deedy
Motoring Public
Posts: 1
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Post by deedy on Sept 8, 2006 15:17:24 GMT
Hi all
New to the site but am so angry that need to let off a little steam regarding my MOT.
Just had news from hubby that my car (VW Passat) has just failed its mot because the headlight aim inside the lens is apparently broken?! Now, we can adjust the aim of the headlights electronically from inside the car and this is working perfectly, but according to the VW mechanic something has broken inside the headlight and as a result it is going to cost £270. Bearing in mind we paid a £1000 for a service less than 2 months ago at the same dealership, I am a little hacked off and needless to say will not be using this particular dealership again in the future.
Now that I've waffled a bit and calmed down somewhat, can anyone tell me if these things break easily or regularly, and is it a common cause for failure, as the car has passed its MOT with flying colours for the last three years, but this is the first time we have taken it to VW for an MOT and this happens! Seems to me they were just looking for something to fail it on. Any mechanics out there that could give me some advice?
Thanks in advance for any help - really appreciated!
Deedy
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Post by crazydiamond on Sept 8, 2006 17:29:53 GMT
If you can set the lights via the switch and get it checked before your retest,the tester will have to pass it. We have to test as presented. Hope this helps
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Steven
Nominated Tester
Posts: 131
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Post by Steven on Sept 8, 2006 18:57:25 GMT
What Reason for Rejection (failure description) have you been given ?
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Post by ammer1t on Sept 8, 2006 18:59:46 GMT
the fault may lie inside the lamp itself , set the level and watch for pattern on wall ,tap the lamp and check for any movement on the beam ,a common fault is the reflector shield is pushed of it's mounting during bulb replacement , hope it helps Paul.
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Rob
Nominated Tester
Posts: 279
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Post by Rob on Sept 8, 2006 19:00:34 GMT
Where do we start on this one? What we really need to know is the wording on the VT30, that's the red failure sheet that you should have got when the car failed the MOT test. Each headlight has to project a beam image which we have to check, the image has to be clear and look like this.... when checked on the headlamp tester. You can easily check this by parking your car facing a garage door or wall. If it doesn't look anything like the picture, there's a possibility that the bulb is incorrectly fitted or the clips that hold the bulb into the headlight are broken. If your headlights aren't the same height then one will need adjusting, but it's not really possible to check if the beam is straight (not to the left or right) without using the equipment we have. Has it failed on headlight aim too high, too low, too far to the left or right, or one that says something like "headlight not in good working order adversely affecting beam image". The worst case scenario is that the clip that holds the electric adjuster onto the reflector is broken, which will mean the headlamp will need replacing, but you will be able to replace it a lot cheaper than by buying one from your VW dealer. If you have a branch of www.eurocarparts.com/ or www.gsfcarparts.com/ local to you, you should be able to buy one for a lot less money. Any decent garage will fit it and align it for you for about £20-30.
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Post by CC on Sept 20, 2006 16:59:32 GMT
Our Mondeo has just failed on the headlights - which the testing garage says they can realign for £10. Do you think its possible that this is because we set the headlights a few weeks ago to compensate for heavy holiday luggage (bikes on top) and forgot to reset them - I would hate to think that they were going to charge me £10 for fiddling the adjuster.... see a woman coming I reckon.
If it was just a matter of adjusting the height adjuster would the garage not do this while they were doing the test?
CC
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Rob
Nominated Tester
Posts: 279
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Post by Rob on Sept 20, 2006 19:39:58 GMT
The correct procedure for checking headlamp aim on the MOT is to test them as presented, if they are too low check the adjuster (if the car is fitted with one). If it is set at it's highest setting, normally it's not too hard to adjust them to the correct height. We are allowed to do minor adjustments only at the time of test. What was the wording on the VT30 (red fail sheet)?
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Post by jayeastanglia on Sept 24, 2006 19:18:23 GMT
A grand for a service!!!!!!!
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Rob
Nominated Tester
Posts: 279
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Post by Rob on Sept 24, 2006 21:04:55 GMT
A grand for a service!!!!!!! Sounds well over the top, there must have been other things to sort out other than the usual service items. I know some of the VW's use that long-life oil (35,000 mile service intervals) and it's wickedly expensive, but £1000. We've got an S-Class Merc in for a full service tomorrow, the job has been quoted at £475 +vat. The spark plugs (16 of them) cost £90 and the book time gives you over two hours to fit them, fully synthetic oil plus all the filters, the parts bill alone comes to over £200.
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Post by jayeastanglia on Oct 4, 2006 20:44:28 GMT
would have been nice to know the age of the vw passat...and then maybe just try my local to see how much for a service for a simalar aged vw.
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Post by millwall on Oct 12, 2006 20:16:22 GMT
i think the bulb had been fited wrong.90% of the time this is why no beam patern.
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