m.o.t due. what to look for?

[TURBODOCTOR]

iv'e just recently baught my first e30 and its due its test next week. being a fast ford enthusiast and new to bmw's i would apreciate any points to look out for on the e30 which are common test fails.
thanx, jay.

[Chris-W]

Three of the most common fails would be:

Rear axle bushes
Front lower ball joints
Brake lines

[Brianmoooore]

Oh dear, coming from Ford you're entering another universe - one where cars normally go through MOT year after year after year with no problems whatsoever, not even advisories!
Common problems (by BMW standards) are probably front control arm bushes and ball joints, rear beam bushes and rusty rear brake pipes.

[dazleeds]

also check wiper blades as most people dnt think of them and its a fooker when ya have to pay for a retest becos of them

my mot guy gets people everyday with that one

[Brianmoooore]

Anyone who fails an MOT on things like light bulbs, wiper blades, washers, etc. decerves to get clobbered for a full retest fee for being too thick to own a car!

[dazleeds]

Anyone who fails an MOT on things like light bulbs, wiper blades, washers, etc. decerves to get clobbered for a full retest fee for being too thick to own a car!

i agree brian but apparently its one of the most common things people forget to check

i did checked mine and bulbs and would you believe it a bulb blew during the test lol but he let it go as he knows i always check the lot
and constantly quwstion him about possible fails while im prepping for tests

[FBF]

i wouldnt even go to an MOT test station that didnt take a second to replace a blown bulb or a wiper blade... saying that this yrs mot was the first legit one for many years..

[Brianmoooore]

i did checked mine and bulbs and would you believe it a bulb blew during the test

As I think I've mentioned before, I had a tail lamp blow on the way to a test once, and the other side blow on the way home!

[TURBODOCTOR]

cheers for that. so its bushes n ball joints then. il probaby enquire bout gen ball joints. genuine bushes or polyurethane ones like powerflex??? can make my own brake lines as im a mechanic (big embarasment if it fails on bulb or a wiper blade lol) so its nothing to major. thanx again

[Brianmoooore]

Stick with the genuine bushes for any road going E30, possibly M3 front control arm bushes.
The rear brake lines I referred to are easy to make, but near impossible to fit without either removing the fuel tank or rear axle beam

[nickso]

Anyone who fails an MOT on things like light bulbs, wiper blades, washers, etc. decerves to get clobbered for a full retest fee for being too thick to own a car!

any mot centre that doesnt give a free retest for those items doesnt deserve my custom.

its taken me 12 years to find a good mot place

[ChizFab]

i use same one me dads been using for 10 years, quality

watch out for corrosion at the rear subframe mounts on the chassis, they cant be bad for that i have heard from a mate of mine who was doin mots.

[Brianmoooore]

i
watch out for corrosion at the rear subframe mounts on the chassis,

??? Not on any E30 I've seen! Think you must mean the rubber bushes.

[ChizFab]

maybe its just scotland lol!!!

my mates was testing for a while and condemed atleast 2 for that!!! and advised/failed a couple too.

[TURBODOCTOR]

passed no advisorys either. although the lads call our local test place "the blind school"!

[Brianmoooore]

passed no advisorys either. although the lads call our local test place "the blind school"!

Told you so! Think of all the money you've wasted getting Fords through MOTs, when you could have been driving an E30 all along!