26 replies to this topic

[mini-man-dan]

Surely you have to have a working one for insurance reasons, as they are done on mileage. If you have a crash and they look back at you old MOT and see how many miles you've done since then and it's 0 they won't pay out...

Why not get a quad bike one?

Edited by mini-man-dan, 15 May 2012 - 04:14 AM.

[Dan]

Speedo accuracy is +10/-0%. They may not under read per C&U regs. This is why most cars leave the factory over reading, it gives them a margin.

'Probably won't be looking', if the test now requires the speedo to be operative, they will look. All they need to see is the needle flicker really.

[100ev8]

not part of the test to see the needle flicker

[Dan]

No I know that isn't written in the test (and it hasn't been suggested it might be) but given a choice between glancing at the speedo on the way in or on the way over the dyno, and wasting time rooting about looking for loose cables I know what I'd do. Given that a lot of new cars have a digital stepper motor speedo driven electronically from the transmission ECU, I can't see how you will prove they dont work unless you actually see them not respond properly. There are no speedo cables to break any longer. Also I can see a situation where a speedo looks like its been disconnected or is broken, but actually works fine. In that case by the strict wording of the test, the car would fail every time even though it shouldn't.

[JustSteve]

My dad drove his midget for 10 years without a speedo

If you have a problem, it's best to just fix it. Besides, when you get a speeding fine, you'll realy wish you had.

[100ev8]

how can it look broken or look like its not working ? read the page
as a tester you cant fail a car if it aint written in reasons for rejection

[Alex_B]

Well I know its best to fix the problem rather than bodge it with a different soloution, but i cant take my engine out to fix the problem, I would have to take the Gbox off most likely to get the the inside of the drive and replace the gears so thats why i am using a different speedometer
and i wont get any speeding fines as im not just ignoring the problem i am fitting another speedo

My dad drove his midget for 10 years without a speedo

If you have a problem, it's best to just fix it. Besides, when you get a speeding fine, you'll realy wish you had.

[JustSteve]

Well I know its best to fix the problem rather than bodge it with a different soloution, but i cant take my engine out to fix the problem, I would have to take the Gbox off most likely to get the the inside of the drive and replace the gears so thats why i am using a different speedometer
and i wont get any speeding fines as im not just ignoring the problem i am fitting another speedo

My dad drove his midget for 10 years without a speedo

If you have a problem, it's best to just fix it. Besides, when you get a speeding fine, you'll realy wish you had.

oh, sorry, so where does the other speedo take its drive from?

[tiger99]

THIS IS RIDICULOUS! Someone comes here for a bit of help and encouragement, and he gets a meaningless debate about whether he needs a speedo or not, instead of helping him to fix it.

Instead of going over all this futile old ground again and yet again, various people posting opinions which are not based on fact, (and by the way, Dan is correct, amongst a very few others) why did someone not bother to tell the guy that he can get full access to his speedo drive simply by jacking up the N/S end of the gearbox, taking off the radiator, engine mount steel bracket, alloy adapter block, and alloy end housing. The oil needs to be drained first, or course. These same bits have to come off with the engine out, but then you would have to undo the hubs to get the driveshafts out, disconnect fuel, exhaust and electrical systems, and much more, and lift the engine, none of it all that difficult, but time consuming.

It is totally unnecessary to take the engine out to change one or both parts of the speedo drive, and far quicker doing it in situ.,

It is probably best, as there have been problems with chewing gears, to change both the drive gear and pinion, and check that they are the correct ratio to suit your actual final drive and wheel sizes,

[Dan]

how can it look broken or look like its not working ?

I was imagining a car where someone has fitted a digital speedo, but left the old cable in place dangling around. I misread the quote. Where it says clearly inoperative I thought it said appears inoperative. A dangling cable like that would mean it appeared inoperative although it wasn't, unless you actually saw it respond. I apologise, I misinterpretted the rules, I know you have to use reasons for rejection. I would still argue however that the only way it can be anything other than clearly inoperative is if you have actually seen it operate, which was my point.

[Sprocket]

Where does it say you have to have a speedo?? You don't need to have a speedometer or an odometer to pass the MOT. But legally, (Construction & Use ) you must have a speedo that is accurate at 30 mph to within +/- 10%. But it's not part of the MOT.

The speedo is orignially calibrated to 30mph +10% -0% so that it cannot read less than 30mph or more than 33mph at an actual 30mph speed.

Most manufacturers calibrate their speedometers on the high side so that you are actually going slower than is indicated

[Alex_B]

Right an update! I fitted the speedo magnet and sender yesterday, and i am proud to say it works and is very accurate so far, when compared to GPS is almost identical, less that 1mph out from what I can see so very chuffed!