21 replies to this topic

[sonic72]

Hi again folks I have taken my 75 1275gt and it failed on a few things

i had a bit of an argument with the tester over seat belts as he failed the car for not having inertia belts!!

part of the test is to pull hard on the belts and they should lock but it is my understanding that this technology wasnt fitted to this car just a pendulum thingy that locked under acceleration or harsh braking ......

please help

[JonnyBMX]

well i think (dont quote me on this) that if the originals are working as they should then it shoudnt be an MOT failure.. not sure though:S?

[Susie Mini]

What was the testers reason for failing the static belts? Static belts are fine (as long as they are in working order/not frayed etc).
Is the MOT garage the kind of place that are only used to seeing new cars? Many older cars are fitted with static belts.

[CMXCVIII]

If I've read the OP right, the belts simply didn't lock.

Static belts [which IIRC were no longer fitted by 1975] would obviously resist the tester's tug but the OP's idea of a 'pendulum thingy' is an inertia reel seat belt and it should have locked up if it was working correctly and safely.

[ibrooks]

Any reel seatbelt should be an inertia type and should lock if the mechanism experiences more than a given amount of lateral G-loads AND if the belt is pulled sharply. If pulling sharply on a reel belt doesn't cause it to lock then you might as well not have it and the tester was right to fail it.

Iain

[Bungle]

my 1976 camper had static belts before i replaced them and had no problems at MOT time

[sonic72]

thanks folks
i have stripped the belts down to see if there was a problem and there is no mechanism for locking them when just pulled but there is for when the vehicle experiences harsh acceleration or braking and that works fine still confused better just replace them

[tommy13]

The type of inertia reel belts fitted to Minis of this era only locked on impact. This can be simulated by hitting the reel hard inside the bin while pulling on the belt.
HOWEVER
Pulling on the belt to see if it locks on any vehicle is not part of the test and never has been. and is commonly believed to be correct practice by testers, myself included, until it was pointed out on a recent refresher that it should not be done.

[cambiker71]

We're told not to tug on the belts whilst testing, the reason being some will not retract properly afterwards if pulled too hard!
If this the only thing it fails on (even as a retest) then then VOSA need to be informed under appeal (works quickly, within a week usually) you can get an appeal form from any testing station free of charge (saves confrontation with the original test station if you're worried), you pay for another test, VOSA check it out and if your original failure is found to be unjustified then you get your test fee back, a pass certificate and the tester will be usually be sent for some retraining.

Section 5.2 of the testing manual explains the test requirements and procedures to use, nowhere is there a "tug the retracting mechanism until it locks" check!!

See for yourself, this is the official test manual online from VOSA, exactly as we use to test with....

http://www.transport...lsandguides.htm

[Tamworthbay]

The ones in MGB gt are quirky, after the first MOT I had where the tester yanked them, I had a load of problems with them locking if you looked at them. They settled down and it was fine for a couple of years. Another guy did the same and I had the same problems. I mentioned to the place I go to now and he said same as above about them not yanking them, but some MOT testers seem to do what they have always done. Vote with your feet next year is my advice.

[tommy13]

Just to follow on from my first post, I will swear on my childrens' lives, when I became a tester we were told by the instructor to yank on the belts to ensure they locked. The demonstration test I had to undertake (with a different examiner) to become a fully fledged tester afterwards was done on a Mini. I well remember the smile of approval on his face as I pulled out the webbing at the same time as hitting the reel from the rear. It was quite common back then in the '80's for instructors and area inspectors to have their own interpretation of what was in the manual.
The tester in your case almost certainly believes he is acting correctly and I would give him the opportunity of checking the manual and altering his decision. If he still refuses then, as Cambiker has suggested, report to VOSA.
I may also point out that an inartia reel type belt is not required in the front of a '75 mini Check the flow diagram in the manual link above then check the possible combinations in the table at the end of that section.
It is perfectly acceptable to replace a 3 point static with a 3 point inertia belt.

[tiger99]

I have checked the MOT manual and am rather shocked to find that the operation of the inertia or deceleration operated locking mechanism is not actually tested, which makes that part of the MOT rather pointless. I would prefer my MOT tester to pull them to check them properly, whether required to or not. Safety is what matters, and whoever wrote certain parts of the MOT testers manual seems not to be very clued up about that.

[cambiker71]

I have checked the MOT manual and am rather shocked to find that the operation of the inertia or deceleration operated locking mechanism is not actually tested, which makes that part of the MOT rather pointless. I would prefer my MOT tester to pull them to check them properly, whether required to or not. Safety is what matters, and whoever wrote certain parts of the MOT testers manual seems not to be very clued up about that.

Used to be lots of stuff that seemed daft, most have been changed to clarify things, but, have another look in the manual and tell me if a brake pedal should pass or fail if the rubber has worn smooth (clue.. section 3.3 check information, then check reason for rejection???)

[minidaves]

remember the mot test means your car has passed a test at just above scrap

[tiger99]

minidaves, yes it just means that certain tested items have passed the minimum standard. It does not even mean that the car is legal, as you can be violating the Construction and Use Regulations with a valid MOT. Structural corrosion more than the prescribed distance from a mount, but still endangering the structure, is one way that can happen. There are many more. Remember tha the test is a product of politicians....

cambiker71, I think it should only fail if the pedal is sufficiently slippery to potentially cause an accident, with or without rubbers. A lot of that is down to personal opinion. You can buy fancy pedals for many modern cars (even official manufacturers accessories) which do not have rubbers.