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[w3526602]

Hi,

I wish I still lived near my old tester in the Swansea Valley. He once apologised (sp?) for failing one of my Series, but said a man from VOSA was in the office.

I always sat in the cab, and pressed brake pedals etc. Suddenly there was this loud banging from underneath ... MY NEW CHASSIS ...

Open drivers door and hang upside down so I could see underneath. He was giving the ramp a good larruping with a tyre iron.

Happy daze!

When I had my S1 Bitza with the home brewed bulkhead, I used to tell the MOT man not to tap the bulkhead. "What do you mean"

So I'd drag a metre of 40mm x 3mm thick steel pipe out of the cab, and give the bulkhead a mighty smite. It dented the pipe, but not the bulkhead. The following year, they dragged everyone out of the office, asked for an encore. It became an annual event.

602

[w3526602]

Hi,

I just came across this ... http://mtaeta.info/thread/951/4x4-body-mount-prescribed-areas

Interesting reading. I wish I knew what it said. 

602

[Wittsend]

Here's an idea ...

If you Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooogle there's an online Jimny Forum - a bit like this one, but for Suzuki Jimnys.

Jimnys The folks there should have better idea on how you can repair yours

[w3526602]

Hi Allan,

Hint taken.

I have previously tried to log onto the BiG Jiminy forum, and believe I am a member ... I just can't access the forum (par for my course).

I hope some of my ramblings have been useful, such as confirmation that an MOT failure does NOT negate an unexpired MOT (subject to the vehicle not being dangerous ... but then it would be dangerous without the failure.) I'm guessing that an onlime MOT check would confirm that the old MOT is still valid? But would it then include the new failure?

I've posted my question on the Suzuki section on Difflock, but no answer as yet. I'm trying to find a local HGV testing station.

Whatever, I'll wind my neck in.

602

[Wittsend]

You have raised again the conundrum of a new MoT test done within the expiry time of the existing certificate.
VOSA/DVLA or whoever they are called today "recommend" and well advertise that you can get an MoT test done within the last month on the ticket and in effect get a new ticket for up to 13 months.
This giving the owner time to rectify faults and get a re-test before the original certificate runs out.

This all seems to make sense and means that owners don't have to take their vehicles off the road whilst (minor) things are fixed (lights, horns, wipers, fit a new tyre, etc.).

The bottom line is, at all times, that if you put a vehicle on the public highway it must be road worthy.
Therefore if you go for an early test and it fails then the vehicle is NOT road worthy - MoT certificate or not.
Before expiry of the original ticket you have been told by a tester at an official MoT test that the vehicle has failed.

99.9999% of the time this legal paradox can and is overlooked - you have 2 MoT certificates, one running out in a few weeks which is good and a second with a fail 
BUT
Should you have an accident and it's found that this was caused by the failed defect - you are in very difficult waters 
IIRC really bad defective vehicles can be ordered off the road immediately the fault is discovered.

[2286]

I am getting as bad as 602

We used to have a Citroen C15 based Romahome, they were known to rust and there is a channel with a lip under the bonnet across the scuttle.  This rots and is within 30cm of the top strut mount.  Failure (as advised by garage, just grind the lacy lip off and paint leads to a pass).

I will make no comment about MOTs

Peter

like a rain gutter that takes water from the roof and screen and drops it by the wheels?

Any other places they go as looking at one for a pal.  Would you go for a fixed or a hi lo?

[Peter Holden]

It is the welded seam in front of the plenum chamber.  The jack is fastened to a panel above it.  C15s rot almost anywhere and body panels are getting hard to find.

Peter

[Scimike]

If we are referring to the same place the bit below the headlamp / inner wing joint is in fact a body to chassis mount on the Jimny and a known rot spot. It can be difficult to see as it's hidden by the front wheel arch guard, and when you can see the rust above it's usually toasted.
Repair is possible, the Big Jimny forum has many pictures of various home made repairs, or you can get the complete front slam panel which is an easy replacement and includes said mounts. It's a £300 ish panel thought.
Mike

[geoff]

Any other places they go as looking at one for a pal.

