awaiting the outcome,with baited breath,-of course,I needn't have worried,regular servicing,and more than a bit of TLC, paid off,yet again,the old girl,passed,with flying colours,with only an advisory,on all four brake discs,-worn,but not excessively so,the Mechanic,an old fart like me,even commented on the good condition of the car for its year,job done,so,£28.00 lighter,plus a valid MOT,saw me driving back home,a very happy chappie-life can be so good sometimes.......I'm very easily pleased.

[cruisermark]

thats a good price for an MOT! - congratulations on the pass

[lordturns]

I am with you there Iain - have my first MOT with my LS tomorrow at 2pm....fingers crossed :outforcount:

[Bluesman]

Well done. Mike

[jpjsavage]

Congratulations! Got mine done last month. Just a couple of minor items (brake pipe corrosion) but easily sorted.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

Good news mate :)

[Titch LS]

Iain, my LS has just passed its M.O.T. (only a blown numberplate bulb to mar a clean sheet). Good for another year. I've never had a 14 year old car pass so easily as this one. By the way, your price of £28 was a bargain. Mine was £50.

[ChrisIS200SportTTE]

£28 must be one of the cheapest MOT's in the country!!

I pay £54 for mine which is the VOSA recommended price.

[run132]

My LS is the only car I don't worry about when it comes to MOT time! I don't think I've even had as much as an 'advisory' with her!

[Bluesbreaker]

I am with you there Iain - have my first MOT with my LS tomorrow at 2pm....fingers crossed :outforcount:

Hi Jeremy-thanks,and good luck tomorrow!

[Bluesbreaker]

The reason I got the MOT at such a good rate,is,we are a three-car household,and started to use the local Mr Clutch Franchise,around two years ago,I received a Gold Membership card shortly after using their garage for a first MOT,since then,we only pay a £28.00 fee,at the risk of sounding like I'm blowing their trumpet,they are courteous,efficient,reasonably priced for repairs,a rarity,these days.

[Malc]

I pay £55 for my independent MOTs and my service guy takes it there and gets it passed, tweaking whatever might need doing at the time ....... we have two cars, they always pass ........... MOTs go with the annual servicing and I pay him £30 an hour ( no vat, low turnover ) and cost price for parts he uses.

Been successfully looking after my cars now for 6 years ......... bills are usually on the floor and he's competent, diligent and all the things one wishes in a mechanic.

Malc

[lordturns]

I am with you there Iain - have my first MOT with my LS tomorrow at 2pm....fingers crossed :outforcount:

Hi Jeremy-thanks,and good luck tomorrow!

Thanks Iain, she failed plus some advisories too.....see below:

Rear parking brake imbalanced - failed

O/S rear brake binding - failed

Both rear tyres are now quite low but passed - I am changing these regardless as they are nasty barum bravuras? which as I understand are very cheap. My rear subframe and associated components were also advisory as they are corroded. The emissions are quite poor and only just scraped through, the tester carried out the check four times before he could pass her! he said that is very rare for one of these. Thought I could smell petrol too on startup, so that must mean she is running too rich?

The MOT was done at my local Vauxhall dealer and the tech came out and clearly not the usual franchise technician! his dad owned an S reg LS400! His father was formerly a mechanic and as a family they had had a raft of V8 SD1 Rovers the Tech had a very interesting car history - Chevy day van 5.7 V8, Camaro, Corvette Z28, Dolly Sprint, Carlton Gsi, restored 3 RS Cosworth Sierras, the list goes on. To say he loves his cars and is obsessed with detail is an understatement and needless to say, I know where my Lexus is going! Brilliant :)

[Bluesbreaker]

Hi Jeremy,sorry to hear about the failed MOT,but then,it sounds like the remedial work,will be confined to the rear brake-calipers,sticking pistons perhaps? either way, it doesn't sound too difficult to remedy hopefully.

I'm going to address the encroaching corrosion on my subframe also fairly soon,it's minimal,but I've read here on the Forum,about members wire brushing,and applying something like an oil-based paint all over it as a protection against the elements/ road salt,but it's something I'll tackle when the weathers warmer,anyway,good luck with the work to get your car back on the road-sounds like you've found a decent Garage to get your car tested/ serviced,their a rarity,these days.

[run132]

The MOT was done at my local Vauxhall dealer and the tech came out and clearly not the usual franchise technician! his dad owned an S reg LS400! His father was formerly a mechanic and as a family they had had a raft of V8 SD1 Rovers the Tech had a very interesting car history - Chevy day van 5.7 V8, Camaro, Corvette Z28, Dolly Sprint, Carlton Gsi, restored 3 RS Cosworth Sierras, the list goes on. To say he loves his cars and is obsessed with detail is an understatement and needless to say, I know where my Lexus is going! Brilliant :)

Sounds like you have found a good one there. I think It is important to get an 'enthusiast' to look after the car. When I passed my test I was looking around for someone to service and MOT my 132. My Dad had a BMW 728i E23 (he just got a 'new' 735i E23 last week!) so I thought I would put my Fiat into the local BMW dealer. They did all the work I wanted but when I went to pick her up (and pay the bill!) the service manager said I might be best not going to a main dealer in future! He knew of a guy who had just set up on his own after leaving the local Honda garage. I went to see him and have gone to him ever since - usually on a weekly basis! He knows how fussy I am but will give me sensible advice (like "it is time to scrap that one"!), which I don't always take, of course!

