Rear coil spring moves when jacked up - MOT failure?

t6blo

t6blo

Ex-owner
VIP Member
T6 Legend
Just been doing some pre-MOT checks on my van.

I have STX coilovers fitted and the adjusters are wound all the way down as low as it will go.

When jacking the rear wheels and allowing them to droop, the rear springs move when wiggled about. They can’t dislocate at all and have the rubber seats at the bottom but the spring will visibly move and is not under tension.

Is this an MOT failure?


MOT tester manual says this so I am assuming it will fail and I will have to wind the adjusters out to take up the slack and make my van (temporarily) look like a dragster :rolleyes:

DefectCategory
(a) A spring:

(i) insecurely attached to chassis or axle
(ii) with fixings loose to the extent that relative movement is visible

Major
Dangerous
 
Maybe I’m just being overly cautious - I hate MOTs with a passion (yes I know they’re for safety) and my, perhaps incorrect assumption, is that a main dealer MOT tester might be more fussy.

Anyhoo, I have jacked up the rear both sides and let the rear wheels droop together, then turned the adjusters until the spring is tight with no movement - and now have a 15mm higher rear end :rolleyes:

MOT is Friday so not long to having it looking stupidly raked.
 
Loose spring when jacked up is normal shouldn’t fail an mot on that, if you are concerned about them becoming loose under normal driving conditions you can fit helper springs but not reallly necessary as the spring can’t go anywhere and you aren’t doing dukes of hazard bridge jumps
 
It’s that time again and I’ve now got adjuster deletes fitted at the rear so the spring moves around abit more when jacked up on drooping rear suspension.

Is this going to fail?
 
t6blo said:
It’s that time again and I’ve now got adjuster deletes fitted at the rear so the spring moves around abit more when jacked up on drooping rear suspension.

Is this going to fail?
Click to expand...
If the spring doesn't come out when jacked up, then it's a pass. If it falls out when jacked up, it's a fail.

Just because you can move the spring about, it won't fail on that. But if when the suspension is back in it's resting position the spring doesn't locate itself correctly, then it's a fail
 
Dundee_Kev said:
If the spring doesn't come out when jacked up, then it's a pass. If it falls out when jacked up, it's a fail.

Just because you can move the spring about, it won't fail on that. But if when the suspension is back in it's resting position the spring doesn't locate itself correctly, then it's a fail
Click to expand...
Awesome - thanks
 
Old school - drill the mount and cable tie the spring ....doesnt help the mount long term as the rust then sets in . :oops:

Whens your mot?
 
The MOT is to ensure your vehicle is road worthy, does your panic before the test imply that you believe it isn’t? If so why not make the fixes asap instead of waiting for the test. I can understand pre checks before the test, that’s just sensible to ensure it doesn’t fail on anything silly, lights, tyres etc but your prep seems a bit extreme.

Anyway, isn’t standard procedure to keep fingers crossed for 24 hrs, pray to the patron saint of road vehicles and promise your soul to the devil if the vehicle passes? That’s my prep. Good luck! :thumbsup:
 
Dundee_Kev said:
If the spring doesn't come out when jacked up, then it's a pass. If it falls out when jacked up, it's a fail.

Just because you can move the spring about, it won't fail on that. But if when the suspension is back in it's resting position the spring doesn't locate itself correctly, then it's a fail
Click to expand...
Nice clear answer - kev does MOTs, so we'll go with his opinion.

@t6blo are you ALLIN for MOT? Or taking to your local 3rd party shop?
 
t6blo said:
I’ve got All-in so Major service and MOT next week :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
The main dealers are a mixed bag in my experience.

VW Dartford didnt even do a proper MOT and missed stuff out, (Service + MOT)

VW Loughton done a glancing blow of a MOT (service + MOT)

VW Chelmford Done a full blown 1.5hr forensic inspection with HC video. (just MOT)

so i think i depends on what garage, whos doing the test and how busy they are . . . . . my results are erratic to say the least.

++++++


yet my local indy MOT garage is rock solid reliable, and firm but fair.

but seeing as i have ALL-IN on both vans i might as well us the VW garage as im paying for it . . . .
 
Got the STX coil overs myself with the adjusted removed from the rear. I was also slightly worried about your scenario when I went for MOT the other week, no issues, passed. One thing I did notice tho is they jacked it up on both sides at the same time on the rear arms meaning the weight of the van was still on the suspension, this was also the case when I went to get my wheels balanced a few months ago.

Cheers Lee
 
t6blo said:
I’ve got All-in so Major service and MOT next week :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I just had mine MOTed at a main dealer. Same STX coilovers, with adjuster delete option. No mention of it on the MOT 'certificate'. I did get an advisory that my bumper reflectors were not red as I have put a dark tint on them, so there were being picky.
 
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