TomsFocus' STripey Fiesta ST

[TomsFocus]

So, this month hopefully nothing will be spent on the Fiesta as I kinda overspent on it last month lol.  Had the afternoon free so decided to give in a proper clean.  It seems either the Poorboys wax isn't as effective at the bottom of the tub or maybe I put it on thinner knowing it was running low, either way it didn't last long, and the Simoniz quick detailer I bought cheap in Tesco is crap.  It's alright for removing dust but doesn't add any gloss or rain protection like the better ones, so the SRP had come off as well...not good on a dark high miler lol, got fed up of seeing the scratches and swirls but not got the time or money to have it mopped.

So did the following -

Wheel cleaner
Pressure wash (inc engine bay)
Single bucket, wash mitt, Merr shampoo wash
Hose rinse
Cheap shampoo for lube and clay mitt
Hose rinse
Drying towel dry
SRP
Megs Gold Class liquid wax (been hanging around the cupboard ages, hadn't gone off)
Poorboys wheel sealant
Sainsburys Vinegar glass cleaner on windows
Meguiars Endurance Gel on tyres
Wipe door shuts
Vacuum inside
Final 'wipe' with a fluffy microfibre

End result - (PS - yes I did get a Fiesta, Focus and Ka in one shot, shame the Mondeo had left by then... )

 
Annoyingly the new plates I bought, with the eBay tag line of 'withstands even close pressure washing' appear not to take a quick pass of the jetwash let alone getting close, why cant anywhere make plates any more!?  Had the same set on the Focus 18 months before they starting failing from the jetwash. :dodgy:

Also, is there a free way to clean up the dirty tip?  I don't have any sort of metal polish and don't want to buy anything just for that lol...

[E TEA 66]

Very nice indeed mate and although you've had a few issues since you did that bargain swap the ST was well worth it and although i'm not a big fan of the MK6.5 Fiesta body style i'm actually loving loving yours alot 8) ..

[TomsFocus]

On ‎04‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 3:58 PM, b4zz said:

at leat you know the wheel barings are not shot

Spoke too soon lol...  Will get to that shortly...

 

Have replaced the numberplate lamps as they kept falling out... In hindsight I could've got away with just using bigger screws, didn't realise how they were fixed until after buying.  Oh well, they look cleaner anyway lol.

Missed the mileage milestone

 But the best part, finally got that shock replaced!  Realised the best way to remove a rounded bolt was to...let my mate do it with fire and a different 10mm extractor than mine...took about half hour to do the whole thing.

Rear feels better now (not something I can say often! )

However with the MOT due in September I asked him to give it a quick check while up on the ramp. 

Slight exhaust blow from a knackered clamp where the Milltek joins the cat, just an advisory but will change that anyway.

Rusty solid brake pipe - been advised on last 2 MOTs but he reckons its a fail this time.  Are there any joins in the rear solid pipe?  Can I buy one or do I need to make it out of copper?

Flexi pipe at a stupid angle and rubbing the spring, looks like Stevie Wonder fitted it tbh, never seen so much bend on one!!  Cheap I guess, and fairly easy to replace.  The brakes are pretty awful anyway, knew they needed a fluid change.  Will change the pair of rears I guess, might look into braided ones...

But the worst one is the wheel bearing, quite embarrassed by it tbh.  It's silent when spun, but there's loads of movement in it, I had wrongly assumed it was something else causing the knock and movement but appears it's actually my wheel about to fall off, it's not even the one I thought was knackered previously...   So that kinda needs sorting urgently, I don't have a press so guess I'll have to buy a used hub to swap over with a decent bearing - if anyone has one let me know!!  Are the ST hub assy's the same as the slower ones lol??  That's probably also the reason it wanders in a straight line at speed, I'd been blaming the stupid low and wide tyres...   

 

[TomsFocus]

So, this morning was weird...had planned on removing the hub and taking it over to mates garage to have the bearings pressed in and out.

Popped the centre cap off and went to loosen the hub nut...oh it's rounded immediately?...oh wait...no, it's just loose...

It's not the OE nut, looks fairly fresh, probably recently had a wheel bearing lol.  But it was the worst hub nut I'd ever seen, loose in the socket and made with round corners... :dodgy:  I couldn't torque it properly (presumably why he last person hadn't!) as it felt like it was gonna slip all the time, so swapped it for the nut that came with the new bearing and added a bit of threadlock as well.  There's no stake or anything on these driveshafts to stop it coming right off which is a bit worrying!  It seems alright now, doesn't knock and no play at all...  I will say though, there definitely wasn't that much play in it when I checked the whole car about a month ago, there was a little play (felt like the start of a TRE failing tbh) but nothing like there was when it was on the ramp or this morning...keep thinking about 'what if' it'd come off now.

