MOT advisory - shock bolts

[T-3PO]

I got an advisory on the MOT last year that I thought I'd try and sort out

"All shock absorbers have no lock devices on bolts"

As I explained to Mr MOT man there never was any, he said there should be, I explained that it was him that MOT'd it the year before and never gave it as an advisory! He says he paid particular attention to it this time as he could see the amount of work that had been done on the suspension ie, lowered, new shocks, various new bushes blah blah and that there should be some sort of spring or lock device on the lower shock bolts.

I've checked Vagcat and they don't show anything, is there something special about the actual nuts themselves? Are they oval? Or they supposed to be nylock nuts? Or is there supposed to be some sort of spring washer and it's just that Vagcat doesn't show it?

Help! If you can, I want to go in with some ammo this time as I'd rather not have any advisory if it can be help


Ta.

[Ian Hulley]

To comply simply fit M12 x 1.5 nyloc nuts ... IIRC this is a metric fine thread as the 'standard' is 1.75 tpi.

Ian

[T-3PO]

Cheers Ian, but any ideas what was supposed to have been fitted in the first place? I'm guessing I was the first person to take them off so they must have been stock nuts but they sure didn't look like nylock. Quite frankly I don't want to have to change them just to please some pedantic MOT man .... but if I really have to then M12 nylocks are on my shopping list!

[Ian Hulley]

There's plain nuts on mine and they were stock. Tis the price to have a happy test man I guess, cheap at 1/2 the price

Ian

[Eddiethemartian]

Quite frankly I don't want to have to change them just to please some pedantic MOT man ....

Fair point, but you might as well change them for safety and peace of mind. Quick job, only a few pence, why not just do it - if it keeps your MOT man happy that's a bonus!

Eddie.

[Ian Hulley]

Hell hath no fury than an MOT man scorned ... could be a VERY expensive mistake to rile him.

[Eddiethemartian]

Hell hath no fury than an MOT man scorned ... could be a VERY expensive mistake to rile him.

So true - Perhaps you should replace the nuts T-3PO - and buy him some flowers and chocolate as well....

[R0B]

i think ian would prefer beer

and buy him some flowers and chocolate as well

[T-3PO]

i think ian would prefer beer

and buy him some flowers and chocolate as well

Ian or the MOT man? .............. or is Ian an MOT man???


Now to try and source some ... and preferably not from B&Q either! You reckon GSF might do them? Decent fixings and fastner shops are a bit thin on the ground round my way these days.

[Ian Hulley]

PM me your home or work address

Ian

[fullsunian]

Your tester is talking out his butt mate. He must have done that as a manual advise, as its not in the book and he couldn't fail the shockers for not having locking nuts or locking devise anyway...take it somewhere else next year
IAN

[Aidan]

Ian
but can you confirm that if the nut on an original tie rod end (ie drilled for castle nut and splt pin) is swapped for a nylock as per current pattern tie rod ends is that a fail ? As HacksawBob had that pulled on him by mot man last time, which didn't make sense to me as the nut is above the splitpin hole thus any weakness is below the point of fixing and the nylock is itself a satisfactory locking device ?

[jamesc76]

Shock bolts if they dont have a nyloc on um should have thread lock? Thats what I was told on my C&G mechanics course! So how would your tester know there aint any on um ???????

[fullsunian]

Shock bolts if they dont have a nyloc on um should have thread lock? Thats what I was told on my C&G mechanics course! So how would your tester know there aint any on um ???????

James. yes good working practice but there is nothing in the testers manual about locking devices on shocker bolts.
Aiden, yes tie rod, track rod end and ball joints need a locking device, doesnt matter if its a nylock or split pin, as long as locked. I wouldn't fail if a split pin was changed for a nylock, I would be just looking for a locking device..
IAN

[T-3PO]

Ian
but can you confirm that if the nut on an original tie rod end (ie drilled for castle nut and splt pin) is swapped for a nylock as per current pattern tie rod ends is that a fail ? As HacksawBob had that pulled on him by mot man last time, which didn't make sense to me as the nut is above the splitpin hole thus any weakness is below the point of fixing and the nylock is itself a satisfactory locking device ?

Aidan/Hacksawbob ... for what its worth that was also something that was changed as part of the work done and both ends, neither used castle and pins, both nylock from GSF and no mention of that on the MOT

Shock bolts if they dont have a nyloc on um should have thread lock? Thats what I was told on my C&G mechanics course! So how would your tester know there aint any on um ???????

... As the bolts had been cleaned on a wire wheel there was a blob on each, all be it a smallish blob ... answer ... he ain't gunna know and didn't know so I doubt it makes any difference but for peace of mind?

Your tester is talking out his butt mate. He must have done that as a manual advise, as its not in the book and he couldn't fail the shockers for not having locking nuts or locking devise anyway...take it somewhere else next year
IAN

I'm thinking of doing just that, I'm a bit annoyed with him now, he has a rep for being sensible with older vehicles and therefore gets alot of business from classic car owners. Odd thing about it though was it failed with lots of welding needed plus 2 advisories, this one and one about the front steps being plated/pop riveted ... but thats another story . The guy who did the welding took so long to do the work the MOT re-test preiod expired so he took it elsewhere and had another full MOT done but even that cert showed both the advisories. Do advisories show on the MOT computer database?