[saviller]

After all the clutch problems I had prior to the original SVA date, I finally got down to VOSA in Southampton for my test last Weds.
It wasn't long before the news came that the car had failed - thankfully not on a great deal, but lots of little niggles.
1) All exposed cables need to be enclosed in convoluted tubing - YES - everything regardless of whether it is already in cable wrap and cable tied - all headlamp/indicator wiring - all ingition system wiring - even the wiring in the boot for the number plate lamp because it goes across the body to boot lid gap.
2) It failed on the skid test - I now need to fit a brake balancing valve - in several attermpts, the rear brakes locked up before the front brakes - this is with a standard Sierra set up, disks front, drums rear. It did pass on the longtitudinal test on the test machine, but failed on the visibal test - Now, it may be down to having new disks, pads amd calipers, but I thought I had bedded them in OK. Not a long job but a hassle.
3) Seat belts - I had the floor pan lowered by Pilgrim, and bolted the seats directly to the floor, as I quite tall - this meant that the catch and stalk were higher than they should be resulting in the sealt bely going across the stomach, rather than across the pelvis - this is now sorted - THANKS to Pilgrim, they sent me a set of catches with a shorter stalk FOC.
4)Dashboard failed due to lower radius - I think I stretched the leather too tight, thus squashing the foam, making the dashboard too hard - simple job to fix - I'll put additional foam under the leather for the test.
5) Brake pipes need protection if fixing the wiring to them using cable ties. I did this when routing the speedo sensor wires - I need to remove cable ties, wrap brake pipe in rubber and re-fit the cable ties.
6) I got done for the radius on the end of the read nudge bar - foam and cable ties needed there.

All in all, nothing disasterous.
Pleased that all the major stuff was fine - Speedo no problem (used ETB disk) Noise OK - 99Db