I did take the Lexus to the main dealer last year for her 100k service, as it was a bit more convenient for them to do it with all the parts, etc. Had to remind them not to wash her as she had just been detailed! Not a problem I have with my 'no nonsense' local guy!

[lordturns]

Thanks Gentlemen,

Iain - like you I need to do something with my subframe and have done some research into various treatments and read quite a bit on forums - opinions vary wildly as to what works and what doesn't, trouble is what to go for? on my advisory it states 'corrosion to within 30mm of chassis legs' oh dear .

I was thinking a strip down and rebuild with replacement of overly worn parts (ouch! expensive) although the other route is to remove all rust and coat/protect, see the photos below:

Run132 - love the E23! classic sharknose styling that is typical of 70's and 80's BMWs. You just never see them any more and I cannot recall the last time I did which is a great pity. Would love an alpina version which if I am correct is the B10 3.5. BMW did make a 745i of the E23 which was turbocharged, left hooker only and pumped out 252bhp which in its day would have been a stormer.

[Maduggo]

You can get MOT done with Halfords Auto centreif you book online and use the online discount offer.

http://www.halfordsautocentres.com/

Click MOT and follow instructions

[Malc]

I'm just asking ....................... is there any structural corrosion there ?

Are you getting an opinion from someone who knows ? maybe it just looks bad because anything that looks a bit rusty often strikes fear into the minds of us.

Malc

[lordturns]

I'm just asking ....................... is there any structural corrosion there ?

Are you getting an opinion from someone who knows ? maybe it just looks bad because anything that looks a bit rusty often strikes fear into the minds of us.

Malc

Hi Malc,

I don't know.....suppose the only person to ask would be a car restorer? or a metallurgist (don't know of any) who could give a proper diagnosis on the condition of the material. For MOT purposes, I would hazard a guess that the inspection constitutes a 'prod around' and a visual check although not much more.

[Titch LS]

Jeremy, all our LS's must look the same underneath as yours by now, i.e. showing signs of superficial corrosion. I went to work on mine with a wire brush and a tub of grease a few years ago. Seems to have held off the dreaded 'tinworm' for now. I'll check it again in the summer and reapply the grease if needed. I was careful not to get any on the suspension bushes or exhaust pipe though. My M.O.T. tester didn't mention anything about corrosion so it must have worked.

[Malc]

I think in olden times the MOT tester used to prod the rusty looking area to determine the extent of the corrosion and if the prod went in it was getting near to being a warning that repair was needed. Now I believe they aren't allowed to prod and therefore all and any looking rusty areas get a mention.

Most " rust " like ours probably isn't anywhere near to being needing to be repairable and mostly, for cosmetic purposes, can be wire brushed and painted over to " protect " the areas concerned.

Unlikely we have any " proper " rust at all if the truth be known.

Malc

[mikeyv]

Looking at those pictures, absolutely ripe for Waxoyling.

I'd just scrape any flaking paint and caked mud off with a blunt screwdriver, then brush it on thick.

The light surface rust will actually help to absorb and hold the waxoyl in place.

Messy old job mind.

[run132]

I had the four rear subframe bushes and a couple of rods replaced a few months ago and mine looked like that when it was up on the ramp! I was a bit shocked but my mechanic (he is a good old fashioned mechanic not a 'service technical advisor' or whatever the main dealers call them!) was not bothered at all. "Nice and solid" he said!

Yes the E23 BMW is a nice car. I've got two at my place just now and had three up until a few days ago until we go the tax and insurance sorted for the new one. In my opinion, BMW did nick the front shark nose styling from the Fiat 132! Still, a good one to choose. I saw an Alpina many years ago and looked very nice. Not seen a 745i in the flesh though.

[Bluesbreaker]

Guy around the corner from me has a 745i, he lifted the bonnet to show me the engine recently, I told him to close it quick, -made my head spin,looked too complex under there for my liking,i'll stick to the relative simplicity of my LS I think..

[plastic orange]

Got mine MOT'd today. MOT tester (mate) picked up a loose N/S rear wheel bearing which tightened easily enough to remove play. General underneath was fine with a lot less corrosion than pics above, but I'm sure next year will see some suspension bushes. All in all, not bad for an almost 15 year old car. Emissions were minimal too.

There was a newish mazda in getting track rods ends and other bits and pieces fitted which he said was typical of newer cars. Modern gaiters etc seem to only last a year such is the quality of modern rubber.

Pete