PINK BRA CAR WASHING FOR CHARITY!

[B18 GPC]

Woo-Hoo! Passed yet another MoT. Only needed a new rear tyre which is being fitted as I type.

Happiness is, indeed, a fresh MoT.

:toothy:

no sorry , i fitted it about 15 minuits before u arrived , so wasnt at that precise second , sorry

[SimonR]

You should have stayed around and said hello!

Still, although I haven't checked, I'm sure you haven't made a schoolboy error and snapped my hubcap by neglecting to remove the centrecap and levering it from the rim.

I shan't own up to how far out of MoT it got before I noticed...

[B18 GPC]

You should have stayed around and said hello!

Still, although I haven't checked, I'm sure you haven't made a schoolboy error and snapped my hubcap by neglecting to remove the centrecap and levering it from the rim.

I shan't own up to how far out of MoT it got before I noticed...

No No no .. you can check however . being a maestro person , i get 2 do any that come in - dad lets me . i knew it was on with whell nuts , so removed it as it should have been . I must say though - that michelin was one hell of a soft tire - and very tight 2 get on the rim . OHHH how could you .. ask for ure never used ..? DUNLOP tyre in your spare , on ure spanking shiny rim .. that loked never used .. nasty . I was arround when you were there , the bored looking lad standing in the office , waring the subaru cap ?

[SimonR]

No No no .. you can check however . being a maestro person , i get 2 do any that come in - dad lets me . i knew it was on with whell nuts , so removed it as it should have been . I must say though - that michelin was one hell of a soft tire - and very tight 2 get on the rim .

I knew it was in good hands!

OHHH how could you .. ask for ure never used ..? DUNLOP tyre in your spare , on ure spanking shiny rim .. that loked never used .. nasty . I was arround when you were there , the bored looking lad standing in the office , waring the subaru cap ?

Now you mention it, you made the right choice! I'd forgotten that the spare had never been used.

Do you know how far out the wheel alignment was? I took it for a burn up the A14 afterwards and it was much smoother at 70 MPH.

Cheers for making a good job of it!

Btw, I'll probably get over on Saturday and have the Maesty washed. Just make sure that the best lady washes my car!

[B18 GPC]

I knew it was in good hands!



Now you mention it, you made the right choice! I'd forgotten that the spare had never been used.

Do you know how far out the wheel alignment was? I took it for a burn up the A14 afterwards and it was much smoother at 70 MPH.

Cheers for making a good job of it!

No problem

i can explain the lack of smoothness - u had no wheel balence on the o/f rear wheel - very shakey in deed . alignment was very slight - ure tyre was 2mm on 1 side , and below limit on other .

Did you see the things in ure passenger footwell ? the 3 mega strong magnets ? what were they ? we fould 1 on ure sump , and the other 2 elcewhere ?

[SimonR]

No problem

i can explain the lack of smoothness - u had no wheel balence on the o/f rear wheel - very shakey in deed . alignment was very slight - ure tyre was 2mm on 1 side , and below limit on other .

Did you see the things in ure passenger footwell ? the 3 mega strong magnets ? what were they ? we fould 1 on ure sump , and the other 2 elcewhere ?

That explains it in that case.

Those mega strong magnets are from computer hard drives. I put them on the sump bolt and oil filter to catch any bits of iron that get into the oil. It is my belief that it'll reduce engine wear if they're stuck to the magnets and not floating in the oil......

I'll stick em back on tomorrow!

[B18 GPC]

oh right , sorry mate . the MOT tester , Dom , didnt know what they were , thaught u may have run overthem in the road , and picked them up . - hope it doesnt affect it for one night

[B18 GPC]

Back 2 the real subject - who am i liekyl 2 be meeting @ 1stop ? and anymore details needed plz Message me ,

TIME : 8.30/9.00am > 16.00pm i think :s
OneStop Motorist centre , 8 houghton road , st.ives cambridgeshire
why - breacst canser
who - babes in pink bras
what - car wahsing @ 3.50 a car

[E_T_V]

oh right , sorry mate . the MOT tester , Dom , didnt know what they were , thaught u may have run overthem in the road , and picked them up . - hope it doesnt affect it for one night

Oh dear.. big lumps of metal floating round the sump is definatly not a good thing. The idea of sticking them on the oil filter and sump plug is a very sound one in my view. Sticking them on the sump is not as good as the force is lower and if someone takes them off the lump of metal that it has attracted can then float about all over the place blocking oilways etc. I'm sure it'll be fine but something to bear in mind in future.