So, that was a quick fix...got an empty morning now lol, so moved onto that daft rear brake hose.  Realised some fool had probably twisted the caliper when fitting it or the pads for MOT last year...how they refitted it like this I have no idea!

10 minutes later looked like this...

Think I've caught it in time tbh, it's only that thick sheath that's damaged really, the hose itself still seems ok on closer inspection.  PS - I much prefer that handbrake cable to the 306 ones lol, came out much easier!

Will this exhaust blow cause any issues other than a potential MOT advisory?  It's after the cat and lambda so shouldn't really be an issue in my mind?  If it's gonna make a difference to power or mpg then I'll change it but won't bother if not. 

Lastly, thought I'd check the spark plugs as I hadn't done so.  The airbox feels like it's never been off for the plugs, ridiculously stiff in the mounts lol, not sure if they're all like that!  Plugs are all OE Ford Motorcraft branded NGK Irridium so probably been there a while, but tbh tips look ok.  However the outside end plugs looked really clean on the insulator, but the inner ones look awful!  Water must be getting in there somehow, but it's dry atm which is odd.  Not got funds to change the plugs atm but if I get any running issues that'll be first port of call I think!

[stef123]

You've had a busier morning than me Tom, nice work. 

[TomsFocus]

Wow, over a month and I haven't broken anything!  

Finally found the knock, lower ball joint pinch bolt wasn't quite as tight as it needed to be!

However there is still an occasional knock, probably happened 2 or 3 times in an hours round trip to a meet on Friday.  No idea what that can be as all bolts are tightened to spec now and all suspension components checked for play.

Due to a reality check over the weekend, this will be for sale at the end of September.   Got a few more meets to go to first though!

 

Anyway, the main reason I'm posting today - just booked MOT for tomorrow at a garage I don't know (my friendly tester has moved away), so what do we reckon it'll fail on?  

[Dan P]

Sorry to hear you won't be able to keep it. Good luck with the MOT and enjoy it whilst you've still got it.

[iantt]

mmm, where shall we start. lol

well , nothing if you you have had good look round it before.

its not difficult to get a car to pass if youve looked after and maintained it correctly. mot tester not got any better eyesight than you.

its bulbs, wipers/washers , tyres that anyone can check first that needs prior attention before mot.

[TomsFocus]

They don't have better eyes but do have better equipment lol!  I can't test stuff like emissions or brakeforces obviously. 

I have checked bulbs today, wipers were checked in a monsoon on Friday lol.  Tyres all have plenty of tread but the rears have started to crack a bit, I don't 'think' it's that bad but could be wrong, hopefully just an advisory if anything.  But then there's the exhaust leak and the rusty brake pipes, not sure if they're bad enough to be a fail or not.

Also, read earlier that the seats have to tilt, one of my tilt handles is broken, will that be an issue?  And the filler cap has no lock, not sure if they have to be lockable? 

I hate MOT's lol, I'd be far too picky to be a tester!!  

[iantt]

right, the metal brake pipe shouldn't fail mot unless its leaking, but mot testers do fail them .

"Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe so that its wall thickness is reduced by 1/3 (e.g. approximately 0.25 mm for typical hydraulic brake pipe) is a reason for rejection." so basically unless the mot tester has xray vision and manages to measure the wall thickness, then it should pass.

exhaust, "A minor exhaust leak from, for example, a connection joint or a pin hole, is not a Reason for Rejection"

seat tilt "Check that the backrests of all seats (front and rear) can be secured in their normal upright position." so as long as the seat is secure then tilting is not a requirement

fuel cap, "Check fuel tank cap /filler neck sealing device for presence, positive fit and condition of sealing washer and flange "  so as long as its not one of those temporary caps then it should be ok

anything else?

[TomsFocus]

Hmm, can you check emissions over the internet?  

But seriously, that's everything I can think of, looks like it should pass then!  Cheers Ian.  

[TomsFocus]

Failed.   I haven't had any issues with the drivers seat though so that's weird.    How much should it cost to have the garage change those brake pipes?  I'm heading over there shortly, will let them do the brake pipes as long as it doesn't cost too much!

• Reason(s) for failure
  Drivers seat fore and aft adjustment mechanism not functioning as intended. (6.2.A.3)

  nearside rear Brake pipe excessively corroded to flexible hose (3.6.B.2c)

  offside rear Brake pipe excessively corroded to flexible hose (3.6.B.2c)
• Advisory notice item(s)
  Exhaust has a minor leak of exhaust gases centre joint (7.1.2)

   

   

[TomsFocus]

So, the tilt handle is a fail according to them.

