Take your beloved Scooby out on his own with a Taplow meter to test the brakes??

Most places don't have 2 axle rolling roads do they?

So? if you took your car for an MOT to somewhere like Nationwide Autocentre - would you let them go out alone and (possibly) thrash the nuts off your baby and maybe curb it? Not many testers ever get to drive something like an Impreza Turbo (surely they would enjoy it to the full?)

Pete

 

My tester has me drive the Scoob and he sits in front passenger seat to do the brake test.
You're right it's cos they only have 1 axle set of brake test rollers.
Thing is brake test is only from 20 mph so doesn't really check rear brakes does it.

 

The rolling roads work fine with Scoobs, you don't need to test them with the taplow meter, I should know, I'm an MOT inspector and Have assisted with my scoobs for the past 5 years?!?!

 

So you don't get wind up then?

 

Where do you do MOTs?
Just so I know where not to go

I let them take mine out with a brake meter, as they won't do it on the brake tester cause it's 4WD - though I do know them very well, and trust them - wouldn't be the same at somewhere like a Nationwide Autocentre.

 

I'm not sure it matters too much.
The local Subaru main dealer apparently only has 1 axle brake tester!

 

Maybe I have just a little more experience than them, worked on scoobs for a few years now, only scoobs that really need a tapley meter are any with fancy centre diffs (ie JDM STi's, and recent UK STi's but oops there not 3 years old, so don't need to include them yet). So don't include me in your stupid phrase as "stupid is as stupid does", now go "run Forrest run".
Craig

 

I let the MOT inspector put mine on a 2 wheel rolling road last time with no problems, Got some abuse on here for it though

 

There is no problem with it andy if your car has a standard centre diff that can split quite comfortably without winding up (ie DCCD diffs etc). Some people just enjoy telling there grannies how to suck eggs.
Craig

 

Well SUBARU, you know? the people who actually designed and built my car say do NOT do it .......................

With all due respect I will place a little more weight to their advice - my point was whether you let the tester take the scooby out on his own?

Pete

 

only if i knew and trusted them would i let them take it out.or if they are used to working and driving scoobs.
i wouldnt really want to take it someplace i couldnt trust.

 

Rubbish! You HAVE to use a Taplow on a Scooby. Of course the "rolling road will work" as you're only testing the brakes; but it will, in all probability, f*ck the diff. Dont you wonder what that 'hot' smell is?

In answer to your question Pete; Im invited to drive but as they do it on the road outside I dont take them up on it.

Simon

 

I let my local jap performance garage take mine out - it had done 7 miles when I got it back... Doesnt normally take me that long to get up to 20mph.....
Huh!!
P

 

it in the manual not to run a scooby on a 2 axle rolling roads. It tells you to jack the other end up. BOTH wheels

 

Thats what I don't want to happen!

Took my beloved Calibra to a Lex Autocentre to get the outer boots replaced - came back to find my car had 12 miles or so added to it and the lower suspension arm bent!!

They said they didn't take it out!! Oh, yeah! I saw them all looking it over when I took it in .............. and I left it with them!! NEVER again!!

Pete

 

I run an MOT center and i would not let my testers test a permanent 4 wheel drive vehicle on the single roller brake tester.If a car gets broken whilst you are testing it the garage is responsible for it,that goes for cam belts as well.My garage is in central London and we test alot of high end cars,I trust my testers to do a proffessional job and have never had a problem with any customers cars.I will add choose your garage carefully and one without kids working their.My 3 testers are in their late 30s to early 40s.Just one more point a tapley meter is a very crude way of testing brakes as it will not show up brake imbalance like the rollers would.You could leave your subaru at my workshop with the confidence that it would be looked after properly.Being the owner of an 04sti i wouldnt have it any other way. JASON

 

have to agree with craig for the short time that it will be on the rollers no damage will be done. probably more damage gets done whilst caning it around a track day!

 

You'll never get a true brake reading on rollers with the rear brakes anyway due to the LSD on the back axle....

And your not supposed to put cars with LSD's on either - especially if they test each wheel independantly - which most modern rollers do

 

I take mine to a subaru specialist (scoobyclinic) who take it to an MOT station. I assume as they have been doing this for a long time that they know what they are doing.

Other than that I would take it to the main dealer.

 

Take your Scooby to your local dealer Ive never had a problem at all, MOT is priced similar at most places anyway but also you get that peice of mind.

 

Yes, maybe ...... but, its like this see ...... at Nationwide Autocentres I don't pay anything if it doesn't pass AND I get 33% OFF if it does!!

Its just that they tend to LOOK for work rather than being straight and honest!

Pete

 

Sorry mate but you shouldn't be an MOT tester if you CAN'T READ and understand the rules.
In 'The Testers Manual' it clearly states that 'Four wheel drives and any vehicles fitted with Limited slip differentials or belt driven transmissions ' must NOT be brake roller tested.

Any damage caused to a customers vehicle whilst being 'incorrectly' tested is down the Garage and Mechanic.


Pete...If you believe your car is being incorrectly tested then report them to your local VOSA office,it's garages like these that give the motor trade a bad name.
If you want to pop down my way you will get an MOT with your car being tested the correct way.

steve (Authorised Examiner,Mot tester and Quality controller)

 

Subaru also tell you not to modify your car and use genuine Subaru parts at all times, do you stick to that one.
If other MOT inspectors that have placed posts on here (and please note that I have only tested my own cars on rollers with no detriment, not customers) and given advice properly instead of touting for business (against ScoobyNet rules I believe), then you would have been told that as well as having a viewing area where you can safely watch your vehicle being inspected, you are entitled to go along as a passenger (at no point during your test should you be the assistant, as along with unethical, a customer is assumed not to have been trained to the correct standard), where you watch that the vehicle is being tested in a professional manner. If you at any point have any dispute with the way your car is being treated, there is a notice board in all MOT stations informing you of your rights.
This is also a little more than the answer you required, which is yes, I would let them test my car as it is on their insurance
Craig

 

still with cgaig on this some people are just total a*******s

 

See the roller brake test page here http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_370.htm

 

apart from jap scrap imports and special cars like the wr1 and 22b which had a lockable centre diff, the centre diff on scoobs is a viscous coupling not a limited slip type it is designed to slip and allow the axels to turn at different speeds what do you think happens when you go round roundabouts at speeds far greater than the rollers will ever turn the wheels? is that not making the centre diff work harder and faster?
that section in many mot testers eyes refers to vehicles like land rovers where the 4wd is mechanical and cannot be used in rollers as the vehicle will just climb out of them.

 

You seem to be ignoring the fact that the Impreza Turbo has a rear LSD in addition to the centre viscous coupling (wich is also an LSD type coupling). Which is also listed in the excemption list of the handbook.

 

When is there ever a 20mph difference between wheel speeds on the road (unless you're locked up under braking?)

Your diffs, your choice, but any MOT tester caught putting my car on the rollers will be replacing the diffs shortly afterwards.

 

why does everyone think that because it's a viscous coupling it has to be a lsd
and who said anything about 20mph?

 

I can't vouch for Scooby Clinic, and I've never heard complaints about them. However, just because someone has been doing something for a long time it doesn't mean you can assume they are doing it right.

I know someone fairly local who has been working with cars for over 25 years, Subaru's for 5 years and I wouldn't trust them to change gear, let alone do an MOT!