Frustration: Failed MOT on my Storm

[Tempest 0]

After yesterday's success with my Mk1 Rocco at the MOT I am now slightly frustrated, as I've just come back from the Storm's MOT, failed !! Failed on the rear brakes, which it had failed on last year, as well.

 

I had the same test station repair the brakes last year (as I didn't want to do that myself again, having done it once before is enough, thank you), and now they failed me again on the same thing. So I got rather stroppy with the office manager, and said that they should fix it with it not costing me a penny.

 

"You don't drive it often enough, so the brakes have seized!"

"Listen, that car has done less than 2000 miles, which I can prove to you using your own MOT certificates, in the last year, has been tucked away in a dry garage during the entire winter, and, no, brakes shouldn't fail then!" He then agreed to have another look at the brakes.

 

I just know they'll find some lousy excuse, i.e. find something that's gone faulty, which isn't covered by last year's repair, even though I can't think of anything myself, being quite familiar with that rear section.

 

I even suggested to the tester that there must have been some sloppy workmanship involved or the MOT results fiddled when they passed me last year (as I wasn't there watching when they did the repair and passed it). He didn't like that. Well, I too, have to deal with customers on a daily basis, so it felt good to finally be a customer from hell myself (and justifiably so, I feel) giving it some :-)

 

The only time I didn't do a job myself and left it to a garage ... :mad: I now regret that ...

 

Tempest

[iow_corrado_g60 0]

eric thats unlucky mate hope you get it sorted and quick i hate not having my car when she's off the road!

[Lippy 0]

:(

[Tempest 0]

Let's see what they'll tell my business colleague, who'll have to take my Storm back on Tuesday for them to have another look (as I'll be in Germany for a few days). My colleague might yet turn into a Roccofanatic :lol:

 

He already had my C for a bit of fun today, but then again is used to a "proper car", as he calls it: Audi S4 estate (230 bhp).

 

Tempest

[capnahab 0]

Yes.. but does his car have soul? ;)

[catch_twotwo 0]

You pop over often then Tempest ???

 

I'm not sure I'd be comfy letting an "Estate Car" driver in my C ;)

[Tempest 0]

You pop over often then Tempest ???

 

Now and then, yes, as my parents live in D.

 

I'm not sure I'd be comfy letting an "Estate Car" driver in my C

 

He passed that test yesterday, so I feel a bit more comportable giving him the keys to my next up baby, my Mk2 Storm. The Mk1 Rocco remains an entirely different story, of course :-)

 

Tempest

[kebabman 0]

Time to find a different garage....

[Jim 2]

The garage we went to today seem to be pretty darn good! Got there at 1pm, and 2 hours later rolled off the ramps having had my coilovers adjusted (though not without a significant amount of greasing and heating to free them as they'd seized up good and proper!) and a 4 wheel alignment.. and was only relieved of £20! Well impressed, and the guy that did mine and Erics cars seems really thorough..

 

Will be using them a bit more often I think as they offer a full range of garage services.

[kebabman 0]

2 hours work for £20? Bet they were happy about that. :lol:

[catch_twotwo 0]

You pop over often then Tempest ???

 

Now and then, yes, as my parents live in D.

 

Nice..... If you ever come near München give me a call and I'll treat you to a beer ;)

 

I learnt the hard way about letting somebody else drive my car.... My first Rado hasn't been the same since letting myy girlfriend drive it :cry: Still, she's not insured on the new one (at least not that I'm telling her) :lol:

[Tempest 0]

2 hours work for £20?

 

More like 3 hours, as we turned up a little after 12, got the first C (Jim's) onto the bridge at around 12:30 or thereabouts, and mine didn't come off till 15:30 or so.

 

They are still a very enthusiastic bunch, happy to tinker with cars. They built their own British Touring car championship car (Team Griffin is what they call themselves), where they laughed a bit at our suspensions and what we rate as top quality (KW, FK, et al), given that on their Race Peugeot 307 each corner costs a cool £5000 :shock:

 

though not without a significant amount of greasing and heating to free them as they'd seized up good and proper!

Yes, this was originally my job for the morning, and after a small hooray having managed to undo both locking rings on Jim's front suspension (FK Königsport), the actual adjusting rings would not budge, come hell or high water (copiuos quantities of special WD40 and some brute force).

 

If you ever come near München give me a call and I'll treat you to a beer

 

I'll bear that in mind, as I've promised 2 other people in Munich that I would once visit them, and so far not been able to live up to my promise. One of them is the former owner of my Mk1 Rocco, yes, very unusual for a car deal, that after so many years the seller and buyer are still friends :-), given that we only met during the car sale (me flying out to Munich twice).

 

Yes.. but does his car have soul?

I'm not sure I'd be comfy letting an "Estate Car" driver in my C

 

It certainly has, as you may recall that an S4 is the sleeper like looking Audi, the only give-away to its true prowess being that little badge on front and rear "S4" which does spell trouble for many a car: 20VT 4-wheel drive, 6-speed gearbox (where it still pulls like mad in 6th - I've testeed it :-) ). Mind you, the petrol comnsumption is more like petrol guzzling :shock: My business colleague's happy when he exceeds the 20 miles to the gallon barrier ;shock:

 

Tempest

[2cc 0]

So what was wrong with your brakes then Eric, or did I miss that somewhere?

[Tempest 0]

So what was wrong with your brakes then Eric, or did I miss that somewhere?

 

Nope, you didn't miss that, as in fact my colleague also asked the very same question when, clever chap that he is, took a booklet of Trading Standards with him, when he collected my Storm on the same day he had dropped it off in the morning (as he wasn't allowed to watch, which he protested heavily about), and displayed that in a prominent location of his folder holding all my receipts from the MOT last year, repair, and this year's documents. The garage monkeys just claimed that due to me not driving my Storm often enough, the rear drum brake mechanism had seized :crazy: My colleague even asked whether my Storm would fail again next year, and they said "yes", to which he replied, that he thought they'd not done any repairs at all, probably just passed the MOT. They didn't like that!

 

The rear right wheel slips when either the handbrake is pulled or the brake pedal is activated when you turn the wheel with force. I have been able to replicate that at home after the failed MOT. Could have sworn though, that when I tested the brakes prior to my MOT appointment as part of my annual pre-MOT checks, it did not slip ...

 

Tempest

[2cc 0]

Eric, so when we go to Karmann are we fixing Rocco brakes or Corrado aircon? :lol:

Come down in her tomorrow and stay and we can have a look at her in the workshop on Sunday if you like or have they (supposedly) fixed her?

[Tempest 0]

Come down in her tomorrow and stay and we can have a look at her in the workshop on Sunday if you like or have they (supposedly) fixed her?

 

They have supposedly fixed her and passed her on the MOT. I was actually planning on raising the back tonight and testing the brakes again (see, if I can still handturn the wheel by force when the brake is activated). I might take you up on your offer of having another look on Sunday, as I was planmning on taking the Storm anyway (rain forecast = no Mk1 Rocco, I'm afraid), (bridge, hmm, I like bridges :lol:), as I don't trust that place anymore (probably also overtightened the the wheel bearing nut (yes the one with that lovely washer, that you're still suppoosed to be able to move with a screwdriver), if they've done anything at all). I've done the rear brakes 3 years ago (new drums, cylinders, bled brakes every summer bar the last and this one).

 

Tempest