I thought fore and after meant the sliders, rather than the tilt!? @iantt

[iantt]

no its not, you are right about fore and aft, basically the seat should slide forwards and backwards and lock in to position.

as i pointed out prevously, the tilt doesnt cone into mot as long as its locked in upright position.

they are wrong. same goes for the brake pipes, wrong.

[iantt]

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mot-inspection-manual-for-class-3-4-5-and-7-vehicles

[iantt]

theres not just !Removed! mechanics out there, !Removed! mot testers also.

[TomsFocus]

Yeah he wasn't having it...he's been testing since 1989 so must be right...  Then the non-MOT techs backed him up on the fore and aft being he tilt as well.  When I suggested other testers would pass it (not just you but another Ford tester and an indy tester that I know, as well as several people on the FB group having them passed) he just said take it to them then...that's not the point!   Had a really !Removed! attitude tbh, won't be going back there!

I'm not too bothered by the brake pipes, they do need doing whether they could've passed or not so not a major issue.  My mate would've failed one of them anyway if I'd gone to his place and brakes are of course important.  But the tilting thing is so obviously wrong and frustrating that I don't know how to prove it to them.  I've emailed DVSA to get a confirmation from them as to whether he is right or whether everyone else is right (not quite worded like that lol) so hopefully they come back with something useful!

 

 

[iantt]

i just spoke to my neighbour a street away who is the local dvsa examiner for as long as i can remember. , known him quite a while, and he confiming what i said about seat. not that means anything .wouldnt suprise me if your email from dvsa contradicts him.

quite often one dept says one thing, another something completley different.

an example is advisories, on refreasher training the emphasive is "in any doubt pass and advise" on anything you see.

then a comunication completelys says the opposite, " only advise if about to fail. or dont advise anything.

damned if you do, damned if you dont.

[TomsFocus]

Still waiting for a reply from them atm.  Still no-one on the facebook group that has had the tilt handles fail yet...and they're all broken on the mk6s lol!

It worked in my favour a few years ago (gonna show my age now  ) back when diesel de-cats passed MOT.  Mine failed so I emailed VOSA who confirmed that 'presence of a cat' wasn't a check on diesels back in 2011, showed the tester and it passed lol.

 

I don't know why they can't be more specific though, surely they could just write 'sliding mechanism' or 'tilting mechanism' rather than 'fore and aft' movement.  It's a car seat not a ship!

[TomsFocus]

Reply from DVSA  

 

Dear Tom,

Thank you for your email enquiry dated 23rd August  2016, concerning the above.

In the method of testing in the MOT Manual it does not mention the tilting mechanism. The method of inspection is that they must check the drivers seat position can be adjusted forwards and backwards and can be secured in the selected positions.

[TomsFocus]

So I decided to see how badly I could mess this up this evening.  Turns out the Mk6 pipes join just by the tank so isn't too bad a job.  Access is always a pain with anything under the middle of the car though!

Old pipe removed

New one made up...I'm really not good at this stuff, rather buy something ready made!

Fitted then moved onto the otherside...at which point it got dark so no more pictures.  Dark early and too much heat, literally my least favourite time of year!  Bled all round in the dark, seem to have a pedal and brakes.  Have left it on a 'clean' space for tonight and will check for leaks in the daylight.  

[iantt]

well done, are you going to inform the mot tester about the seat tilt? lol

[TomsFocus]

10 hours ago, iantt said:

well done, are you going to inform the mot tester about the seat tilt? lol

At some point yes...

Not really sure what to do about it atm though.  I hate face to face confrontation so trying to avoid that again if I can.  

I don't know what the retest fee would be now I've taken the car away, half the test fee iirc?  So it'd cost nearly as much as going to another centre (where I'd check they know the seat rules first!) and avoid the hassle.  Then just send the original garage a letter with a copy of the email I had from the DVSA.

In the DVSA e-mail I was suggested to appeal, BUT that it costs the full test fee of £55, and it didn't say where I'd have to go.  The stress of this sort of thing triggers 'digestive issues' which is why I specifically chose a place within walking distance originally.

So yeah, not really sure what to do atm.  Though as the brake pipes are now done, the car is roadworthy, so I can still drive it on the old MOT as far as I understand.

 

[TomsFocus]

So, found a brake fluid leak on Saturday, turned out the awkward union wasn't tight enough!  So I've gone from stripping threads and shearing bolts to leaving this loose, ideal!    Tightened that and they seem ok now anyway.

Took it for MOT this afternoon and it passed, different centre though.  They didn't even mention the tilt handle lol.  Did give it an advisory on a front tyre being near the limit but its got a good ~4mm tread (cba to measure it) so not sure what's happened there.  I'm not bothered by advisories though lol!