Failed MOT (Inspection) - advice?

[Ferret]

Not by much I might add, total list of damage is:

001 Nearside Repeater incorrect colour
002 Offside Repeater incorrect colour
003 Nearside Headlamp insecure
004 Nearside Headlamp flickers when tapped lightly by hand
005 Parking brake at 12% efficiency, requires 15% to pass

The repeaters are fine, I'll just put replacement bulbs in (honestly! who'd put near-white bulbs in a white repeater? *whistle*) - the headlamp I know what's wrong with after a 70mph incident with a phesant (rural bird 2-3 times the size of a chicken, and yes feathers did fly)

The handbrake worries me though - I'll throw some replacement shoes and disks on the back and see if I can get it to lock up - but this seems rather low.

Would pure adjustment cause this, or are my cables on the way out?

Anyone replaced the cables before?

[sal_park]

Anyone replaced the cables before?

Have you tried adjusting it ? Procedure is in the bentley (I think)

Adjusters are inside the cabin (to access remove leather boot from handbrake handle). You'll need to have both rear wheels off the ground and (this is from memory, so could be wrong) have the handbrake on 3-4 clicks and tighten the adjusters until it starts to bite. Be warned if you have an LSD (marking will be on the diff - my 94 525 sport has one) then it will be very difficult/impossible to turn the wheels individually by hand so it's a bit of a black art to make sure both h/brake cable are correctly adjusted

hth

[E34-520iSE]

There's the 'expander' adjuster inside the rear hub too. You're supposed to be able to adjust it by 'simply' removing a wheel bolt and poking a long screwdriver in there to turn the ratchet, but that method didn't work for me, so I took the disc off for better access. I stretched my old cables by adjusting at the handbrake lever rather than at the wheel, but replacing the cables was straightforward enough.


Shaun M

[Ross]

Be sure the parking brake shoes are properly adjusted before fooling with the cables.
If your HB isn't used often it might just need a little use to remove rust from the drum and to scuff the shoes a bit.
12% efficiency? 15% to pass? How is all this quantified I wonder. I'm thinking a harder pull on the handle could have resulted in 3%.
Your inspector can sleep well tonight knowing he has saved Britain from another slacker of a hand brake.

[Ferret]

12% efficiency? 15% to pass? How is all this quantified I wonder. I'm thinking a harder pull on the handle could have resulted in 3%.

I *think* they get manufacturer issed brake force figures, as to how well the brakes should work when new.

That or it's calculated as a percentage of the main brake stopping power of that wheel...?

It was done on a computerised brake test rig.



Interestingly on a side note it got an almost perfect emissions score - I was worried it wasnt going to go through. Lambda was calculated to be 1.005, oh well it could have been worse.

[Ross]

I *think* they get manufacturer issed brake force figures, as to how well the brakes should work when new.

That or it's calculated as a percentage of the main brake stopping power of that wheel...?

It was done on a computerised brake test rig.



Interestingly on a side note it got an almost perfect emissions score - I was worried it wasnt going to go through. Lambda was calculated to be 1.005, oh well it could have been worse.

Pretty serious scrutiny there then. (" Oh no,no, no, those repeaters just won't do. The color is all wrong, a nice regal red, no, orange, that's it!")
A bit extreme in my view bit then again there are zero inspections for passenger cars where I live which is really wrong.

[Ferret]

Pretty serious scrutiny there then. (" Oh no,no, no, those repeaters just won't do. The color is all wrong, a nice regal red, no, orange, that's it!")
A bit extreme in my view bit then again there are zero inspections for passenger cars where I live which is really wrong.

I've actually just come in from a break where I inspected my 'insecure' headlamp - turns out it's got about 2mm play in it if you really smack it hard.

Insecure my ass, I demand a recount!

There are rumours that the MOT is about to get a lot harder, in order to get more 'older, polluting' cars off the road.

Yeah right, they want to get the old tax system cars off the road where you pay 240/400USD a year in road tax and moved onto the new 'if you drive a 540i, bend over becuase here comes the $1kUSD a year road tax bill' jesus fark man, we live in a nazi state.

[e34.535i.sport]

I've actually just come in from a break where I inspected my 'insecure' headlamp - turns out it's got about 2mm play in it if you really smack it hard.

Insecure my ass, I demand a recount!

There are rumours that the MOT is about to get a lot harder, in order to get more 'older, polluting' cars off the road.

Yeah right, they want to get the old tax system cars off the road where you pay 240/400USD a year in road tax and moved onto the new 'if you drive a 540i, bend over becuase here comes the $1kUSD a year road tax bill' jesus fark man, we live in a nazi state.

I *almost* failed on the same thing. Don't mes with the cables, just adjust it by the starwheel in the hub... Easy enough to take the disc off and adjust it wityh a screwdriver if you struggle to do it by just taking a wheel bolt out. I sorted mine this way and now it's spot on. If you need a hand PM me and head over this weekend and we'll sort it out!

[E34-520iSE]

I *almost* failed on the same thing. Don't mes with the cables, just adjust it by the starwheel in the hub... Easy enough to take the disc off and adjust it with a screwdriver if you struggle to do it by just taking a wheel bolt out.

Ha ha great minds think alike! That's what I said before!

Cheers,

Shaun M

[whiskychaser]

Not by much I might add, total list of damage is:

001 Nearside Repeater incorrect colour
002 Offside Repeater incorrect colour
003 Nearside Headlamp insecure
004 Nearside Headlamp flickers when tapped lightly by hand
005 Parking brake at 12% efficiency, requires 15% to pass

The repeaters are fine, I'll just put replacement bulbs in (honestly! who'd put near-white bulbs in a white repeater? *whistle*) - the headlamp I know what's wrong with after a 70mph incident with a phesant (rural bird 2-3 times the size of a chicken, and yes feathers did fly)

The handbrake worries me though - I'll throw some replacement shoes and disks on the back and see if I can get it to lock up - but this seems rather low.

Would pure adjustment cause this, or are my cables on the way out?

Anyone replaced the cables before?

0004 Your MOT tester in the Wheel Tappers and Shunters Club? WTF?
I think 15% is standard for the handbrake. 100% probably means you stop the rollers. Pheasant is supposed to be best after it has been hung up for a couple of weeks. Bit like your tester then