The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

It is now up for auction...https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1135861

Tony.

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NOW A CLUB MEMBER 2017057

Hell of an MoT fail in May..

Repair immediately (major defects):
Driver's seat fore and aft adjustment mechanism not functioning as intended. (6.2.5 (b) (i))
Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))
Offside Rear Service brake effort inadequate at a wheel (1.2.1 (a) (i))
Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))
Nearside Front Lower Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush (5.3.2 (c))
Offside Front Steering component mounting prescribed area is excessively corroded cross member (2.1.2 (e) (i))
Offside Rear Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))
Nearside Front Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))
Offside Front Service brake excessively binding (1.2.1 (f))
Nearside Headlamp insecure (4.1.1 (c))
Offside Headlamp insecure (4.1.1 (c))
Rear Brakes imbalanced across an axle Axle 2 (1.2.1 (b) (i))
Repair as soon as possible (minor defects):
All direction indicators flashing less than 60 times a minute (4.4.4 (a))
Offside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))
Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Vehicle structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i))
Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
Nearside Play in steering rack inner joint(s) ()
Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
Front Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))

Most of that list isn't much that a normal Dolly owner couldn't sort out before the MOT.
Rear brakes
Front Brakes
Tyres
Indicators
Number plate
Windscreen wiper
Fog light.......

Which leaves:
Welding - Driver's seat mount broken - my old one had 4 attempts at repair before a welder with a TIG and dissimilar metal rods sorted it. Had the same in the 80s on my original Dolly. (It has a new frame now).
Inner steering rack joint
Shock mounts
Headlamps loose - could be a quick fix, may need panels.

So in my mind not much of an mot fail, just a lazy owner.....and a picky mot tester - windscreen wiper not clearing the screen? Really?

The only thing there that scares me even a little is the rot in the subframe. (Item 6)

It says drivers seat adjustment not working, which, as anybody who knows Dolomites will translate as, it's probably stuck in one position, a not uncommon problem with Dolomites that are used infrequently by only one person! This wasn't even a testable item till last year and calling it a major fail is a travesty of rules over common sense!

The rest of it is simple recommissioning work, typical of what you'd find if you took a Dolly straight from the barn/garage/museum where you found it, directly to an extremely picky MOT tester!

Since the car apparently now HAS an MOT, I can't see what the problem is!

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

It's running on the old MoT that was about to expire. I realise none of this is excessive work, but it's dishonest not to mention in the advert that it failed its most recent MoT!

That car has been for sale on C&C for at least the 2 years I've been eyeing up Dolly's and looking for one! It's gone from £3200 to £2000. Not in a constant downward line either. Sometimes it's relisted higher than last time, sometimes lower!

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Current Heaps: 1968 Austin 1100, 1974 Dolomite Sprint, 1974 MGB GT, 1985 BMW E28 520i, 2000 Porsche Boxster, 2002 Clio 172 and a boring 2010 Audi A4 that keeps the wife happy!

Didn't actually look at the car ad posted by Tony till just now and thought it was the tidy green late Sprint that had appeared on C+C recently! Which did have MOT!

My mistake

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

This thing is still floating around! I'm starting to feel sorry for the poor old thing.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 4413116096

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Current Heaps: 1968 Austin 1100, 1974 Dolomite Sprint, 1974 MGB GT, 1985 BMW E28 520i, 2000 Porsche Boxster, 2002 Clio 172 and a boring 2010 Audi A4 that keeps the wife happy!

Presumably it's going to a new home now as there is no reserve on it?

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Sprintless for the first time in 35+ years. ... Still Sprintless.

Engines, Gearboxes, Overdrives etc. rebuilt. PM me.


1997 TVR Chimaera 450

Hopefully! Providing that the winning bidder on the auction actually turns up and completes the deal of course.

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Current Heaps: 1968 Austin 1100, 1974 Dolomite Sprint, 1974 MGB GT, 1985 BMW E28 520i, 2000 Porsche Boxster, 2002 Clio 172 and a boring 2010 Audi A4 that keeps the wife happy!

Far from being picky, first off where does it say anything about the seat mount being broken and needing welding and 2nd the wiper not clearing the screen is kinda important and a major issue if the driver can't see where they are going?

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Some people are like Slinky's, they serve no real purpose in life but bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

Correct on the first count Justin, it doesn't say the seat mount is broken, it says it doesn't slide correctly, a different issue altogether and one I pointed out further up this thread. It's so common on Dolomites as not to be worth mentioning, but it HAS recently become part of the MOT that the drivers seat MUST slide as designed, so I guess we're stuck with it (pun intended) I do know a guy who has had trouble at MOT time with both his locked down racing seat and 4 point harnesses since they don't conform to MOT regs. But are a must for the MSA rallies he also indulges in. I recommended a more sensible MOT tester!

Regarding the wiper blade, the blade is not the difference between passing and failing, far from it! Generating a failure, JUST for the wiper blade, would be picky and petty but that's not what's happened here! So it's just another add to a long list of jobs to do, and I understand, from a testers point of view, why it's there! I don't quite understand describing it as a "Major" fault, but them's the rules, what can't be cured, must be endured!

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.

What would scare about that MOT is what it suggests about the condition of the rest of the vehicle. The tester isn't allowed to get a screwdriver and start poking holes in it. So with that list of faults I would be on the look out for hidden rot.

Windscreen wipers not clearing can either be them not moving, not covering the whole screen or simply the blades are knackered!

I inherited my Grandads old Laguna II the other week and I had it transported straight to my local garage for an MOT. Despite being sat up for at least two years, it only failed on wipers first time. Naturally as they were quite old, they'd gone hard and were not very effective. Garage stuck new ones on and naturally it passed.

In this age of computerised MOTs, MOT tester automated grading and DVSA random MOT station inspections, most testers like to do things strictly to the book. Especially here in Bristol where the DVSA is based.

That being said, going on the advisories, I would wager that it's either a new tester or one that is overly anal/cautious.

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Current Heaps: 1968 Austin 1100, 1974 Dolomite Sprint, 1974 MGB GT, 1985 BMW E28 520i, 2000 Porsche Boxster, 2002 Clio 172 and a boring 2010 Audi A4 that keeps the wife happy!

The one I like is the minor for indicators flashing at less than 60 per minute.

Bet he tested them without the engine running!

The advisory for play in the rack inner joint is only advisory since it CANNOT be a fail as a tester can't fail what he can't see! Since the gaitor covers the joint in question it cannot be seen and the play COULD have another cause (in theory) Even if the inner joint has 1/2" of slop in it, it's only an advisory! So this might actually be a BIG problem that appears to be a small one! Whilst the wiper blade is a major fail for a 2 minute £5 fix! Ironic or what?

Steve

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'73 2 door Toledo with Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 8v engine (The Carledo)
'78 Sprint Auto with Vauxhall Omega 2.2 16v engine (The Dolomega)
'72 Triumph 1500FWD in Slate Grey, Now with RWD and Carledo powertrain!

Maverick Triumph, Servicing, Repairs, Electrical, Recomissioning, MOT prep, Trackerjack brake fitting service.
Apprentice served Triumph Specialist for 50 years. PM for more info or quotes.