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Passed the MOT.

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Passed the MOT.

Old 10-18-12, 01:02 PM
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Passed the MOT.

At least my RV has. 21 years old 208,000 miles on the clock and in still in need of some renovation but passed with flying colours.

No idea what I am Talking about???



The MOT is a test that vehicles older than 3 years have to pass to ensure their road worthiness and safety.

After a summer of wind and rain and bad back and not a great deal of riding-I am just how I would pass the human version of the "MOT".

I know the Main chassis is not in bad nick and I think it was a compliment in that a neighbour said I was looking thinner and appear to have lost weight. I have. In the 6 months since I retired I have lost 15lbs and that is just down to physical work in the garden and good home cooking instead of lunch from a bakery. It is definitely not from cycling.

But it is the engine that is suffering. Down on power and gets near to breaking point if pushed too hard. CO2 Emissions would be way over the top with the extra breathing that is required on the hills and it feels as though the suspension is getting tired with the amount of butt ache I got on my last 50 miler

How about you?

Edit---And I am a lot older than the RV at ^%. so may have an excuse but I doubt it.
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Old 10-18-12, 01:16 PM
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Glad the V-dub passed its MOT, we need something similar here in Florida, the state inspections were discontinued back in 1981 and the wrecks and dangerous vehicles are running wild here. As to my personal MOT, I passed but the Metric on Saturday will tell the tale.

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Old 10-18-12, 01:25 PM
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I recall body rust was a big thing that could fail in inspection when I lived over there in the 80's. I remember spraying the nooks and crannies of my car with Waxoyl to keep it from corroding. I haven't seen such a product here in the US, but I haven't looked for it either.

Only 208k? Miles or Km? I have a 12 year old Nissan pickup with over 250,000 miles on it now. Here it is doing it's most important job: toting my bicycle.

My truck doing what it does best... by Yo Spiff, on Flickr
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Old 10-18-12, 02:00 PM
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Ah yes, the MOT. The longest day on the calendar for any young, mechanically inept car owner. I well recall sitting at work, my stomach in knots waiting for the phone to ring so I could find out what they were going to ding my beloved rust-bucket for this year.

Don't miss those days at all.
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Old 10-18-12, 02:09 PM
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Advantage of this VW is that they were built for a market and not put together in the UK from parts shipped over from the far east and then stood in fields for months/years before they were sold. But modern cars daunt me- All that electronics and Sensors etc to cause problems. I may have been a mechanic but that was way back the only electronic part on them was the aftermarket "Electronic Ignition" that you fitted to eliminate the points and condenser. I can work on this one.

But a bit like bikes. 20 years ago they were simple and parts were cheap. Then more gears got added and it got more complicated to set them up to run smoothly. The electronic side of "Parts fail-Buy a new bit" cos you don't know how to repair it- is only just coming in. Wonder if I will still be hankering after one of them "Old Skool" bikes with only 20 gears that you can rebuild in 20 years time?
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Old 10-18-12, 02:22 PM
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We used to have an inspection. You could count on the inspectors breaking or damaging windshield wipers and other parts, for, in their wisdom, the legislators had the same people inspecting the cars for "safety" as those who sold the items that "were bad." Some folks carried brand new wipers and put them on only just before inspection.

As for as my own "safety inspection" - well, I am a little tired and rundown, this Achilles tendon problem seems to never get healed, I miss my long walks, and am getting a bit bored with stretching all the time, swimming and even bicycling.

I think I need a new chassis, except that everything today seems to be unified body construction!!
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Old 10-18-12, 04:16 PM
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That MOT is TOUGH!! When I was stationed in RAF Upper-Heyford in the mid-70's, I had bought two different cars on base and both failed the MOT! LOL, I finally bought a 1955 Austin, it was so tiny I swear it would fit into the front boot (trunk) of a VW Bug!!! It always passed the MOT and I sold it to a new E-1 when I left England in 76!! On the other topic, I'm just awaiting the, "Android test trials", I'll be the first one to volunteer to have my brain put into a new Andriod body", cause the brain is still 25, alas the body thinks it's 75!
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Old 10-18-12, 04:49 PM
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My annual personal MOT will take place in about a month. During that experience, places will be poked and prodded much like your VW’s MOT. Places that no self-respecting old car or human should be poked…

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Old 10-18-12, 04:54 PM
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Congrats. You don't know how much I want a Bus or Vanagon. Love those things.
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Old 10-18-12, 05:35 PM
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In VA, we used to have to have a State Inspection 2x per year, but quite a few years ago, not sure how many, it changed and is now once yearly. I'm glad that we have State Inspections in this Commonwealth.
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Old 10-18-12, 05:45 PM
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Stapfam,
Once again we find that we are two peoples separated by a common language. In the states the VeeDub is a minivan. Most Americans would figure that the RV designation begins with something about twice the size of a VW Vanagon. I am not judging but just amused at the difference in language between cultures. Good to hear that you passed the inspection.

