My van is going in for annual test on Friday and is not being steamcleaned because the fitter (outside contractor) says you don’t have to bother with this anymore.
Everywhere i’ve worked for the last 23years has always steamcleaned the underside of the vehicles for test as a matter of course.
I mentioned it to my boss and said that in my opinion,just for peace of mind,it’s worth spending £40 to have it done.
Is it still a requirement?
Does it depend on what mood the tester is in?
Or don’t you have to bother anymore?
its common sense, he has to be able to see the nuts and bolts/joints/bushes etc to be able to see if theres any play anywhere, if he cant see what he needs to check for test then they just wont entertain it, i must admit i dont go as mad as i used to but it still gets a good 20 mins underneath before test, i think it makes you look a bit of a [zb] if you dont bother at all
Don’t think it needs to be gleaming spotless. I never steam clean, but do give the underside a blast with the pressure washer to make sure the chassis and axles arn’t plastered in wet/caked ■■■■ and any spray suppression is clear of clogged mud. If its raining on test day they get wet and dirty under there anyway, whether steam cleaned or not.
Big Joe:
Don’t think it needs to be gleaming spotless. I never steam clean, but do give the underside a blast with the pressure washer to make sure the chassis and axles arn’t plastered in wet/caked [zb] and any spray suppression is clear of clogged mud. If its raining on test day they get wet and dirty under there anyway, whether steam cleaned or not.
This is another thread that has no exact answer, it all depends on your own personal standards. If you are keen and care for your vehicles and have a bit of pride in what you do, then give it a good steam clean all over, if your slack and dont really give a ■■■■ then give it a quick lick and crack on.
At the end of the day the only people it affects is the guy/girl who is poking and shaking around under the wagon (And writing the defect reports) and the person who picks up the maintenance bill for defects.
It does not take much effort from the old grey matter to realise that a mechanic/inspector will appreciate a clean(ish) working enviroment…
Our lorries are taken off the road for at least a week before the test date to be overhauled, some 2 working weeks if they’re old motors or have been unreliable. The first day is just the fitters washing down, then steam cleaning before putting the lorry on ramps and steaming the underside.
Mine’s in for service on Friday so I’ll be taken off the road Thursday lunchtime and given all afternoon just to wash it and clean the interior The subbies we use can’t believe we get given that much time.
It’s always been my view that, whatever the legal aspect, presentation does make a difference. A clean lorry or van with evidence of having been looked after will always get a better assessmant than a dirty old heap.
Just wondered how many steam clean/ power wash their cars before a test?
In times of tight budgets spending money on a wash is a total waste of money, never had a vehicle back yet thats failed on being dirty
£ 40 on a wash where do you take it? The OP did say it was a van, that’s a full valet round here
I don’t think it has ever been a legal requirement but as others have said it is good manners to present any vehicle for test in a clean condition. I’m sure in some cases it will mean the difference between a pass and a fail as if it looks like you care for the vehicle they might be more likely to overlook something that is borderline rather than fail you on it.
repton:
I’m sure in some cases it will mean the difference between a pass and a fail as if it looks like you care for the vehicle they might be more likely to overlook something that is borderline rather than fail you on it.
Paul
Thats my experience, go on the last minute with a vehicle thats still minging with ■■■■ and road detritus and they’ll look harder to find something that gives them an excuse to send it away and get rid of it out of the station. Clean it up and something that may be borderline may end up with an ‘‘advisory word’’ about it, but still leaves the facility with a pass certificate
I agree with several of the other comments already. If the Examiner is hunting around in mud, muck and other nasties they may well be of the opinion that the vehicle is not looked after/maintained and so will be looking extra hard to find faults.
Foxstein:
Just wondered how many steam clean/ power wash their cars before a test?
Not many at all I wouldn’t have thought, but then again how many cars have components on the underside that have chods of grease that the muck will stick in (kingpins, drag links, propshafts, clutch pivots, camshafts, slack adjusters) ?
Foxstein:
£40 on a wash where do you take it?
For a truck/trailer, that’s not a bad price at all. To do the job properly it’s over 3 hours work, how much do your fitters charge?
As above, it depends on your standards really. I make sure all of ours are done before test, and I make sure they’re spotless.
Thanks for the replies.
I’m of the opinion that going in with a vehicle that looks like you’ve made an effort can make the difference between a pass or a fail if the examiner finds something borderline.
But i’ve made my boss aware and so it’s down to him.
Foxstein:
Just wondered how many steam clean/ power wash their cars before a test?
Not many at all I wouldn’t have thought, but then again how many cars have components on the underside that have chods of grease that the muck will stick in (kingpins, drag links, propshafts, clutch pivots, camshafts, slack adjusters) ?
Foxstein:
£40 on a wash where do you take it?
For a truck/trailer, that’s not a bad price at all. To do the job properly it’s over 3 hours work, how much do your fitters charge?
As above, it depends on your standards really. I make sure all of ours are done before test, and I make sure they’re spotless.
It might well be a good price for a truck trailer but the OP said it was for a van, not even a 7.5t, for all we know it might be a transit. Even if it was a 3.5t van how many of these get washed underneath, unless you want to lay on the floor doing it.
You could take a van to a garage jet wash and do it yourself for about £6
Our eight leggers used to have a steam off in our own bay, took around three hours to do it properly but was possibly OTT for the actual test but made inspection for pre MOT easier. I think that as long as the main steering joints and springs etc are clean then they aren’t too bothered really.
I recall back in the '70’s there was an old chap who was a Thatcher by trade, he ran an old 1947 Bedford that he had owned from new, and we used to take our wrecker to his yard and lift the lorry onto a heavy chain stretched between two trees where he would clean all underneath with a brush and paraffin! A few days later we would lift it down again, it would have cost far less to have us steam clean it in the first place haha.
I washed mine for service this afternoon, started at 1pm and including washing the bay down and getting cleaned up I finished at 3.30. It was so cold the water was freezing not long after hitting the floor, and my brakes didn’t like it when I moved…Even had to used diff locks to actually get off the concrete pad.
The only reason the pressure washer worked was because the hose and lance was found wrapped around a radiator in the workshop
The subbies we use can’t believe we get given that much time.
