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Isn’t it annoying that when you try to fix the car yourself that you don’t have the right tool you need (in this case a torx bit just smaller than the ones I’ve got)?
So you order a smaller set with bigger bits in it only for that to arrive that the new bits are still a bit too small so back onto Amazon to order another set of bigger ones on it...
Basically my car failed it’s MoT (a legal requirement on cars over 3 years old in England), two of the bits I’ve sorted (2 new tyres, and embarrassingly a headlight bulb) and I’m trying to clear the engine management light off of the dash, part of the cure didn’t work (fitting a new mass airflow sensor onto it which didn’t work and still showed certain symptoms so now we’ve deduced that it’s the EGR valve that needs cleaning, I’ve got the cleaner ready and waiting for it already...
Hopefully if I can get it fixed then I can rebook it for it’s MoT before Monday as I need the car for a new temporary job that I start on Monday...
That or the Hitlers Revenge, it’s an Audi, gets a gallon of petrol and a match treatment
Last December or thereabouts there was a hoist failure at one of our State car testing stations, resulting in injury to a worker. Mssrs Elf & Soyfty came along and pronounced that hoist unfit for service and shut it and every single one of the same type Country-wide down. Result is that everyone who submits their vehicle for testing gets a certificate 'Incomplete Test' to show the Police in the event of being stopped at a roadcheck.
We are now in May and the problem has not been solved. The lockdown hasn't helped, but they weren't near to replacing all the hoists anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if those hoists were made in China, but I speculate.
With the advance of electronics, home car servicing has become a nightmare and I encountered this 'special tool' requirement as long ago as 1970!!
What part of "NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS" do you not understand !
Yes always those special tools to remove replace those parts.
Then of course the price is gauged to gouge a hole in your wallet !
And the maintenance technician gets the full book labor wage
even though he does the job in less than half the allotted time !
Automobiles - can't live with 'em can't live without 'em !
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
We don't have state ran inspection stations in Virginia, our inspection program goes through independent mechanics, they apply for an inspectors license to issue inspection stickers. The Virginia State Police oversees the program.
Northram tried to eliminate the safety inspections, but virtually all VA mechanics cried foul and went on a fear campaign stating that of VA did away with their inspection program we'd all surely die of horrific deaths... all this despite the fact that 35 other states do not mandate vehicle inspections, including California (surprisingly)... somehow they manage...
Now I know... I know what you all are going to say... "safety first" and all that.... but let's get real here... since when does an American government really care about safety? If it was that important they'd use state facilities... local "good old boy" mechanics are known to be lenient on their buddy's ride and give them a sticker anyway. The current system often gets abused.
Having a vehicle over 10 years old... or with a check engine light on requires a little underground research on who "the easy inspectors" are. Once you find one that's easy, we dare not mention his name else the poepoe might come and take his license.
Yes I support abolishing the inspection program, but that will never happen in Virginia. I guess I should count myself lucky they don't check emissions in this part of the state... if that ever changed I guess I'd just move to Tennessee.
I figured out that with mine and Amber's car, pulling the fuse on the computer to reset it buys her about 3 days before it comes back on, mine might run several weeks.
That's enough time to get a sticker, put it wouldn't pass a probe (smog) test, but again, thankfully we don't have those. Amber's jeep had an EVAP code... my kia won't read the computer so I have no idea why the light is on... it seems to run okay. I've been meaning to have it looked at.
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
"Safety" inspections are largely a joke in the USA for the simple fact that you can have a car in absolutely perfect order when it passes the "inspection" and when you accidentally clip a chuck-hole 5 minutes after getting done have much of the front-end badly damaged. Like so many other things the assorted governments do to the little people it's all about extracting money. Call it a tax and be done with.
I know by sound and feel when something is amiss, and I know it *way* before the computer figures it out.
As far as the "EVAP" code goes, make sure the gas-cap is on securely and there are no pin-hole leaks in the section of the fuel system that contains air most of the time. Also just generally check all the tubing involved. That's fairly low-tech.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
crfriend wrote: ↑Wed Apr 29, 2020 8:19 pm
s far as the "EVAP" code goes, make sure the gas-cap is on securely and there are no pin-hole leaks in the section of the fuel system that contains air most of the time. Also just generally check all the tubing involved. That's fairly low-tech.
Yeah, I've been meaning to get around to that too.
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
Try this one for size
My MO T was due so we did a pre check 5 weeks in advance ..then booked the MOT ...one month in advance.
The date of the MOT came. I was surprised station was still operational due to lock down.
The car had a brake caliper fault on the rolling road .The job was completed with local spares supply within 2 hours.
The Vehicle then had to be booked back onto the rolling road the following week.
I then discovered that due to lock down , I could have defered the MOT test for 6 months.....
Going back to the pre test and test the test could have been defered with a vehicle which had a faulty calliper
and light bulbs which were replaced .
I am beginning to wonder how many vehicles are on the road with faults which will fail the vehicle in six months time ?
One of my friends had a new lift fitted for single handed vehicle testing.....
All the vibration systems and mirrors to see the lights .....cost him £35,000.
As the vehicle is computer tested , as far as I am aware The Vehicle has to be linked to the computer for one hour
so that the Test is not skimped.
My friend was doing hourly tests for five and a half days a week..... 44 hours. .....A nice steady number if the test station
can raise the money ....
One of my vehicles does not need an MOT due to it classification...We rechecked all this before re taxing with a change
of ownership...
The vehicle can be driven on the public highway without a crash helmet as Agricultural Risk Assesment does not apply
to a privately registered vehicle with an agricultural classification.
Bit of a beast with four wheel drive on high or low range with an automatic gear box. ...Press the thumb on the throttle and the engine will scream in low range on a 1 in four hill coming up from the beach between the old huts on the beach.
Probably doing 10 MPH .....Take the thumb off the throttle and the vehicle stops dead
Ideal for moving boats with a 6 : 1 Block and tackle
As far as vehicle inspections go, I remember from when I was resident in New Zealand you had to have your vehicle roadworthy inspected every 6 months once your vehicle was 6 years old, or previously registered in another country, regardless of age.
This was a requirement for registration.
No such vehicle roadworthy required in QLD Australia, until you sell your vehicle. The police can, and do pull over vehicles that look as though they have defects, from broken/non functional lights to illegal/non-compliant modifications such as blow-off valves on turbo charged cars to bald tyres and illegal suspension lowering. Big fines apply plus the requirement of once defected, have to undergo a roadworthy check once defects rectified, to be able to drive on the road again.
Usually best not to draw attention to yourself, such as speeding (a workmate got fined $444 last week at 21kmh over the limit and 4 demerit points).
Good news tackleberry. The UK government has announced an automatic 6month extension on all MOTs due to you know what. Apparently vehicles are safe to drive during tha pandemic no matter what the problems. Panic over
Faldaguy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 30, 2020 6:38 am
EV's solve most of these problems. Try that on for a bit of rancor.... Great for the environment too! OK, let's hear it.
When they start turning about 15 years old, and we can pick up a decent used one for under 2 grand then we might give it a try!
Of course it remains to be seen if an EV would even last that long....
-Andrea
The old hillbilly from the coal fields of the Appalachian mountains currently living like there's no tomorrow on the west coast.
Same here in NSW, Australia. We have to get a roadworthy certificate each year, known as a pink slip ........ yeah, funny asking for one at a garage wearing a skirt. This year people in rural and remote areas can delay getting them until sometime in the future because we have to travel 100's kms to get one.
Most other states don't require them and don't seem to have any more accidents caused by vehcle faults ...... it is usually the nut behind the wheel.
Anthony, a denim miniskirt wearer in Outback Australia
