Horror story: Looking tired
We see a lot of tyres below the legal limit and it’s regularly among the top five failure items, but we hope you don’t see many like this.
Horror stories
Horror story: Don't do it yourself
This photo was sent in by Stuart Heath of the Porsche Centre Solihull. It shows that not even high value sports cars are immune to incompetent DIY repairs. It’s not uncommon for amateur mechanics to put brake pads in the …
Horror story: Wooden suspension
A novel way to stop that suspension knock! The owner said he'd done a repair to the suspension to stop a knocking noise.
Horror story: Pothole damage
Sent in by Andy Evans, this photo shows damage to the wheel and tyre of a BMW 5 series believed to be the result of a pothole.
Horror story: More hidden corrosion
Here’s another example of sub-frame corrosion, this time sent in by Tim Jones, as found on a Vauxhall Zafira. Tim says he was using the shaker plates on his ATL and initially thought the observed play was because of wear in the wishbone bushes. But closer inspection showed it to actually be the sub-frame moving.
Horror story: Squeaky brakes
This might not be your average road safety horror story, but we’re sure Pete Smith (NT) was shocked when he spotted this furry creature. Squeaky brakes? Surely this can’t be the reason.
Horror story: New shoes
This is one for the motorcyclists out there – sent in by Daren Butler of Jim Aim Motorcycles, North Essex. Daren told us ”When testing this Kawasaki ER-5, the rear drum brake did not feel right and it locked on …
Horror story: An extra spring
Notice anything different about the rear of this Ford Fiesta Courier? Surely this vehicle usually has a torsion bar suspension. Andy Black of ABs MOTs in Penrith sent us this photo of a courier they had in for test. Apparently …
Horror story: A bad egg
We often get asked about bulges in tyres and when do they constitute an MOT failure. Well the manual gives a reason for rejection which states “a tyre has: a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure …
Horror story: Worn to the cord
Missing regular servicing can not only be costly in the long run, but can also compromise road safety. The tyres on the front of this 51 plate ‘Toyota Yaris’ had clearly not been checked for some time.