As to my own chassis, in August of 2011 I renewed my drivers licence and listed my weight as 195#. These days I am missing about 20-25 lbs that I had back then. I have also add about 3-4 mph to my average cruising speed on training rides as reported by my cycling computer. With any luck I will be able to complete a full frame up restoration in the next year or so.

P.S. BTW Denver I used to be one of those guys who did the inspections back in the '70s at a Exxon station located at Hampden Ave and I-25. I don't remember being that concerned by the condition of wiper blades. I do remember feeling sorry for a lot of folks who had cracks in the windshield that were within the sweep of the wipers. Those folks had to get new windshields on a very short turnaround.

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Old 10-18-12, 05:57 PM
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interesting,my first VWwas a 55,,,,
Bud
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Old 10-18-12, 07:27 PM
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I always liked VW's; had a new '64 Beetle and a new '74 Beetle. Loved 'em both. I remember pounding on the inside of the windshield of the '64 while driving, trying to break up the ice which the anemic defroster couldn't handle. I guess that was part of the charm of the earlier models. The '74 had a much improved heater/defroster.

Your van looks sweet, Stapfam.

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Old 10-18-12, 10:52 PM
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Love my VW Jetta diesel wagon. 2002 model year and 294K miles - still runs like a watch. I, myself, do mini-MOTs. So far so good.

The phrase "runs like a watch" seems a bit anachronistic considering most watches these days are basically simple time computers with few if any mechanical parts. Of course that's really where cars are headed - a bunch of computers, electric motors, a recharge device (fossil fuel motor) and, I almost forgot, 4 wheels.
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Old 10-18-12, 11:24 PM
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Couple of weeks ago I went to "Brighton Breeze". A rally for VW's down on the seafront at Brighton.



The line of VW's went right up to the Marina Which you can see in the distance jutting out to the sea. 1 mile of VW's parked shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the drive.

VW's are a cult with the main one being the Campervans. These VW owners are fanatics. Plenty of 50 year old and younger vehicles but there are two ways to keep a vehicle for aesthetic appeal. One is imaculate and some look like they have just come out of the showroom. The other is "Grot" condition in that providing rust has not got a hold and it is in good condition- then it shows the hard life it has had and is still running.

Don't think I will ever get to the fanatical stage of owning my VW- but Like me and my bikes- Providing I can keep it running and it passes the MOT- I will be happy.
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Old 10-19-12, 06:45 AM
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I knew just what you were talking about. I must say, I've been envious since your first pre-retirement post indicating you were getting this VW. It's the kind of project I'm hopeful of getting when I can finally retire. Your visit to Brighton Breeze looks like it must have been a great deal of fun and a great place to get ideas and pickup "insdier" information.
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Old 10-19-12, 07:37 AM
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I can guess what it is, but what does MOT stand for?
I hear it all the time on a TV show I watch from GB.
Anyway, I had a 68 bug that I drove from NJ to Cali and back in 1980. The thing just chugged along at a stately pace. They don't make them like that anymore.
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Old 10-19-12, 07:41 AM
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The actual name for the test used to be

Ministry of Transport Test

The test bit got dropped and MOT was used. It is still called an MOT although the Ministry of Transport has changed its name to "VOSA" But don't ask me what that stands for.

And for NOS88- it is a project and to keep it on the road it will be a continual project. Mechanically this "Van" is sound and no chassis rot anywhere but body wise a few dents- a few rust spots and and completely dead paint that "May" polish up. Nothing beyond my capabilities but it will be a hard job to match the paint for any body repairs I have to do. And a Respray is not on the cards yet.
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Old 10-19-12, 07:49 AM
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Originally Posted by stapfam
The actual name for the test used to be

Ministry of Transport Test

Mechanically this "Van" is sound and no chassis rot anywhere but body wise a few dents- a few rust spots and and completely dead paint that "May" polish up.
It has what we would call "character".

Thanks
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Old 10-19-12, 08:09 AM
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Originally Posted by stapfam
Couple of weeks ago I went to "Brighton Breeze". A rally for VW's down on the seafront at Brighton.



The line of VW's went right up to the Marina Which you can see in the distance jutting out to the sea. 1 mile of VW's parked shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the drive.