 A Berlingo version has to better surely ?  costs much more

[Peter Holden]

We traded our C15 version for a new Berlingo one in 2007.  It really is a cracking camper.  Off to France again in 3 weeks

Peter

[w3526602]

If we are referring to the same place the bit below the headlamp / inner wing joint is in fact a body to chassis mount on the Jimny and a known rot spot. It can be difficult to see as it's hidden by the front wheel arch guard, and when you can see the rust above it's usually toasted.

Hi Scimike,

Thankyou (with my fingers crossed), that is an explanation I can accept, but I don't have to like it. I will go out, maybe tomorrow , have a shufti

Hmmm! I paid £1,400, with £10 freshly put in the tank, to get me home. It now has a full tank. Doh! What are my options?

Somebody in the local rag, was offering £3,000 trade in on anything, against a new car. Hmmm! Barbara is going to need an automatic, trading in her Ix20. Can we afford to be buying two new cars? Probably. Do we want to? YOU ask her. (I've seen two Chinese policemen run away from her).

Pause while I talk to SWMBO.

£300 for a new panel. Guestimate £200 for labour MOT does not specify which side, and I can't remember if it was both sides, but definitely the off-side, in front of the battery.  So, by my reckoning, flying blind, we're talking £500, or £1,000.

SWMBO says "If you want to keep it, get it done!" I love that girl ... most of the time. And her pension is bigger than mine. 

602

[Scimike]

If it is in need of a front slam panel, while expensive (it's a genuine Suz part), it fits well and is relatively easy to fit, maybe 8 ish spot welds. If the rest of the cars in good condition it's a repair worth doing as it should last the same again. Unfortunately this area is a rust trap, so they all tend to have rot in this area. Worth a look, removing front bumper and inner wheel arch plastic will reveal the true horror. If you don't like horror stories don't look
Mike

[w3526602]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the advice, I will try to follow it?

Try?

Barbara bought me a towbar (£70). Obviously NOS. the instructions started with .... Remove the four screws .... !

What four screws? I can't find them.  The current state of play is that I have taken a PC tracing of a blurred enlargement of the "screen shot" from the parts book, and enlarged it. I still can't find the four screws.

Hey, I wonder if I can retrace my steps, find the virtual parts book again. and have a shufti at how the front of the body is held on.

Whatever, please don't waste any more time with this, until I have considered my next move*.

602

* Hyundai are displaying new cars with "From £200 per month" on the windscreen ... but no mention of the corresponding deposit. Problem ... I'd have to run her into the showroom in a wheelchair, which she will resist, and the salesman might look a bit askance at the two black lines across his showroom carpet as she starts her road test. (I exagerate - just a little).  After enjoying her 70th birthday prezzy, she declared that the Ferrari was "nice", but the Aston Martin was "cumbersome". But in those days, she still had legs.

[Scimike]

Whatever, please don't waste any more time with this, until I have considered my next move*.

602

It's never a waste of time if it helps someone, hope you can decide the best route to take.
If you need more help on what's possible with the Jimny the Gents and Ladies on the Big Jimny Forum have said hello and are willing to help, if you can a few photos of the rust on Big Jimny will help them.
Till then have fun.
Mike

[w3526602]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for that, I'm touched.

For months I've been trying to make contact with Big Jiminy, just couldn't do it, although I appeared to be a member .... then yesterday,(or was it today), I just went straight into their forum , click, click, click. 

My current thoughts are to trade the Jiminy in against a new Dacia auto 4x4 for me, that Barbara can drive after her new knees (operation has just been cancelled), then return to her Hyundai. I bet that suggestion will go down like a lead balloon, but I'll use up this years quota of "nagging rights".

Some regrets my other news.

602