MOT Tow Bar Electrics Check

Sheppy

Sheppy

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I'm not really sure if this is the best place but thought many of you might like to know:

My car failed its MOT today due to the tow bar electrics. They started checking tow bar mechanics at the beginning of this year, but more importantly started checking the electrics at the beginning of this month. Many like me might not use their tow bar much, which is generally when they start to go wrong and rust up. I didn't have time to confidently solve my electrical problem in just one evening so resorted to removing the tow bar all together! Ironically is was much easier that I thought and I can now sort my electrics out in good time, and have the confidence that they'll work properly for next year.

Luckily a retest tomorrow will be free else I'd have had to pay for a retest later in the week.

So get checking!
John
 
Yes, an easy job to repair when you have the right bits, but a delay would have meant I pay for a retest.
Apparently the MOT regs just starting testing all tow bar electrics, hence my post.
Yes, fair comment about the insurance but all will be back together properly in a couple of days :-)

Thanks Robin, without reading it in detail, does that mean they made a mistake in testing my 7 pin socket!!!!!!!!!

John
 
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No as I said above, 13 pin only, If it is 7 pin go and tell them to read the book. Lots of Mot stations are getting it wrong
 
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
I'll see what they say tomorrow.......
But even if it's just the 15 pin, it's still worth people knowing.
Thanks guys.
 
It does say that in the notes, but not testing the primary system for stop, tail, indicators and rear fog seems somewhat illogical and counter-productive to me??? What's the 'road safety' benefit of a working charge circuit to your caravan if the guy behind doesn't know when you've hit the brakes and smashes it to bits anyway? :confused:

Edit: reading again, I'd say they DO need to test the 7-pin one too:


Electrical wiring and connectors

Trailer electrical socket security and damage

Operation of 13-pin trailer electrical sockets using an approved trailer socket tester
Click to expand...


If not under the second, then surely the first covers it? It is a connector after all...
 
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Just to confirm ( I am a tester )
It only applies to 13 pin electrical sockets and that is the only fitment on the vosa approved test equipment, the towbar still has to be safe tho ( not rotten & mounted correctly ) along with the towball not excessively worn.

As above, if you have a 7pin socket ? ( look inside 7 holes ) then it is not testable so there for not a fail able item regardless of towbar fitted or not.
Tell them to check with AE ( area examiner )

You don't say under what grounds it has been failed ??

If the socket is hanging off it will fail due to not been secure.

Or the only other way that it is fail able is under wiring, so if the wiring to it is not secure, bare wires showing, trailing on floor ect ect then it can be failed. And will still fail even if there is no towbar fitted as the wiring is still "dangerous"
Hope this helps.
 
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Racingfrank7 said:
Just to confirm ( I am a tester )
It only applies to 13 pin electrical sockets [...]
As above, if you have a 7pin socket ? ( look inside 7 holes ) then it is not testable
Click to expand...

Thanks. As rbcoomer says, this seems rather surprising, though I'm not disagreeing with you. Any idea why it is that way?

Pete
 
prv said:
Thanks. As rbcoomer says, this seems rather surprising, though I'm not disagreeing with you. Any idea why it is that way?

Pete
Click to expand...

I'd think that the wiring pattern for the old 7 pin plugs may not be specified in any regulation.
It has certainly changed slightly over the years.

At one time left and right tail lights were not separate. That would have changed as bulb failure relays were introduced.
One pin that was otherwise spare and available for caravan power supply or electric reversing lock came into use for a rear fog warning light when they became mandatory.

I assume there is a regulation that the wiring of the 13 pin sockets must comply with, otherwise it could not be part of the MOT test.

I wonder what the situation is for people who fit waterproof Bulgin plugs and sockets instead of the standard ones.
 
Racingfrank7 said:
Just to confirm ( I am a tester )
It only applies to 13 pin electrical sockets and that is the only fitment on the vosa approved test equipment, the towbar still has to be safe tho ( not rotten & mounted correctly ) along with the towball not excessively worn.

As above, if you have a 7pin socket ? ( look inside 7 holes ) then it is not testable so there for not a fail able item regardless of towbar fitted or not.
Tell them to check with AE ( area examiner )

You don't say under what grounds it has been failed ??

If the socket is hanging off it will fail due to not been secure.

Or the only other way that it is fail able is under wiring, so if the wiring to it is not secure, bare wires showing, trailing on floor ect ect then it can be failed. And will still fail even if there is no towbar fitted as the wiring is still "dangerous"
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I've got 2 sockets on mine (MoT in June), one which I think is caravan services & one for trailor board.
Which one is the 13 pin socket?
 
If you have two sockets then neither of them is a 13-pin socket. The two sockets are each 7-pin. Eventually these two will be replaced by one 13-pin socket but it is a gradual process. When you have two sockets the black one supplies the various lights and indicators on the trailer. The grey one is for power supplies for caravans etc. allowing the caravan to be powered from the car's battery and also to charge a battery in the caravan itself.
 
Reasons for Rejection
3.
A trailer electrical socket:
a.
insecure

b.
damaged or deteriorated to the extent that the connecting lead could not be securely connected.

4.
A trailer 13 pin Euro-socket not operating the trailer lamps as intended.
Click to expand...

So a 7 pin socket does not need to work electrically as long as it is securely fixed and a plug will fit into it. http://www.motuk.co.uk/manual_190.htm
 
i own my own MOT station and have 5 testers and all these new regs are a pain in the arse to be honest they keep adding stuff in and taking stuff off my lads seem to spend far too much time reading the updates to make sure they get it right

some other stuff thats just come in is

abs warning light on
main beam tell tale
battery insecure
head lamp leveling and cleaning devices
steering lock
eps light on
electric parking brake lamp
brake fluid warning lamp
tyre pressure warning lights
engine mountings
speedo

plus others so dont be suprised if your car fails on something it has passed on for the last 5 years :)
 
gjgm said:
Is that correct? A towbar counts as a modification?
Click to expand...

Yes, it certainly does. About 3 years ago someone drove up the back of me. When speaking to my insurance company I joked that the other car (a little Fiat) came off much the worse because he hit my Freelander with a towbar. The (quick) response was: "what towbar is that sir". Eh? "We don't have any record of your car being modified with a towbar sir" .... It was only fitted 2 weeks before. Start of an interesting saga.

Anyway after that, I tried an experiment by completing some online insurance quotes. One of the little tick boxes is usually "tow bar fitted". Tick and untick the box and watch the quotes change!
 
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