VW's are a cult with the main one being the Campervans. These VW owners are fanatics. Plenty of 50 year old and younger vehicles but there are two ways to keep a vehicle for aesthetic appeal. One is imaculate and some look like they have just come out of the showroom. The other is "Grot" condition in that providing rust has not got a hold and it is in good condition- then it shows the hard life it has had and is still running.

Don't think I will ever get to the fanatical stage of owning my VW- but Like me and my bikes- Providing I can keep it running and it passes the MOT- I will be happy.
I guess I'm showing my age but, to me, VW minivans are synonymous with hippies and flower children.... But I don't see a single psychedelic paint job or flower on all those busses!
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Old 10-19-12, 09:24 AM
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We have an annual vehicle inspection in Pennsylvania, and I am glad they do. At least once in the last five years they caught a potentially dangerous problem during the inspection and fixed it.

When my family first moved to Pennsylvania in the early 1970's, my impression was that there were a lot of unnecessarily strict standards in the inspections which did not contribute to safety but which seemed to enrich unscrupulous vehicle shop owners. That is not the case anymore--even though my vehicle is 12 years old, most years it sails through the inspection with no problems detected. So currently, I'd have to say the program is a success and contributes to making our roads a little safer.
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Old 10-19-12, 11:51 AM
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The hippies are still around but they have jobs and that is why they can afford to buy a VW Campervan. The psychedelic or flower paint jobs are about but come under the "Grot" style. They were painted once and it is history so no renovation or repainting. But nowadays it is easy to get a Sticker to put the flowers on- or replace the VW bonnet logo with the "Ban the Bomb" symbol. Showing my roots- We have replaced the curtains with a nice flowery pattern that has the "Ban the Bomb" symbol in it. It has been done locally so I cannot do it but one van has the Volkwagen lettering replaced with in the same font a sign that says "Old Folkswagon" The driver is an old hippie that still lives that life style.

And on the MOT--There are unscrupulous testing stations around and some are "Ultra" Strict. Had one car that the tester pointed out to me had shock absorber that was leaking. Yep there it was-a seepage of oil and it was clean. Put my finger on it- smelt it- tasted it--It was not shock absorber oil. He had sprayed WD or similar on the S/Absorber to make it look like it was leaking and it would fail it but could fit a new pair for me so it would not fail. Told him what he had done- refused to pay the bill and took it to another garage that failed the car on headlight adjustment that was not picked up by the first garage.
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Old 10-19-12, 12:31 PM
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I had MOTs done on my BSA Bantam and Triumph Tiger 90 back in the late 60's/early 70s - don't think I had much trouble getting them passed. Biggest problem was getting the Bantam started on damp days and losing oil from the the Triumph (if there were no drips on the ground under the crankcase, it was out of oil). Here in Ontario we have to have emissions tests once in a while but no mechanical/safety test.

As to my MOT, staying off medication so far and still able to cover a hilly 100k bike ride in reasonable time, so I'm happy.
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Old 10-19-12, 03:13 PM
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Originally Posted by stapfam
Couple of weeks ago I went to "Brighton Breeze". A rally for VW's down on the seafront at Brighton.



The line of VW's went right up to the Marina Which you can see in the distance jutting out to the sea. 1 mile of VW's parked shoulder to shoulder on both sides of the drive.

VW's are a cult with the main one being the Campervans. These VW owners are fanatics. Plenty of 50 year old and younger vehicles but there are two ways to keep a vehicle for aesthetic appeal. One is imaculate and some look like they have just come out of the showroom. The other is "Grot" condition in that providing rust has not got a hold and it is in good condition- then it shows the hard life it has had and is still running.

Don't think I will ever get to the fanatical stage of owning my VW- but Like me and my bikes- Providing I can keep it running and it passes the MOT- I will be happy.
I just looked at the photo again. That wouldn't happen to be you in the bright neon jacket riding the only bike down the center, would it?
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Old 10-19-12, 04:43 PM
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Originally Posted by nondes
I had MOTs done on my BSA Bantam and Triumph Tiger 90 back in the late 60's/early 70s - don't think I had much trouble getting them passed. Biggest problem was getting the Bantam started on damp days and losing oil from the the Triumph (if there were no drips on the ground under the crankcase, it was out of oil). Here in Ontario we have to have emissions tests once in a while but no mechanical/safety test.

As to my MOT, staying off medication so far and still able to cover a hilly 100k bike ride in reasonable time, so I'm happy.
I also live in Ontario, but too far North (not that far North), and we don't need to pass an emissions test up here....
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