Is this the shape of things to come?

Morning Everyone, Just got back from my trip abroard and thought I would share my experience of the Spanish MOT (ITV) system. Put my Clio in for it's test knowing the front struts were leaking but as it pasted for the last three years in the same condition I thought if it failed then I would replace them. Well it failed and highlighted on the reverse of the fail cert was a clause that was introduced in 1998 but never enforced till now. If your vehicle fails on brakes, steering or suspension then you must go to an authorised garage to have the work done and produce the bill for the work at the ITV station before they will retest it. You cannot do the work yourself !!!! Even my neighbour who is a mechanic and looks after the fire engines on the airport is not allowed to carry out the work. As it turned out it failed on the rear beam bushes and passed again with the leaking struts. Speak again soon

I would suspect that sort of policy would be something the EU would climax over..

So, if it fails on brakes, steering or suspension you cannot take it anywhere, but you can take it anywhere, to check it through before it fails...

Sons father in law had somewhat the same problem when he imported a Merc 4x4 into Spain from the UK. It was fitted with window tints and side steps. But they did not appear on it's spec sheet or something like that. So he had to remove the tints and the side steps to pass the Spanish test. Then had to take it to a Merc dealer to have the side steps re fitted and added to the spec sheet. Total and utter bloody nonsense but then again the EU is full of **** like this. There was some talk a year or so ago about fails for fitting of none factory parts. It is getting rather ridiculous to be honest.


By the way, morning Alan.

wammers said:

Sons father in law had somewhat the same problem when he imported a Merc 4x4 into Spain from the UK. It was fitted with window tints and side steps. But they did not appear on it's spec sheet or something like that. So he had to remove the tints and the side steps to pass the Spanish test. Then had to take it to a Merc dealer to have the side steps re fitted and added to the spec sheet. Total and utter bloody nonsense but then again the EU is full of **** like this. There was some talk a year or so ago about fails for fitting of none factory parts. It is getting rather ridiculous to be honest.


By the way, morning Alan.

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+1 Sooner the UK leaves the EU the better. At least the MOT is every 2 years here.

That's bloody ludicrous why should you have to pay for something that you can do yourself
I mean a total amature then fine (but they wouldn't get them working anyway) but I'm not a qualified mechanic but I know my way around my car better than the mechanic that I sometimes use especially the suspension

Datatek said:

+1 Sooner the UK leaves the EU the better. At least the MOT is every 2 years here.

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or the EU collapses in on itself.

If the EU gets its way we'd all be driving around in the modern watermelon trabant..

the eco car.

Unless of course you're a Eurocrat, then anything that does less than 5mpg will be required... subsidised by the European taxpayers of course..

ukadamwest said:

or the EU collapses in on itself.

If the EU gets its way we'd all be driving around in the modern watermelon trabant..

the eco car.

Unless of course you're a Eurocrat, then anything that does less than 5mpg will be required... subsidised by the European taxpayers of course..

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I agree. I'm sure the EU will collapse eventually, like all empires do, just probably not in my lifetime.
Greece would be way better off out of it.

Datatek said:

I agree. I'm sure the EU will collapse eventually, like all empires do, just probably not in my lifetime.
Greece would be way better off out of it.

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I'm with you on that Keith.. all the way.. Mind you if Grexit does happen it could well push the matter.. though of course the wuckfits will do anything to keep the projekt going..

The Likes of Mario Draghi have said that the EU must not fail no matter what the cost..

I always thought that the Greeks would have been better off telling the EU to shove their debt and re-establishing itself as a state more attuned to corporate HQ locations, like ireland, lichtenstein etc

wammers said:

Sons father in law had somewhat the same problem when he imported a Merc 4x4 into Spain from the UK. It was fitted with window tints and side steps. But they did not appear on it's spec sheet or something like that. So he had to remove the tints and the side steps to pass the Spanish test. Then had to take it to a Merc dealer to have the side steps re fitted and added to the spec sheet. Total and utter bloody nonsense but then again the EU is full of **** like this. There was some talk a year or so ago about fails for fitting of none factory parts. It is getting rather ridiculous to be honest.


By the way, morning Alan.

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Sorry I missed you this morning Tony so, evening mate.

tomcat59alan said:

Sorry I missed you this morning Tony so, evening mate.

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Evening Alan good trip i trust.

wammers said:

Evening Alan good trip i trust.

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Yes mate, first and third weeks were lovely, normal may weather, but the second week was more like August. Temperature in the 40's and very uncomfortable, even the wind was scorching. We had a calima covering the Island, it's like a dusty mist which holds the heat in. Apart from that and the MOT and the water heater going tit's up all good.

gfromleeds said:

That's bloody ludicrous why should you have to pay for something that you can do yourself
I mean a total amature then fine (but they wouldn't get them working anyway) but I'm not a qualified mechanic but I know my way around my car better than the mechanic that I sometimes use especially the suspension

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It's the same in many fields of work, I'm qualified as an electrician, but in the UK I cannot legally fit a new socket in my own kitchen unless I pay for a new certificate (Tax). Same applies to gas, done lots of gas installations but now I need an expensive Gas (UN) Safe certificate (Tax). So it's only natural that car work will follow suit.

Greek MOT stations KTEO are light years away from ours.

They have a large room where you can watch your car pass through the system, one wall is completely glazed, a coffee machine and comfortable seating also provided.

As for the test itself amongst other things they have a motorised/computerised bouncing plate for testing shocks and importantly for us blokes (and blokess'), contra-rotating brake rollers so when each axle is tested the prop remains stationary.

personally i like a bit more enaggement in my MOT's, yes i can drop the car off and pick it up an hour later or, i can watch the guys do it and they say, you may want to have a 'look at that soon'

a place i used previously had the glasswall to watch, **** coffee and thet didnt have ####ing clue.. they failed one of the P38's on headlamp adjustment, despite the fact that they passed it the year before with no bulb changes and no impacts since. What they did was leave the door open start it up and of course the suspension wouldnt level, so they failed it. Refused to retest with the door shut unless a machanic had attended the problem and i had a reciept to prove it.

Fergie46 said:

Greek MOT stations KTEO are light years away from ours.

They have a large room where you can watch your car pass through the system, one wall is completely glazed, a coffee machine and comfortable seating also provided.

As for the test itself amongst other things they have a motorised/computerised bouncing plate for testing shocks and importantly for us blokes (and blokess'), contra-rotating brake rollers so when each axle is tested the prop remains stationary.

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Same in Spain so I guess even with leaking struts they were within the limits to pass.

Fergie46 said:

Greek MOT stations KTEO are light years away from ours.

They have a large room where you can watch your car pass through the system, one wall is completely glazed, a coffee machine and comfortable seating also provided.

As for the test itself amongst other things they have a motorised/computerised bouncing plate for testing shocks and importantly for us blokes (and blokess'), contra-rotating brake rollers so when each axle is tested the prop remains stationary.

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Just like France then. I'm on good terms with our local test centre and usually get an invite down into the pit to look over the underside. Don't like to tell him I have my own pit

Datatek said:

Just like France then. I'm on good terms with our local test centre and usually get an invite down into the pit to look over the underside. Don't like to tell him I have my own pit

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We all have one of those, oh you didn't mean the money pit.

tomcat59alan said:

We all have one of those, oh you didn't mean the money pit.

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:hysterically_laughi:hysterically_laughi

So the future looks like being expensive if you get caught out by something you missed, thankfully I seem to be more alert to things than my MOT tester and only ever get a certificate for my 30 quid.

Hell will freeze over before i will let some dickhead with an NVQ work on my car.