[Guest]

On the subject of which (an off topic thread is going off topic!), I've just booked my Fiesta's MoT for next Wednesday. I've taken the advice dispensed by several forum members to take it to a place which only does MoTs, and therefore doesn't benefit from failing it. I don't anticipate any problems, but I do have one question:

Does a noisy CV joint constitute an MoT failure, or are they likely merely to advise me of it?
I ask because I noticed it making the tell-tale noise this afternoon. Also, is there any easy way of telling which side it is? I was on full right lock when it made the noise, so does that tell me which side is going? (I probably ought to be able to work it out...)

P.S. What's the general deal with changing CV joints? Are they pain to do? Do they take long? What kind of unusual tools are necessary/useful?
I realise there might be subtle differences between Maestros and Fiestas on this, but I'm assuming the basic idea is the same.

Unfortunately I think your Fiesta will be failed as it will be deemed a defective part. If you were to accelerate hard (or brake for that matter) on a bend this is when the CV joint could fail altogether.

It is probably best to check your Haynes manual but if you are to embark on the repair yourself you will probably need some special tools, for instance a splined key to remove the inner CV joint to the drive shaft flange.

It's a bit late now but it is worth remembering, following the repair, to keep an eye on the inner and outer rubber gaiters and try to keep them as clean as possible. If they split (even minimally), the special grease will start to be squeezed out of the joint and it will soon begin to get noisy.

At least you can brace yourself now for the worst. Hope I am wrong - if so I will buy you a virtual pint!

[SimonR]

Sticking them on the sump is not as good as the force is lower and if someone takes them off the lump of metal that it has attracted can then float about all over the place blocking oilways etc..

Well, never fear, they're back on now! Incidentally, it is impossible to stick a magnet to the R-Series sump as it's cast aluminium!

[Guest]

Too true! I have one on the drain plug which may or may not make a difference. I am sure it won't do any harm though.

[e692wtt]

Does a noisy CV joint constitute an MoT failure, or are they likely merely to advise me of it?
I ask because I noticed it making the tell-tale noise this afternoon. Also, is there any easy way of telling which side it is? I was on full right lock when it made the noise, so does that tell me which side is going? (I probably ought to be able to work it out...)

P.S. What's the general deal with changing CV joints? Are they pain to do? Do they take long? What kind of unusual tools are necessary/useful?
I realise there might be subtle differences between Maestros and Fiestas on this, but I'm assuming the basic idea is the same.

I would say, if it clicks on right hand turns then it's the left hand CV joint. But this isn't infallible.

I doubt the car will fail for the CV joint clicking, unless there is a massive amount of play in the joint as the wheel is rotated back and forth, but it will fail if the CV joint boot has split. But take it for the MoT as is, and let the man decide. At worst, I reckon you will get an 'advisory' .

CV joints aren't too difficult to change, I find the hardest part is undoing the driveshaft nut.


And I've said this before... if the CV joint boot has split, you can get 'split boot kits' for under a tenner which take about half an hour to fit once the roadwheel is removed. They even come with grease to repack the CV joint.

[B18 GPC]

And I've said this before... if the CV joint boot has split, you can get 'split boot kits' for under a tenner which take about half an hour to fit once the roadwheel is removed. They even come with grease to repack the CV joint.

or go out and by a new Cv kit for about the same price , then you dont have to worry about it for the next MoT , with any-luck .. Its only the labour in a garage that costs , the parts are cheap as chips

[E_T_V]

But split boot kits can be fitted yourself in half an hour. Full CV kits involve removing the driveshaft from at least one end which is a lot more work.

A CV joint knocking won't be an MOT fail unless it is REALLY REALLY bad. mine passed and they are knackered. (However they did need new boots on them as one had split and the other was cracking). Interestingly if the outer boot is split it is a fail, however if the inner boot is split it isn't, i don't even think it is a checked item.