Combined sidelight/indicator - Automatic MOT fail - WTF?????

latil · Post by **latil** » Mon Aug 11, 14 11:39 am

You may also find that in the event of an accident,if the car had been passed with the lights not correct for the year of build that 1. the mot will be invalid and 2. The insurance will also be invalid. Just for the sake of some led conversion bits of rewiring existing lamps.
My Fury has amber bulbs in the front sidelights,sidelights in the outer headlamps and reversing lights with amber bulbs-about an hours work to comply and have piece of mind with the authorities.

Prothed · Post by **Prothed** » Wed Aug 13, 14 11:54 am

Ok - new MOT now obtained!
I just disconnected the rear (red) indicator connections to leave just the amber reversing lights as indicators.
The front was a more obvious bodge with a pair of small bike indicators cable tied to the grille.

Permanent solution?
Rears - Maybe just leave it as it is. I can enable/disable the original red indicators in no time as required.
Fronts - This is more difficult without changing the appearance of the car. The cleanest solution is a pair of LED white+amber bulbs. Job done. Except that no-one sells them

. According to google/ebay, you can get them in the states (where you don't need them) but not here...
Jayce - How do your switchback bulbs work? All the ones I can find switch off the white when the amber is on, and that will fail the MOT regs again.
If I can't find suitable bulbs then plan B is to use amber bulbs in the sidelights and install headlights with integral sidelights. More faffing around though and I have to remember to open the headlight doors (as mine no longer work automatically - broken switch).

Back to the rear - I can't see that one amber light is more safe than one amber plus two red lights all flashing away. But, hay-ho, if that's what the rules say then that's it.

Richard · Post by **Richard** » Wed Aug 13, 14 2:32 pm

You do know that you can have amber front sidelamps as long as in addition you have something white.

For the rear you can put in powerful amber leds that will shine amber even through a red lens, that way you can keep your reversing lights.

Prothed · Post by **Prothed** » Wed Aug 13, 14 5:44 pm

Hmm... as I read it under A3e, they have to be white only unless you have yellow headlamps.

Richard · Post by **Richard** » Wed Aug 13, 14 8:19 pm

Yes but your amber sidelamp is not your obligatory lamp- your white ones are.
Carry your logic on and every bus with an amber LED destination board would be illegal,

GJUK · Post by **GJUK** » Wed Aug 13, 14 8:31 pm

Richard wrote:every bus with an amber LED destination board would be illegal,

They should be banned from the roads anyway

mustangbooks · Post by **mustangbooks** » Wed Aug 13, 14 9:18 pm

I once bought a Dodge Dakota truck that came fitted with bluedots in the rear lenses (actually, one bluedot, the other had fallen out!). Surely these are illegal, even though I was showing red rear lights as well?

The same truck also came fitted with a Dixie horn which was wired to the horn push, a stupidly loud side-exit exhaust, and many other items that should have failed the MOT! And the owner had taken off the V6 badges and stuck 'V8' ones on instead....

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Fri Aug 15, 14 2:39 am

For the front indicator / sidelight issue, would you be able to fit an amber LED inside the front sidelight under the bumper, this would allow the white sidelight to show whilst still being able to flash an amber indicator regardless of whether the sidelights were on or not?

You can keep the original wiring for the red indicators on the back by connecting a green LED and fitting it in the red lense, when lit up it will show an orange / amber light through the red lense

autofetish · Post by **autofetish** » Fri Aug 15, 14 3:10 am

Make the reverse lights indicators with orange bulbs

(You don't need revers lights legally I think)

Make all side markers indicators

Make front lower side lights indicators with orange bulbs

Stop brakes like flashing

Install 2 x capri head lights with built in side lights

Cost £50 time 6 hours

vipergts · Post by **vipergts** » Fri Aug 15, 14 10:20 am

What really annoys me here is that MOT's are getting stricter and soon we wont be able to get away with anything AND yet pre 1960 cars don't even need an MOT

What a joke that is

Blue · Post by **Blue** » Fri Aug 15, 14 11:44 am

I can see the logic of pre '60 cars being MOT exempt, the are a tiny minority of the cars on the road, they do little mileage in general and will be well maintained. Much of the current MOT test does not apply to them anyway. Oh and lots of rich people with clout own them

If they could see thier way clear so that pre'70 was MOT exempt as well that would be handy....

Dave81 · Post by **Dave81** » Fri Aug 15, 14 1:45 pm

Blue wrote:I can see the logic of pre '60 cars being MOT exempt, the are a tiny minority of the cars on the road, they do little mileage in general and will be well maintained. Much of the current MOT test does not apply to them anyway. Oh and lots of rich people with clout own them

If they could see thier way clear so that pre'70 was MOT exempt as well that would be handy....

Well they have brought the rolling 40 year tax back....Why not do 50 for MOT's.

Personally I prefer having MOT's on all cars, but understand that silly issues like above should be catered for and be looked at on an per car basis.

I don't think late 60's yanks should be viewed the same as early 90's Mondeo's.

vipergts · Post by **vipergts** » Fri Aug 15, 14 1:47 pm

Theres some utter crap out there pre 60. People dragging cars out of hedges and driving them on the road.

Just seems crazy pre 60 then pre 70 full on sargeant major.

Should at least be a sliding scale

PaulR · Post by **PaulR** » Fri Aug 15, 14 8:00 pm

Keep your eyes on the ball

https://mattersoftesting.blog.gov.uk/ca ... sultation/
Have your say now. The previous public consultation re pre 60 exemption had a grand total of 430 responses.
Don't forget exemption from test does exempt you from prosecution for driving an unroadworthy vehicle on the road. As mentioned in this thread the tester turning a blind eye does not stop the the police from prosecuting you on the road.The test certificate only says that a vehicle met a minimum standard at the time of test,it does not mean you are ok for the next year.

GJUK · Post by **GJUK** » Fri Aug 15, 14 8:20 pm

There was a rat rod at a local meet called 'cloud 9' in Nottingham and I asked the guy how he got away with running open wheels. He said he never had a problem.

He'd be in trouble if some child caught their arm in the wheel which a fender would have stopped but not if he ran in to the back of someone (other than him being at fault)

I guess whatever was done or not done to your car would have to attribute to the 'problem'.

sidelights though :-/...