Taxi Driver Online

I've got the MOT test on Monday for my MK1 (1996) Ford Mondeo, to be honest with you I'm dredding it as it's the first time through.

I've heard many stories that you never get the car passed on the first attempt but once it does it gets easier every time, is this true?

I've just had the front lower arms as well as the anti roll bar links done as there was a really bad knocking from the front as you went over bumpy roads, a common problem so I'm told. The paint work was T cut and polished the other day to give it a "clean" looked after look. There is a bit of rust on the cill that I will get done over the next couple of days as well as valeting the car on the inside as it's very grubby at the moment. I'm having the engine bay cleaned of all the oil dirt etc as well as fitting the fire extinguisher too.

Does anyone who's put their own car through have any stories to tell about what I should out for with regards to getting the car through. I've worked on cars for many years now and don't really worry about normal MOT's but I hear they are quite stringent.

I think the biggest problem with these tests is the emissions. The rest of it can be fixed quite cheaply on a Mondeo.

But if you take the air filter out, you should be ok. Or so I'm told.

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IDFIMH

Presumably you mean the taxi test?

I think it depends on the local authority and to a lesser extent the individual tester.

Some will be easier to get through than an MOT, but others go big on minor paintwork blemishes and the like.

A bit of a lottery, at the end of the day.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Well it went through the test on Monday and failed as expected, well I guess it was to be expected.

Pre-MOT work and expense...

Air filter £7
Lower suspension arms + cam belts (supplied and fitted) £290
Anti-roll bar links & bushes (supplied and fitted) £60
Fire extinguisher £12

Plus a lot of time spent with T cut, cleaning out the car and patching up any paint etc.

The MOT test

£57 for the MOT
£44 for the re-test

Failed...

The first thing, failed on the windscreen because of a stone chip, would have passed a normal MOT but failed this one, had to pay £125 for a new one to be fitted as I was told that a good enough repair job (told by the fitter) couldn't be done on the original heated windscreen.

Failed on both of the headlights as they said that the beam pattern wasn't correct, turns out that the problem was down to the plastic lense inside the headlight that fades to on ugly yellow and ends up spreading the pattern etc, again, this would have been passed on a normal MOT. £103 for a set of new ones (not Ford originals, they would have been £83 each).

Not enough pressure in the front tyre, fussy b@stard...

Hole blown through on the exhaust, point taken on this one although it cost me £80+ for a mid and back section as it still had the original "one piece" exhaust fitted.

Underneath of engine bay had to be steam cleaned and the oil leaks rectified, well it came down to the fact that there were no longer oil leaks present, I can only assume it must have been from a previous problem that had been fixed a long time ago. £8

Although I only paid out £400 for the car with 10 months MOT on it back in July of this year I've now paid out nearly £800 extra just to get it through the seemingly stringent MOT with the local council.

My only hope now is that is passes the re-test this coming Monday and that the council don't drag their heals and are able to issue me with a plate this side of Christmas...

Even I would have checked that beforehand

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Yeh, but all he had to do was say "Oi guv, you'll need a bit more air in your front OS tyre", I'd have been well miffed if it was the only thing it failed on.

My usual place will even try and fix a light bulb if it's the only thing that's gonna fail it.

Yes, maybe that's the point - if it was only going to fail on an under-inflated tyre then he might have let you blow it up to pass the test.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Seems a lot but hopefully you shouldn't have to spend too much on it for a while.

Aprart from the suspension points that you've had done my N-plate has been pretty sound. There's been some work done on the brakes and the like (cables, cylinders etc), one driveshaft and one wheelbearing - apart from that the other stuff has been pretty cheap.

But the dearest single item was new headlights a few months ago (£130 fitted). I replaced the originals with a set from the breakers about 3 years ago, but I wish Id bougth a new set because this time I could'nt be bothered [edited by admin] around so the set from the breakers was just a waste of money.

As for the other items you've done, the cat lasted to around 150k, and the rest of the exhaust generally does 2-3 years.

My windscreen is original - it has a small crack where a stone must have hit it, but that was about 5 years ago and it's never gotten worse- luckily it's just out of the MOT area.

But the engine, box and clutch are almost untouched at 227k, so it's at least done something right

I agree, the Mondeo seems to be a pretty decent car, apart from the work I've had done on it there isn't much else wrong with it, if I get 3 years out of it then I'll be happy.

With regard to the headlights, fitted them yesterday and I must admit they look really nice and bright, there is a problem with the left one though, this is just as bad as the one I orginally took off as the beam pattern isn't as sharp as it should be, the right one gives a definate line leading up to the left whereas the other one does the same but with a blur.

I took it to Halfords to get them re-aligned yesterday and they couldn't get it sorted out and said that it may be due to the fact that it's a copy and not a Ford original...

If it fails the re-test tomorrow then there's no way it'll be on the road befor Christmas, not with the 3-4 week waiting time for another MOT costing another £57 - the council really do have their costs covered, don't they...

Well good news, the car passed the MOT this afternoon so I guess I'll be off down the council tomorrow to get it plated...

and then get out to pick up all those p***heads and spewers.

I guess so, unless I can find some plastic throw over seat covers that is.

i know it s a bit late now, but them plastic bits that go yellow can be replaced for about 15 quid each from ford, you dont need the full headlamps. The reason they go yellow is that the bulbs you get from halfords etc at not UV free which effects the plastic. if you use ford bulbs they stay nice and clear

Thanks for the info but I've already tried that.

The main centre of Ford parts distribution is here in Birmingham, I know cos I used to work there, if you ever have any Ford parts then it's a guarrantee that they were distributed from the base here in Garretts Green, Birmingham.

I did ask about getting replacement lenses which of course I would have been happy with but they tell me that they are only sold as a complete unit and cannot be seperated. I was a bit confused by this as I've seen them advertised on ebay for virtually next to nothing. The only thing I can imagine is that someone at Ford is doing the occassional back hander and getting them out of the warehouse, just like everything else that goes missing.

sorry for dragging up an old thread but I've just ford my ford microcat (ford dealer parts system) up and running and oube checked them lenses.
they are available seperat 7304999 rh 7304997 lh 18.97 each