87 Scala MOT failure - translation required please!!

[kidcrewbob]

• "Seat belt anchorage prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reducedNearside Rear (sill enclose) [7.1.1(a) (i)]"
  "Suspension component mountimg prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Nearside Rear (sill enclose) [5.3.6 (a) (i)]

So does this sound like a 2 birds with one stone ie both would require either a patching / repai job or would a new sill be required ??? (I know I should have asked to be shown what they'd found but it was too late by time I picked it up) - what pisses me off is that I bought this Rocco with 12 month ticket and neither of these faults were found last time, even as advisories - given I've only covered c.500 miles since & had it garaged most of the time I can only deduce that these were "overlooked" last year.

Also had these failures :-
Brakes imbalanced across an axle Rear (axle 2) [1.2.1 (b) (i)]
Brakes imbalanced across an axle Rear (nearside rear has reduced effort) [1.2.1 (b) (i)]

Guessing a good strip down and replace / service would suffice although again, rear brake issues were deemed failures last year :-

• Nearside Rear Service brake effort inadequate at a wheel (1.2.1 (a) (i))
  Offside Rear Service brake effort inadequate at a wheel (1.2.1 (a) (i))
  Offside Rear Parking brake inoperative on one side (1.4.1 (a))
  Rear Brakes imbalanced across an axle Axle 2 (1.2.1 (b) (i))

..and were supposedly fixed - not very well it would seem. Again if I'd put several thousand miles on it & thrashed it around etc maybe I could believe it but cynic might suspect dodgy MOT was issued. Grrrrr

[essextom]

the rust is around the same area, but would need to be inspected to see if its just patches or repair panels.

yeah a rear brake rebuild should sort your braking issues, probably an iffy brake cylinder, had the same with mine at last mot.

[farley381]

If it isn't a seized or leaking slave cylinder then it could be a mis-matched pair. There are two different sizes (piston diameter) of slave cylinder that can fit the back brakes. I bet you've got one big & one small. How do i know? I had the same MOT fail - took 3 me retests before I sussed it!

[GT_II]

I suspect it most likely was laziness on the part of the tester last time. Unfortunately, MOT test standards can vary quite a lot. I've witnessed a couple of shockingly lax tests on my family's vehicles in the last few years, admittedly on relatively new cars in tip top condition, with testers basically biding time, only giving the underside of the vehicle a casual inspection underneath while on the lift, and not even bothering to stick the test probe into the exhaust pipe during the emissions test.

Having said that, there is no guarantee your current fail for corrosion is justified. To fail, "the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of the seat belt anchorage or suspension component mounting must be significantly reduced or inadequately repaired". This could be quite subjective - typically the tester is expected to prod areas of corrosion with a special tool to see if the metalwork gives. It might be worth having a look at the sills yourself, maybe with the help of a large mirror and a lamp, to see if you can find the problem area.

[kidcrewbob]

Thanks for the input chaps - will have a good look tomorrow if the weather holds........

[Rocco Horror]

I wouldn't worry about the previous test being dodgy. Many years ago my camper failed the mot with quite significant chassis rot, yet it was the same tester as the year before. He even commented on how quickly it had gone downhill. It may be that it's been put away wet and allowed to fester somewhat if it's been garaged.

[Nate]

so what did you find? quite often the tester will mark the area they have failed with crayon

[kidcrewbob]

Seems it failed with some justification but f*cked if I can post the images here - hosted on Imgur but will NOT resolve here other than a URL - if I post the URL in the "image" brackets it just says IMAGE FFS !!!!

Anyhow, welding will be required and pretty certain my Rocco was subject to a very lax MOT test in 2019 just before i bought it and the rot has been well concealed from the naked eye by the plastic wheel arch trim - also, as a result of ripping the plastic trim off right back to where it meets the back n/s bumper found a big hole that the tester didn't - so will have to do that as well.

Before splashing out on a bunch of body repairs, decided to do the front running gear, bearings etc and fit a new torque converter that I've had for a while - if that cures the juddering in D when stopped at junctions I'll stick with it and do it if not time to dismantle and try and claw some money back.....

[kidcrewbob]

Finally worked out how to post images!! So, this probably looks worse than it is but will need to learn to weld or get a body shop to sort. The discovery of the hole befind the back nearside bumper was a bonus that the MOT didn't spot - just became apparent when I pulled the plastic body kit off - which was a bast$rd of a job in itself! Opinions as to the challenge welcome.......

[Vic]

On taking the body kit off my car that had been off the road for 9 years I had similar problems. I'm lucky enough to have a friend who does my welding. I love making the repair panel side so it works for us and cuts down the time for him. If you're able to and if you feel confident grab some cardboard and make some templates. I tend to recycle steel if I can from old doors or bonnet etc. Be prepared once it's cut out it will be a bigger hole. Some of the panels are more than one panel and spot welded together. There may be a mobile welder who would appreciate the work. I know the current situation doesn't help with things but persevere. All the best in getting it sorted.